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Objections to the 2025 WMF Board election removals/Wikimedia LGBT+ members

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From Wikimedia LGBTQ+ user group members

To the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees and volunteers of the global Wikimedia community,

Members of the Wikimedia LGBTQ+ user group demand that the Board recognize that their blackballing of two of the six candidates for the Foundation Board of trustees has been unacceptable and counter to the stated values of the WMF. The Wikimedia community should be free to choose who to elect, it should not be within the Board’s authority to arbitrarily disqualify candidates after the defined Affiliate shortlisting process but before the community gets a say. We also demand that the WMF Board agree to an emergency resolution making it impossible to remove candidates from any future election without cause, and that a clear and factual explanation should be provided if any removal is necessary.

Members have been shocked and alarmed at the disruption of the planned WMF election. The out-of-procedure blackballing of candidates in the previously open WMF Board election is both an unambiguous procedural failure to run a democratic election to fill board seats with experienced volunteers, and an appalling political blunder by the Foundation.

The WMF was created by our volunteers and loaned our trust to manage itself using transparent, well-governed processes and policies, to the benefit of unbiased open knowledge for people globally and for the future. By corrupting the defined democratic process for its own elections after an open call for candidates and the voting immediately due to start, the WMF Board has exposed itself as either incompetent or being misused to pursue an unstated agenda. The secret blackballing of candidates appears to be targeted in a way that supports the US Government’s anti-diversity agenda; it is hard to believe that this was by accident and not design.

There have been two candidates rejected without a credible explanation. Rejecting either candidate based on “lack of experience”, political attacks or dubious conflict of interest have been based on falsehoods or just incomprehensible. Ravan was the only woman candidate left in the running and Lane was the only openly queer candidate remaining in the election. This has been the opposite of the previously publicly stated values of the WMF commitment to representing minority voices and diversity. The Board and Election Committee stated on Meta that they were aiming for 6 candidates to vote on, but there are just 4 now remaining, all men, and are less representative of the volunteer community. A diverse and inclusive WMF Board is essential when it has to withstand a US government that is openly attacking minorities and trans people with blatant lies and conspiracy theories, and removing simple facts from its own federal agencies, archives and historic monuments.

We call on the WMF Board to void the votes already submitted in this election and to re-run the voting process with all 6 shortlisted candidates. Unless the Board does so, we call on community members to boycott this election.

Sources

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Signatories

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  1. OwenBlacker (Talk; he/him) 22:17, 8 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Freddy eduardo (talk) 22:22, 8 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  3. Egezort (talk) 22:23, 8 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Léna (talk) 22:25, 8 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  5. MiguelAlanCS (talk) 22:51, 8 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  6. Shushugah (talk) 23:20, 8 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  7. Yngvadottir (talk) 02:55, 9 October 2025 (UTC) (ally)[reply]
  8. Kudpung (talk) 03:43, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  9. Opm581 (talk) 03:49, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  10. 👁 Ceaseless Watcher 👁 (talk; they/them) 05:12, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  11. DarkGreenAndSunny (talk) 06:09, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  12. Msposhp (talk) 09:16, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  13. --ProtoplasmaKid (talk) 13:48, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  14. Carlillasa (talk) 14:56, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  15. Phibeatrice (talk) 15:29, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  16. Funcrunch (talk) 17:22, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  17. Zblace (talk) 21:37, 9 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  18. Vache-crapaud (talk) 11:27, 10 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  19. Ad Huikeshoven (talk) 12:28, 10 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  20. B25es (talk) 13:48, 10 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  21. --Mister Roboto (talk) 19:03, 10 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  22. Camelia (talk) 11:03, 11 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  23. LightNightLights (talk) 16:28, 11 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  24. Annoyedhumanoid (talk) 21:27, 11 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  25. Intcreator (talk, they/them) 21:32, 11 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  26. Irdiism (talk) 15:23, 12 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  27. Celinea33 (talk) 23:00, 12 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  28. Kiraface (talk) 13:21, 13 October 2025 (UTC) on behalf of Art+Feminism User Group[reply]
  29. Mariana Fossatti (WK?) (talk) 13:43, 13 October 2025 (UTC) on behalf or Whose Knowledge?[reply]
  30. Myrelionis (talk) 13:43, 14 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  31. Alacoolwiki (talk) 19:02, 15 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  32. XenoF (talk) 19:05, 16 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  33. carlinmack (talk) 09:18, 21 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  34. Bluethricecreamman (talk) 14:32, 21 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
  35. Voyager640 (talk) 06:27, 25 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
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