Hacking Inclusivity

Sudoroom is proud to join Open Inclusivity, a new project to “promote inclusive practices in hacking, open knowledge and the organizations that intersect with those movements” by curating a database of codes of conduct and safer space policies. Our well-tested conflict resolution process has already been replicated by other local groups, and now we hope it can be forked and improved around the world. Sudoroom is also a member collective of the Omni Commons and we abide by the Omni’s safer space policy and Statement of Solidarity, which are also listed on OI.

OI was started by Jen Kotila after she sustained months of sexual harassment, bullying and mobbing at the Copenhagen hackerspace Labitat, its biolab Biologigaren and its science festival Kopenlab. These organizations had no written policies about harassment, violence, discrimination or conflict resolution. Even worse, they were dominated by ideology that fails to recognize the particular struggles of marginalized and oppressed people (women, queers, people of color, people with disabilities) and survivors of violence. They could not protect Jen, and eventually expelled her (along with the perpetrators) for standing up for herself. For details, we encourage you to read her story.

Because Sudoroom has (in the past) had a couple community members in common with Labitat, we must say clearly and strongly that we do NOT condone their response. Jen should never have been harassed in the first place, and after she was, the community should be supporting her.

Sudoroom is proud to stand for something better, to be a hackerspace in solidarity with struggles against misogyny and white supremacy. Our robots and lasers are not just for the privileged and battle-hardened. Hacking is for everybody, and we have no problem using our position to say so.