{"id":11303,"date":"2020-10-16T16:49:06","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T14:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/?p=11303"},"modified":"2021-12-23T11:56:26","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T10:56:26","slug":"lgbtiq-tech-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/soft-skills\/diversity\/lgbtiq-tech-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Unicorns in Tech and of the Value of LGBTIQ+"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTable Of Contents\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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  1. Diversity in Tech: Unicorns in Tech<\/a>
  2. A Pride Hackathon<\/a>
  3. Partners are important allies\u00a0for LGBTIQ+-friendly workplaces<\/a>
  4. Tips for inclusion and diversity in tech<\/a>
  5. LGBTIQ+ in Tech: resources\u00a0and upcoming opportunities<\/a>
  6. Want to launch a developer event despite the challenges of COVID-19?<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n

    Most people would like to think they spend their time in workplaces<\/span> that are inclusive<\/strong> of differences such as gender orientation, sexuality<\/span>, and culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But diversity<\/span> in tech<\/span><\/strong> often means working for organisations<\/span> where the assumed norm is straight and heterosexual<\/a> – a mindset that can be apparent in seemingly innocent ways such as the assumption that mention of a partner refers to someone of the opposite gender or that someone automatically identifies<\/span> with the gender they were assigned at birth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We spent most of our waking life at work and good teams need to be welcoming and make an effort to foster an LGBTIQ<\/span>+ inclusive culture<\/strong> that makes LGBTIQ<\/span>+ people feel safe to be themselves at work. LGBTIQ<\/span>+ people in highly inclusive cultures are more likely to be out at work, increasing good mental health and higher retention of employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For the sake of reference, as an umbrella term, \u2018LGBT<\/span>\u2019 includes lesbian, gay<\/span>, bisexual, and transgender<\/span> people. Note that more sexualities<\/span> can feature under the LGBT<\/span> umbrella (for example intersex<\/a> people, pansexuality<\/a>, asexuality<\/a>, and people who are questioning their sexuality<\/span>\/gender identity<\/span>). This umbrella includes allies too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Diversity in Tech: Unicorns in Tech<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Diversity<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Fortunately, organisations<\/span> such as Berlin\u2019s UNIT (Unicorns in Tech) Berlin are helping LGBTIQ<\/span>+ people carve their rightful place in tech<\/span>. The network was created by the UHLALA GRoup and since 2014 has been growing to become a large community<\/span> of over 4.000 members and 11000 virtual subscribers globally who are passionate about technology<\/span> and its latest trends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Each month they organize<\/span> get-togethers hosted by proud companies and partners around Germany.  They recently hosted BERLIN LGBTI+ TECH WEEK<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    According to Stuart B. Cameron, Founder & CEO, UHLALA Group:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s crucial for us to push for diversity<\/a> in the IT field. The tech world is not as open as one would imagine and bringing together LGBTIQ<\/span>+ people and other marginalised communities<\/span> in this sphere is a concrete step in the right direction.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    UNIT<\/span> creates an important space where LGBTIQ<\/span>+ people in tech<\/span> can connect with others<\/strong>, network, learn about job opportunities and skillshare<\/a>. Regularly meetups are well attended with speakers talking about a plethora of topics including  “Interpretability in Machine Learning<\/span> for real-world use cases: why and how?” to  “Building Personal USP (Unique Selling Proposition)” and ‘Like’ like everyone’s watching: Useful tips to safely navigate the internet<\/span> as a unicorn.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Events<\/span> include plenty of time to socialise and end with a round of speed networking enabling attendees to get to know each other socially. It\u2019s a great departure from many \u2018inclusive\u2019 events<\/span> where inclusion<\/span> is defined as having a panel and including an LGBTIQ<\/span>+ person, who is only ever invited to speak about their sexuality or gender experience, as though people are one-dimensional and this part of themselves is all that they are and all that interests them.  Instead, UNIT manages to seamlessly accommodate and celebrate difference <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    UNIT also organises<\/span> an annual conference (I delivered a presentation on IoT and sex tech a few years back) which includes speakers and guests from Europe and beyond. Previous speakers have included Jon “maddog” Hall, Key person in the development of Linux<\/span> systems and Pioneering electrical engineer and computer scientist, Lynn Conway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A Pride Hackathon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Diversity<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Berlin has a proud history of annual Pride parades and celebrations, viewed by many as a time of visibility for the community<\/span>, a time to demand equality and justice, a time to celebrate LGBTIQ<\/span>+ people and their resilience<\/span> in adversity, a time to educate and bring us forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This year due to COVID-19 restrictions, many events were cancelled<\/a>. Such cancellations don\u2019t only impact individuals who rely on such events<\/span> for the community<\/span>, they also impact<\/span>  LGBTIQ<\/span>+ structures and businesses such as community<\/span> centres, bars, and clubs. Fortunately, Berlin hosted many events online and UNIT organised<\/span> a hackathon<\/a>, space to create local supports, awareness campaigns<\/span> and great uses of tech<\/span>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The winning entry was Pride Polyphony<\/a>, a global library of voices and audio messages<\/span> for LGBTQ<\/span> individuals who are looking for support, solidarity<\/span>, and community<\/span><\/strong>, particularly important in a year where many Pride events<\/span> were cancelled. It was  built with Jekyll static site deployed on Netifly. Audio was hosted on Podbean and. Jotform was used for collecting entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Another great project was To Poland With Love<\/a>, Homophobia<\/span> in Poland is on the rise with about a third of the country now declared an \u201cLGBT<\/span>-free zone.\u201d The Atlas of Hate is an interactive<\/span> map delineating these regions as part of the LGBT<\/span>+ community<\/span>\u2019s efforts to fight the proliferation of bigotry. All Out has started a campaign<\/span> asking partner cities of those Polish towns to convince their Polish twins to respect LGBT<\/span>+ citizens. The map was built with Javascript<\/span> leaflet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I also really liked Queerin\u2019,<\/a> a mobile<\/span> app<\/span> that allows users<\/span> to search, review and rate places specifically based on their LGBTQA+ safety<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While the project is still in pre-prototype<\/span> stage, the realization will integrate the OpenStreetMap<\/span>, its attribute system and the markers set by the Wheelmap Project to build an inclusive navigation system for LGBTQIA+ people, whether or not they are disabled or able-bodied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Partners are important allies for LGBTIQ+-friendly workplaces <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    UNIT offers a practical way that companies can champion diversity in tech<\/span> and their efforts to make their workplace inclusive<\/strong>. Partners are welcomed as sponsors of events<\/span>, providing financial support, spaces for events<\/span> and other assistance. In turn, UNIT provides a job board for recruiters to post roles in their  LGBTIQ<\/span>+ friendly companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This provides a tangible indication to jobseekers that they will be applying to workplaces<\/span> that will accept them for who they are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tips for inclusion and diversity in tech<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There are many things a workplace<\/span> can do to be inclusive of all. Just a few examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n