It's 2025. Update your #CodeOfConduct to include “Referring a trans woman as ”biologically male” (or vice versa) is against our CoC”.

Update your CoC to match the world you live in, or remove it as a farce.

#transphobia #DiversityInTech,

New Article in Journal of Business Ethics: »Parrying Diversity-Hostility and Ethical Dilemmas of Organizing Inclusion«

It is not a coincidence that organizational efforts to support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are in the eye of the neofascist storm that is currently devastating US-based institutions and has already begun to reverberate globally. The hostility toward DEI results from the fact that such initiatives not only seek to broaden participation, but also unsettle entrenched hierarchies and cultural privileges. This makes them an obvious target for movements aiming to restore exclusionary orders under the guise of tradition, merit, or freedom of speech. Yet, despite their centrality to current political contestations, organizational approaches to DEI remain ill-prepared to address the growing intensity of diversity-hostile communication.

In the article “Parrying Diversity-Hostility and Ethical Dilemmas of Organizing Inclusion” co-authored by my sister Laura Dobusch, Milena Leybold and me, we explore ‘parrying’ diversity hostility as an increasingly necessary DEI practice (in addition to traditional orientations of promoting inclusion and preventing discrimination). The case we are looking at is that of the controversy around the so-called ‘Google Diversity Memo’ by James Damore, which eventually led to the author’s dismissal. Check out the abstract below:

Many countries of the Global North are currently facing a strong rise in anti-diversity movements fueled by conservative, right-wing parties and authoritarian, probably fascist regimes, which also affects the workplace. However, organizations are insufficiently equipped to deal with increasing diversity-hostility since most policy approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) focus on promotion- and/or prevention-oriented measures. What is missing is a parrying orientation: methodically responding to—sanctioning—diversity-hostile communication, which can even imply the dismissal of employees. At the same time, aiming to promote inclusivity through exclusion decisions makes parrying ethically dilemmatic, and, therefore, contestable. By analyzing the case of the ‘Google Diversity Memo,’ we shed light on how an organization addressed the ethical dilemmas connected to an act of parrying—the decision to dismiss the memo’s author, who criticized Google’s DEI approach for going ‘too far.’ Drawing on a processual understanding of decision communication, we investigate public communicative acts challenging and justifying the dismissal and Google’s respective policy approach more generally. We show that organizational authoritative texts such as a code of conduct represent particularly effective decision premises to challenge or justify acts of parrying. We argue that addressing the ethical dilemmas connected to parrying requires establishing overarching rule-based procedures on how to respond to diversity-hostile communication which contributes to the overall ethical infrastructure of an organization.

The article has been accepted for publication by Journal of Business Ethics and is available open access. Finally, check out the obligatory #1paper1meme below:

Kiedy stróże prawa są skorumpowani, przestępcy biegają na wolności, a prawo jest wykorzystywane, by prześladować ludzi w imię osobistych niechęci. Dlatego nie chcemy, by przestępcy byli stróżami prawa.

Kiedy ludzie odpowiedzialni za pilnowanie przestrzegania "#CodeOfConduct" w projekcie są skorumpowani, prawdziwie toksyczni ludzie bawią się w najlepsze, a inni prześladowani są przy jego pomocy w imię osobistych niechęci. Dlaczego więc przyklaskujemy projektom, które adoptują CoC, ale nie dążą do tego, by jego przestrzegania pilnowały osoby niezależne?

When the law enforcement is corrupt, the criminals roam free and the law is used to pursue people over personal dislikes. We really want the criminals out of law enforcement.

When the #CodeOfConduct enforcement is corrupt, the truly toxic people roam free and the rules are used to bully people over personal dislikes. Why do we applaud projects for adopting a CoC if they are not pursuing independent judgement?

#BendigoWritersFestival cancelled its closing night ceremony on Sunday evening, alongside more than 20 other sessions over the course of the festival weekend, 15–18 August 2025.

The cancellations were due to the mass withdrawal of authors from the program, with more than 50 #writers & hosts choosing not to appear in protest against a #codeofconduct sent 2 days before the festival was due to start.

#auspol

https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2025/08/18/312702/bendigo-writers-festival-2025-closes-without-ceremony/

Many people that I know personally have unfollowed me on Instagram while I was still following them. To me, this is Betrayal. If you unfollow someone on any social media, then make sure that you also remove that person from your followers list.

5 yr #House probe of into PA #GOP Congressman affirms he violated elected representative #CodeOfConduct after #insidertrading stock investment that netted his "wife" over $65,000 in illicit profit .

REP Mike Kelly shows little remorse and derides lengthy legal investigation process that he says took too long....

https://wapo.st/4fbtxC4 #OhWell #ItsOnlyMoney #GetOverIt #Politics #GiftLink #WaPo #Pittsburgh #PennsylvaniaPolitics

"We’re all adult people, we don’t need a kindergarten teacher who’s lecturing us on how to get along with each other." Great call by Enrico Weigelt! - Read: Code of Conduct. A fascist-like instrument of political power, ready for abuse. "We don’t need it." - I love it. #coc #codeofconduct #dei #fascism #power #abuse #professional #behavior #freesoftware #opensource #xlibre https://felipec.wordpress.com/2025/06/11/enrico-weigelt/

Use AI moderation tools to help human moderators, not to act on their own. Don’t take the humanity out of your community management.

https://duckalignment.academy/ai-moderation-tools/

Werkzeuge wie Gemini schreiben mittlerweile echt bessere Alt-Texte als der typische sehende Mensch. Zudem bei wesentlich geringerem Zeitaufwand.

Ist die #AltPolicy hier im #Fediverse wirklich noch richtig? Fördert sie wirklich noch #Inklusion, oder sind Aufforderungen #AltTexte, #Bildbeschreibungen zu schreiben, inzwischen eher kontraproduktiv für die Akzeptanz von Fediverse und Inklusion?

The LLVM CoC Crisis: A Case Study in Open Source Accountability

In the world of open source, community standards are paramount, yet what happens when these standards fail? This article delves into a troubling incident involving the LLVM project's Code of Conduct C...

https://news.lavx.hu/article/the-llvm-coc-crisis-a-case-study-in-open-source-accountability

If you are in Bologna and like the idea of a #bonfire instance running upon #Guix System and all of its little parenthesis, tonight we are waiting for you at

https://indieweb.social/@bonfire/114476553336858779

We'll collectively setup a Bonfire instance deciding the rules that the #community will follow, how #moderation should be done, which #CodeofConduct to enforce. All on an instance defined with Guix declarative, roll-backable solid take on configuration.

How can you miss it?

Here’s our #bsides #codeofconduct

https://2025.bsides.lu/CoC/

Hope it meets the requirements for a safe inclusive space. Feedback more than welcome in any form, heckling and trolling included. Bonus points if you can hack in your changes.

I am getting ready to publish a new code of conduct for my projects, as I feel the Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct doesn't properly suit my projects. The new code of conduct will be published on 2025, April 14th.

Mal eine Frage an die Kleinunternehmer unter euch, beantwortet ihr eigentlich die Fragenkataloge alle die euch so gestellt werden? #Questionnaire #Selbstauskunft #Lieferantenbeurteilung #coc #Qualitätsmanagement #codeofconduct

The Royal Society shows their true colours: Elon Musk stays a member.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/03/elon-musk-royal-society-fellowship-survives-fractious-members-meeting