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GFSC Community Agreements

Community Principles

The GFSC Community (GFSCC) is a queer, disabled and trans-led group of practitioners from many fields, with a shared interest in working towards positive and collaborative social change. It is distinct from but intertwined with the technology design studio GFSC. The community is committed to maintaining a space based on trust, consensus, and transformative solidarity. Participation in this community is modeled on anarchist and other non-hierarchical principles, and aims to be open to the public whilst maintaining the safety and privacy of current members.

To this end, we agree that:

  1. We seek to promote joy, fun, kindness and play in the work we promote and accomplish as a Community, while respecting each whole individual within the group and outside of it, and recognizing the hard and emotional work that our position and principles require in the system that prevails outside of the Community.
  2. We endeavor in all instances to put aside the status-seeking, in-fighting and power struggles that characterize structures under capitalism and instead invest in mutual aid, solidarity, voluntary cooperation, and coalition building.
  3. We seek to forefront the ideas of the most marginalized, least powerful and most contingent among us.
  4. We have deep respect for specialist skills and knowledge gained through experience. We recognize expertise within subject matter, but this expertise does not translate into power over others.
  5. Communication within the GFSCC Discord server is generally light, but should be respectful of context and cultural differences.
  6. We try to be gentle with each other, while remaining accountable. If members of the Community behave in a manner that is destructive to the Community, to others, or to themselves, we will always speak up to question their actions and come to a resolution. Resolutions, when necessary, will be created using restorative justice principles and will avoid retributive results.

This is a living document, and will be revised and reposted from time to time.

Code of conduct

The very short version

  1. We want the Geeks for Social Change Community to be a safe space for all members.
  2. Don't use language that degrades other people.
  3. If you mess up, you have the chance to do better. Apologise and move on.

The slightly longer version

We want the Geeks for Social Change Community (GFSCC) to be a safe, supportive space for every person involved, be it on our Discord, on our Hometown server, in Zoom meetings, or in face-to-face gatherings. To that end, every member of GFSCC is required to abide by this policy in every context we operate.

A core goal of the group is equity of sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, physical appearance, ability, race, colour, religion, national origin, class, age, and profession. One of the ways oppressions are manifested is through language. We request that members of GFSCC not engage in language that degrades anyone else. This includes, but is not limited to, racism, transphobia, sexism, and fatphobia. We have no interest in 'devil's advocate' positions: 'It’s just a bit of fun', 'It’s just a joke', 'I was being ironic', etc. are not excuses.

We all mess up sometimes. The world is a profoundly unequal place, and it’s impossible not to be affected by it. If you say something and are called out on it, then apologise and move on. Recognise that when someone calls you out, it's because they want you to do better; it isn't an attack on your character. If you disagree or don’t understand, that’s fine - but take a second and think of a way you can ask without being aggressive to the person who called you out. It can be upsetting to be challenged - we are here for you, but we expect you to approach this process respectfully, in good faith, with the desire to learn. We encourage all participants of GFSCC to start a dialogue with us if they are unsure of anything.

If you do say something wrong to someone, such as misgendering them, one of the best ways to handle that is immediately apologise, then let the conversation move on. If you are unfamiliar with people using they/them pronouns, you can find a guide at theythem.xyz.

If someone has said or done something wrong to you, you may bring it up with them or, if you prefer, please contact any member of staff or moderator you feel comfortable talking to. If you don’t know who this is or want to send it to all of us, either DM @ModMail on Discord or email info@gfsc.studio.

Repeated or unapologetic violations of the code of conduct are grounds for removal from GFSCC.