I can be rather critical of the WordPress Community. We’re not perfect. We could be more inclusive and more open. We could be more effective in improving WordPress. We could do more. And still, the WordPress Community rocks. It rocks big time. I’ve been reminded of that last week, when visiting an event of a different community.
I visited an event of the startup community in the Netherlands. About 40 people were attending this event and I was the only woman. I talked to the organization afterward (luckily, there were women in the organization) and they shared my concerns and said that it was not uncommon to have no or very few women attend their events.
Could you imagine something like that happening at a WordCamp nowadays? I can’t. We – as a WordPress community – have been really successful in attracting a diverse public. Of course, there have been events that were imperfect in terms of speaker line-up and also in terms of attendees. And yes, diversity goes much (much) further than just focusing on gender equality. On a WordCamp, though, I always feel at ease. And I think that’s because we all agree that equality and inclusion matter. Everybody is always kind. Our community is so kind. And that makes me feel safe.
Being the only woman at the Dutch startup event made me feel very insecure. I felt out of place. I did not feel safe. And oddly, it was good for me to feel insecure and out of place. It reminded me of how awesome the WordPress community really is. If you spend much time in a certain group, you might take them for granted. You might end up focusing on all the things that could improve rather than all the awesome things. Spending time in that other community helped me to appreciate the WordPress community.
I ended up having a great time at my startup event. Offered to help them improve the inclusiveness of their upcoming events. Met some great new people. Then I came home and immediately booked my flight for WordCamp Europe. Can’t wait to see all of you!
