WNB.rb Code of Conduct

WNB.rb is committed to creating a safe community for women and non-binary Rubyists to grow as speakers and developers. As such, all WNB.rb participants, speakers, and organizers are expected to treat each other with respect and kindness. This code of conduct outlines the expected behavior of all WNB.rb community members and will be enforced.

Harassment

Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated in the WNB.rb community. Harassing behavior includes, but is not limited to, offensive comments related to one’s identity (race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, etc.), unwelcome sexual advances or physical touching, stalking, mean-spirited behavior, or disruption of meetups.

Any WNB.rb participant who engages in harassment will be immediately removed from the community, including being expelled from video calls and blocked on all social media platforms, including Slack and Twitter.

Assuming Gender

WNB.rb is a meetup specifically for women and non-binary people. We ask that anyone who attends identify as a woman or non-binary person.

Gender Identity and Appearance

That being said, we know that it may be unsafe for members of the queer community to publicly identify as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth. We will not be “verifying” anybody’s gender or policing who can and cannot be in our community. Anyone who self-identifies as a member of the WNB.rb community is welcome.

Telling a member of the WNB.rb community (directly or indirectly) that they do not belong in the community based on their outward appearance, presentation, or other physical traits is harassment, and anybody engaging in such behavior will be removed from the group.

Pronouns

All WNB.rb members must respect each other’s gender identity and pronouns at all times. Knowingly misgendering someone (using the wrong gendered language for them) is harassment and will not be accepted.

If you feel comfortable, you may identify yourself with your pronouns. For example, when you introduce yourself, you can say, “My name is Emily and my pronouns are she/her.” You can also add your pronouns to your social media handles e.g. “Emily (she/her)”.

When addressing others, rather than assuming which pronouns they use, ask them! Before you know someone’s pronouns, use gender-neutral language to refer to them. For example, when referring to another meetup attendee whom you’ve never met before, you could say, “I agree with Alex. They brought up a good point!”

Matz is Nice And So We Are Nice (MINASWAN)

Not all unwelcoming behavior is harassment. Many tech spaces are rife with more subtle forms of exclusionary behavior. While harder to identify, these behaviors can still be harmful to a community, especially to its most vulnerable members. It is important that WNB.rb members go above and beyond to treat each other with kindness and dignity. As the saying goes, Matz Is Nice, And So We Are Nice.

We will borrow two of the Recurse Center’s Social Rules:

No “well-actually”s (or other gatekeep-y behavior)

Jackie: I just learned how to use the Ruby pluck method!
Tricia: Well actually, that’s a Rails method.

Correcting others when it’s not necessary or relevant is a form of gatekeeping. This can be harmful to already marginalized members of the community and discourage them from pursuing a career in tech altogether. WNB.rb should be a space where people feel safe to make mistakes -- that’s how we learn and grow! Jumping to correct other members of the community can make them feel inexperienced or dumb. This does not foster a sense of safety, and that behavior won’t be welcome at our meetups.

No subtle -isms

Madison: I’m having trouble installing Ruby 3.
Cate: rbenv is so easy, even your grandma could use it!

Even if you’re not engaging in outright racist, sexist, homophobic, or other exclusionary behavior, the words you use can indirectly express these sentiments to the people around you. It’s important to be mindful of the ways in which oppression is baked into the language we use every day and try our best to use language that is inclusive and uplifting.

If You Make a Mistake

Nobody is perfect, and we will all make mistakes. If you have inadvertently said something hurtful to other members of the community, it is important to apologize as soon as possible and to educate yourself so as not to repeat the same behavior. Similarly, if you see someone engaging in microaggressions, let them (or the organizers) know so they have the opportunity to learn from their mistake.

One-off, accidental instances of hurtful language will not be considered harassment, and the WNB.rb organizers will do their best to mediate smaller conflicts. However, repeated or intentional incidents will be considered harassment and are grounds for removal from the community.

Reporting and Enforcement

If you witness a violation of the WNB.rb code of conduct either during the meetup or within the community (e.g. on Discord or other social media), please contact community leadership by opening a ticket on Discord. Swift action will be taken to enforce the code of conduct, including mediating more minor conflicts or removing individuals from the community entirely.

Accessibility

The WNB.rb organizers are committed to meeting the accessibility needs of all community members. Our meetups will forever be virtual with captioning in the event recordings. If there is any way we can improve the accessibility of our events to meet your needs, please open a ticket on Discord.

Virtual Events

To ensure WNB.rb remains a space where members feel comfortable sharing their screens, their stories, and their code, we ask all participants to follow these guidelines during our virtual events.

Privacy and Recordings

To protect the data and privacy of all attendees, please refrain from using any personal recording devices or software during sessions, including AI notetakers. Events should only be recorded by the organizing WNB.rb community member(s).

• Distribution:Recordings of our monthly meetups will be shared within the community (or publicly online) only if the speaker(s) have explicitly agreed to it. Recordings of other events may be shared, at the discretion of the organizing WNB.rb community member, within the relevant Discord channel. Transcripts, when available, may also be shared within the community.

Camera Usage and Identity

If you are comfortable doing so, we encourage you to join our events with your camera on to help us build a more personal and connected community.

• Verification: If you are new to the community or attending an event for the first time, an organizer may ask you to briefly turn on your camera and introduce yourself. This is a standard safety measure to verify identity and ensure our space remains safe for women and non-binary people.
• Recording Privacy: If an event is being recorded, please note that participants with their cameras on will only appear in the recording if they are speaking. If you would like to contribute to the conversation but prefer not to have your face recorded, simply turn off your camera before unmuting.

In-Person Events

While most WNB.rb events are virtual, we will sometimes host in-person events, often at Ruby conferences. In recent years, however, certain states within the US have passed anti-LGBTQ laws that make it unsafe for our transgender community members to attend conferences in those states.

WNB.rb strives to make our events safe and welcoming for every community member. As such, we have pledged not to host in-person events in places that have passed anti-LGBTQ legislation. This means that WNB.rb will not have an official presence at conferences located in US states with anti-LGBTQ legislation. (For more information about anti-LGBTQ legislation in the US, see this map from the ACLU.)

Our goal is not to discourage community members from attending conferences or other in-person events, even in states with anti-LGBTQ legislation. The WNB.rb organizers ask that, if you attend such an event, you seek out other members of the WNB.rb community and work together to make the environment as safe and supportive as possible.

If You Are Here for Business

This is a welcoming community. We occasionally admit members who have business motives as well as wanting to network. For example you might be a recruiter, or a technical educator. We value the support and skills you bring to our community. We ask you to network in “gentle” mode, no hard sell or pushy DMs. We reserve the right to revoke your membership at any time if other members do not feel comfortable with your activities.