Women in Tech Birmingham are women-led and we will always strive to centre those voices and experiences - while we welcome questions and input from our allies, we also need to ensure that our members feel centred and empowered in discussions. Therefore, we require all allies and members to adhere to the following code of conduct at all times during events and when interacting with members on our social media accounts and slack channel.

Women in Tech Birmingham will enforce this code to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. We ask for cooperation from all participants as we work together to support, empower and promote women in the tech industry.

We ask that you abide by the following:

• We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of participants in any form. This includes offensive verbal comments related to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability/ability, physical appearance, body size, religion, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, heckling, harassing photography or recording, deliberate disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention and behavior.

• Be aware of the social space you occupy, as well as the positions and privileges you may be conveying, including racial, class and gender privilege. Recognise that other people’s experiences won’t necessarily match yours and use this as an opportunity to listen and learn!

• When exploring topics involving women or other liberation groups (LGBTQ+, BME, Disabled), try to allow the affected group to be the primary speakers on the topic and consider their opinions and feelings first and foremost. Don’t speak over their experiences of oppression and always allow them the opportunity to answer any questions. If a member of a liberation group requests that you change your use of language regarding topics about their liberation, please be respectful and change your use of language. If you are unsure as to the reason your language was inappropriate or offensive, please try to do your own independent research around this after the meeting (whilst remaining quiet on the topic for the rest of the meeting) or politely request that the complainant explain, if they feel they are able to or are willing to do so.

• Avoid assuming the opinions and identifications of other participants. Examples include, but are not limited to, assumptions regarding sex, sexuality, gender identity, personal pronouns, neurotypicality, able-bodied status, socio-economic background and religious beliefs.

• Try not to interrupt/talk over each other - give people the opportunity to make their point. Try to be aware of who hasn’t spoken and give them the space to speak (if they want to!).

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact one of the organisers (Joanna Woodward, Emily Lamidieu). This can be done in person at an event or you can reach out to us via our social media channels, our email, or on our Slack channel.

All communications regarding this policy will be treated as strictly confidential and we will aim to keep you fully informed regarding the process and any actions we take.

Some of our events have a limited number of attendance spaces due to constraints with our venues. Because of this, Women In Tech Birmingham enforces a ‘No-Show’ Policy for these events.

Events where the ‘No-Show’ Policy will be enforced will be clearly stated on our events page, therefore we ask that all members abide by the following:

• Avoid RSVP-ing ‘Yes’ if you are not certain that you can attend. This allows spaces to be taken by members who can.

• If you need to cancel, please do so as soon as you can. Again this gives spaces to other members who may be on the waitlist, and also allows the organisers to update the venue on who is attending for health and safety reasons.

• We understand that life can be unpredictable, so should you need to cancel on the day of the event, please let the organisers (Joanna Woodward, Emily Lamidieu) know.

• Any member who RSVPs ‘Yes’ to an event where the ‘No-Show’ Policy is enforced, but does not attend and does not let the organisers know, will be automatically labelled as a ‘No-Show’ on our meetup page.

• Organisers have the discretion to overlook a no-show if the circumstances warrant it.

• Members who receive 3 ‘No-Shows’ will not be allowed to attend our next event. You will receive a warning from an organiser on your second ‘No-Show’. Should you then receive 3 more ‘No-Shows’ after that, you will be banned from attending our events for 3 months.

• Should you receive any more ‘No-Shows’ after those 3 months, you will be permanently barred from attending from Women In Tech Birmingham events.

We expect participants to follow these rules at all Women in Tech Birmingham events. Event participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from events at the discretion of the organisers.