Drupal AssociationWe understand that there are people disappointed that DrupalCon North America will continue to be in the United States in 2027. We want to pull back the curtain a bit on everything that went into sourcing the event. 🧵
1/5
We genuinely spent significant time and resources attempting to source event locations outside of North America for 2027, and we were not able to secure a location that could house the size of our conference. There are fewer hotels outside the U.S. that can support the size of DrupalCon North America, and they are booking 2+ years in advance.
2/5
What we were able to do is support and amplify the effort to bring a pan-Canadian event in 2027 in the form of DrupalCan - which offers an opportunity for those who feel unsafe traveling to the U.S. to connect with a portion of the North American community.
3/5
In choosing Orlando, FL, we deliberately chose a city home to one of the strongest and most welcoming Drupal communities in the world (DrupalCamp Florida), and one that meets high standards for inclusivity under third-party metrics: the Human Rights Campaign gives Orlando a perfect score of 100 on the Municipal Equality Index - its highest possible rating for city-level LGBTQ+ protections.
4/5
We recognize the state and federal political situation is troubling for many in our community. We will never pressure anyone to attend an event where they do not feel safe. But we hope you'll find a way to participate with us in supporting Drupal community gatherings wherever they occur - whether in Orlando, in Canada, or online.
5/5
jpoesen | 🇪🇺 | 🏳️🌈@drupalassoc
What you don't seem to grasp is that *no single US location* is acceptable right now.
No amount of "it's close to Disney World" or "Equality Index score" or "strong Drupal community" is going to change the fact that you're choosing to organize an event in a fundamentally unsafe climate for LGBTQ+ *and* foreign travelers *and* so many others.
And you're legitimizing the Trump administration's actions and making it abundantly clear all is well and business comes first.
@drupalassoc
DrupalCan shows you have considered organising a smaller event outside the US.
Was it so unpalpable to skip a year or two in the US and work on two smaller ones in Canada?
Can the Drupal Association actually survive without DrupalCon USA revenue? If not, then maybe that should be front and center instead of ehticalwashing the Orlando choice.
Natalie@drupalassoc I get that it is a tough situation, but let me tell you, there are a good number of good people who are feeling quite betrayed right now. Some trans folks in the community who’ve contributed a lot over the years are feeling *VERY* disillusioned and feeling like they’ve been treated like props that are now too inconvenient.
I’m hoping the entire DA board, and both the BDFL and CEO of the DA included, hear this feedback from folks and actually *sit* with it.
@drupalassoc *LIVE UP TO YOUR VALUES*
joachim@cainaru @drupalassoc What values? If the DA was democratic, we could vote out the board. But we can't, because it's not.
@drupalassoc @joachim Values… well, I don’t even know anymore to be honest. It does feel like the current environment, overall, favors tossing values by the wayside though. Especially if those pesky values get in the way of profits. 😖
George DeMetDecisions about #DrupalCon locations and programming are made by the @drupalassoc staff, not the board.
The board is informed of the decision and has the opportunity to provide feedback, but it is the CEO of the Association who decides what feedback to take into account when making the decision.
@gdemet @joachim a big thing I’d like to know is this: is the DA aware of how much trust this loses with a good chunk of the community and some of the trans folks in our community? That trust will be *extremely* hard to rebuild.
I realize this isn’t a question for you to answer. I need to think of how best to constructively put my feedback together to send to the powers-that-be.
@joachim @gdemet Also worth noting too, that the trust can really only be rebuilt by consistent & sustained efforts over time.
Some people won’t wait around to see if such efforts take place or whether such efforts will make a difference. Some people will just stop showing up: decreasing contributions, volunteering for fewer things the DA needs help with, cutting out DA membership or donations. But will powers-that-be notice the gap? Will it register? I don’t know.