This is my fourth year at #hackadaysupercon .
At risk of sounding like "that woman" and getting boxed into "that stuff again" I must note, seeing as it's my profession, that there's significantly less women, BIPOC, trans folks this year.
Easily explained individually, repeatedly defended.
But looking at the crowd? Fucking brutal.
It contributed to feeling so isolated I got overwhelmed and cried about it a minute ago.
I don't want my feelings fixed. I want to trust I could be heard.
a 🧵
To tangent slightly to the side, because this topic is complex (less then people with things to lose make it), this event is *wildly* sensory overwhelming.
I have run events. At Teardown a few years ago I hosted a sensory-friendly room. It was a quiet, low-light area with chill activities.
It was INCREDIBLY popular *because this crowd is very neurodivergent*.
I want that space at other events.
But like, I'm mad right now, because I just had a meltdown, while dealing with everything else.
I didn't want to write this out. I know what I'm in for here. I choose to come *knowing* what this event is.
(context: I'm friends with women and queer folk who have just stopped coming. Some in protest.)
This kinda thing takes repeated, steady and determined public effort. Not reactive "come on we are doing our best" tones. I believe I won't find that effort here, I accept it.
But I can only see several of my dear, precious, rare friends here. That's why i came.
I don't know if I can again.
I understand the desire to run an event with 200 of your best friends. I've done that. My events even have a lot of people that more closely resemble me (but lets be honest, more like me means expressively individual, or forced to be visible minorities).
But my events aren't public. And my events have *astronomically* less social, professional, political clout.
A reason this topic comes up with Hackaday Supercon over and over again
Is because it has *POWER*. This fucking *matters*.
Ok so, I need to stop writing and explaining and teaching and also processing a meltdown and being extremely exhausted, but there's a point that I want to get to.
Yes, it is EXTREMELY upsetting and important that international and trans folks can't attend because of current fascism.
But as outlined here: https://mstdn.social/@LaserMistress/115476469172743582
That topic is relevant but *separate*. This conversation is it's OWN. Focus. Hear THESE points right now. Specificity leads to S.M.A.R.T goals and real action.
@[email protected] I didn't feel like continuing to write despite fully knowing this is the first defense I would get. Obviously. But to point at that makes me so mad. It is a red herring logical fallacy. Related, terrible but irrelevant and distracting. There's an enormous amount of diverse local interested folks. I spent five years dating a guy who did the hackaday contest each year. I never tried to come along back then. WHY. THAT'S a continuous problem, and one with reachable answers.
@LaserMistress
If it helps any, the room in the front by registration is a bit bright, but otherwise probably the best sensory escape here that I've noticed.
I haven't heard of other events having such a dedicated space, but it sounds like a great idea.
@charette I didn't feel like continuing to write despite fully knowing this is the first defense I would get.
Obviously. But to point at that makes me so mad. It is a red herring logical fallacy. Related, terrible but irrelevant and distracting. There's an enormous amount of diverse local interested folks.
I spent five years dating a guy who did the hackaday contest each year. I never tried to come along back then. WHY.
THAT'S a continuous problem, and one with reachable answers.
@LaserMistress I'm someone who spent 25 years and a great deal of effort trying to get other visible minorities to attend security conferences with me. I'm sad I'll never attend another because the collective decision was to say a big FU to us all after Covid started. We're the ones most likely to be negatively impacted by recurring infections.
There's a part of me that will always be heartbroken about that. I miss my community, I miss my friends. I miss seeing the world that way.
I've also realized that I'm tired of fighting the people who wanted me to not be there. They won the game when they decided they so badly wanted people like me out that they weren't willing to do anything to minimize a virus that will kill me if I catch it.
But I'm also healing because I've stopped catching the Con Crud 6 times a year.
⚡🔌ℂlaire 𝔻anielle ℂassidy♾️
Ted
Stéphane Charette 🇨🇦
AllyPally
Cetraria