I used to get nervous in the weeks leading up to a conference talk because I was talking at a conference.
These days, it appears I get nervous for an entirely different reason: casual homophobia. Unfortunately in my industry – web development – comments such as these are not rare transgressions.
Before I begin, I have to say I think codes of conduct are a good thing, an essential element of a well run conference. In fact, I’d go as far to say not having a code of conduct is to neglect your duties as a conference organiser.
I know a few people who have organised conferences, some better than others, and none of them want a code of conduct. This is why codes of conduct often include some variation of “we don’t want to write this, we have to”.
