And btw, I do have to note that I consider 99% of the white men that I usually work with to be well intended allies. I'm sure that many of #FOSDEM 's visitors would have proudly stuck our cool 'not a tech bro' stickers to their laptops. ❤️
Anywho, it is what it is. Lets see if we can organize something adjacent to #FOSDEM or with the Community devroom.
(I didn't really connect my years as a junior dev to the importance of an inclusive FOSS ecosystem and stats supporting it, but I'm a little deflated tbh)
@Gina FWIW, your proposed track would have been a strong motivator for me to try to make space for fosdem in my already busy travel schedule. -- a white man.
Oct 21, 2026, 12:54 PM@Gina Thank you for this very informational (alhtough quite disappointing) thread!
I do hope the devroom rejection won't stop you from from submitting a proposal for the main track (and maybe even a stand?), I'm quite optimistic about such a talk being accepted AND able to fill in Jansson :)
Do these well intended allies stand up for you in the moment you're asked to get coffee or whatever, or do they just express how sorry they are for what you deal with, after the fact?
@Gina no "techsis" sticker?
@lutindiscret What's a techsis?
@lutindiscret Fair, but tech bro has some associations that I don't necessarily see on the opposite side, hence why I asked. But I see your point :)
@Gina it would be approx the concept of sorority for women/people in tech 🤔
Oct 21, 2026, 7:15 PM@Gina I wanna see if I can find some time to set up a landing page for a “FOSDEM Pledge” that speakers and rooms can take to make up for the miss. A speaker could devote a few minutes of their talk to a DEI topic, a room could dedicate a talk slot or two to a DEI talk, etc.
A bonus here would be that folks who need to hear about this have no chance but to do so :)
Oct 21, 2026, 7:26 PM
@Gina deep breath in. Deep breath out Gina.
The global anti DEIB backlash exists because it was making a difference.
Look at the great things your work has made possible. You yourself are testament to why it’s so important. You are a champion.
But even champions need to rest. So rest. And re-inflate when you’re ready.
@Gina I have always been little disappointed that the Community devroom is kind of hidden away.
I have been fortunate to go to FOSDEM a few times and have been really impressed by how that room has grown in terms of the size of audience it attracts with some really amazing and generally positive sessions.
@Gina seems like a good place