[Eg-oversight-board] Evergreen Project Position Statement

[Grace Dunbar]

Good morning, everyone.
Due to the recent passage of  House Bill 2 in North Carolina
<http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/24/471700323/north-carolina-passes-law-blocking-measures-to-protect-lgbt-people>,
the Evergreen Oversight Board, on behalf of the Evergreen Project, has
released the following statement. Our main concern is that our conference
is a safe and inclusive space for all Evergreen Community members.  While
other organizations have cancelled their conferences in North Carolina over
this matter, our conference was simply too imminent to move or cancel
without significant harm to the Project and its members.  Please feel free
to contact the Evergreen Oversight Board
<eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org> if you have any questions about
this statement.

Sincerely,
Grace

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Per the Evergreen Project's Event Code of Conduct
https://evergreen-ils.org/code-of-conduct
Evergreen event organizers are dedicated to providing a harassment-free
experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and
expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size,
race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of event participants
in any form.  It is now important to reemphasize that commitment.

In particular, the Evergreen Oversight Board is disappointed that the North
Carolina General Assembly has chosen to pass legislation that nullifies
city ordinances that protect LGBT individuals from discrimination,
including one such ordinance passed by the Raleigh City Council. Since the
2016 Evergreen Conference is to be held in Raleigh, the Oversight Board is
taking the following steps to protect conference attendees:

We are working with the conference venue and hotels to ensure that their
staff and organizations will not discriminate on the basis of gender,
gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical
appearance, body size, race, age or religion.

Members of the Evergreen Safety Committee will be available at the
conference to advocate for and assist conference attendees, including
accompanying attendees to and from the conference venues.

The Evergreen Project, via its fiscal agent Software Freedom Conservancy,
will refund in full registrations from individuals who feel that they can
no longer safely attend the conference.  We're committed to processing
refunds requested on this basis, but it will take us some time to process
them.  Please be patient if you request a refund.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- 
Grace Dunbar, Vice President
Equinox - Open Your Library
gdunbar at esilibrary.com
1-877-OPEN-ILS  |  www.esilibrary.com
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