Become a Member of the OTW and Vote for the 2023 Elections!

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2023-06-24 00:02:01 UTC

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OTW Elections News

It's almost election time! Being a member of the Organisation for Transformative Works (OTW) means being able to vote for its Board of Directors. This helps affect how projects such as the Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, and Transformative Works and Cultures are run now and going forward. This year, our election for the Board of Directors will be held from August 11 to August 14. (Access the full Elections Timeline for 2023).

In order to vote, you need to be a member of the OTW by midnight UTC on June 30, 2023 (What time is that for me?). Please note that your donation receipt will be dated in US Eastern Time, so if your donation is listed after 19:59 on June 30, 2023 on the receipt, you won't be eligible to vote. That means that you have to have made a donation of US$10 or more between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, AND have chosen to become a member when donating. In order to become a member, you need to select "Yes" in response to the question "Do you want to be an OTW member? ($10 minimum donation)" on the donation form. If you're unsure whether this applies to a donation you've made, please contact our Development & Membership team.

If you participate in this voter registration drive, you will receive a specially designed icon, only available during this drive. Thank you for your support of the OTW! Register to vote and donate today!

The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.

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marshhouse Sat 24 Jun 2023 12:38AM UTC

Cheers, and good luck to all 👍

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Account Deleted Sat 24 Jun 2023 12:59AM UTC

thanks much for the reminder, and best of luck to the candidates!
😊

Last Edited Sat 24 Jun 2023 01:11AM UTC

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azarias Sat 24 Jun 2023 02:35AM UTC

Hi! Will retracting Legal's defamation of me be a responsibility of the new Board of Directors, or will the incumbent Board be handling that on their way out?

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1. acidbirth Sat 24 Jun 2023 02:44AM UTC
  
  Can't stand not having the conversation be about you for 5 seconds, eh?
  Gotta squeeze that 15 minutes in the spotlight for every ounce of spectacle and drama it's worth.
  
  Last Edited Sat 24 Jun 2023 02:53AM UTC
  
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2. 1. Lielac Sat 24 Jun 2023 03:17AM UTC
    
    Azarias was accused (with a tissue-thin layer of plausible deniability) of attacking OTW volunteers with CSAM, aka pictures of literal actual real children being literally actually really sexually abused. It is reasonable, when one has been falsely accused of such a horrific crime, to demand a retraction, and to keep demanding the retraction until it is received.
    Azarias being falsely accused of such a crime is absolutely repugnant on the part of OTW's Legal committee, and they should be ashamed, and you should be ashamed for belittling Azarias's response to having their reputation smeared.
    
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  2. 1. Katoska Sat 24 Jun 2023 03:43PM UTC
      
      They.did.not.name.her.
      And they only sent that internal message to clarify some questions brought on by a post SHE made publicly about the incident, in which SHE said she believed she was a suspect and was suspended (back then) by Legal for it. Because she thinks Legal has a problem with her *for some reason* (like, oh, perma-suspending users without just cause while she was still PAC and *apparently* of her own volition? I still want to know if she was told to screen content that wasn't reported)
      Like, I do believe Legal had reasons to suspend her. Which is why I don't believe they'd have needed to conspire against her to do that.
      
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    2. 1. Lielac Sat 24 Jun 2023 03:55PM UTC
        
        It's really obvious who the volunteer they're referring to is if you read beyond the, again, tissue-paper-thin layer of plausible deniability.
        Again. The message accuses Azarias (sorry, the "unnamed volunteer") of attacking OTW volunteers with images of real children being sexually abused. It is fucking shameful to put out a message that accuses literally anybody of spreading CSAM if you aren't sure beyond a reasonable doubt that it's them. It's a horrifying crime that perpetuates the abuse those real children in the images were subjected to! It can ruin reputations to falsely accuse people of hundreds of international felonies. Azarias doesn't deserve that unles she actually did it, which she did not because what the fuck.
        If Azarias overreached in her duties as a PAC volunteer, the message explaining why she was suspended should have explained that that was the reason. It should not have gone on about "coincidences that cannot be explained" in connection to the international felonies that volunteers were subject to in May of 2022. Either Legal was accusing Azarias of being the attacker, or they're so bad at wordsmithing that they accidentally gave that impression. Either way they're morally bankrupt and need to step down.
        In conclusion: fuck you, step on a Lego, I'm sending any more comment notifications from this thread to email superhell.
        
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      2. Katoska Sat 24 Jun 2023 05:16PM UTC
        
        It is only obvious to anyone who already read the Dreamwidth post.
        They didn't accuse her of anything. You and other people say they used weird phrasing ("another information coincidence that we can't explain") to frame her, but that, to me, simply refers to the part of the Azarias' Dreamwidth post quoting Betsy:
        "A well-timed question! We asked Volcom to reinstate your Slack access today which sure seems like a coincidence."
        I assume some current vols - those who read the DW post and didn't immediately go "oh, poor her" - got suspicious about that and asked for clarification. Cause "hey, I was suspected of a crime" WILL ALWAYS make some people suspicious and ask questions. So unless Legal lied when answering them, it's not defamation or a smear campaign by them, it's just answering questions.
        As it is, I have no reason to disbelieve them when they say it seemed like Azarias' account was compromised and they had to suspend it until they could be sure it was safe . The OTW's responsibility was to the children who were victimised by the CSAM *first*, so shutting the most likely source down and investigating any security leaks was a priority. Yes, even over the worry and mental damage experienced by the vols who were harassed by the images. I'm sorry, but they were not the biggest victims in this despite being the target.
        And like, I don't believe she did it, because she'd be damn stupid to make that DW post then (then again, she doesn't seem that bright if she actually adnitted to moderating the no-moderation site in another post...). But she very much is smearing the OTW over sticking to their content policy and mission statement and is accusing them of either doing or fascilitating crimes, when they did not do that. And I do have a massive problem with that.
        
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        Katoska Sat 24 Jun 2023 05:24PM UTC
        
        unavelle: Since you asked, I was using "conspire" in reference to Azarias' own words:
        "On another note, I got confirmation that my suspension was due to a faction of sitting Directors, Emerita Directors, and chairs who wanted to get rid of me (but couldn't figure out the existing process for doing it) teaming up with a faction who genuinely believed that I committed nine hundred separate felonies across three dozen international borders because I was butthurt at not getting to be the Board's paperwork bitch for the DCRO project that they desperately wish they could bury. Evidently Betsy let me back in over their objections because she wasn't willing to be the point person for a move that stupid. So, that happened."
        So, yeah, if it doesn't make sense, don't blame me. I have actually read a lot of that thread.
        
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      3. Aerophore Sat 24 Jun 2023 04:53PM UTC
        
        In addition to Lielac's excellent comment, I have to ask: have you really read both these internal messages? Because the story you're telling doesn't fit any of them, which is quite a feat.
        Internal and Legal said the volunteer was reinstated after the ban and have left since then. Both Internal and Legal apologized (or rather faked apologized but they did say "we apologise" several times) or did you miss that part? So the ban didn't happen for the reason *you* believe it happened. How can you believe otherwise? It makes no sense unless you think Internal and Legal lied about the chain of events and the reason why they happened. XD This is the funniest thing I've read today.
        
        Last Edited Sat 24 Jun 2023 04:56PM UTC
        
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      4. azarias Sat 24 Jun 2023 05:45PM UTC
        
        perma-suspending users without just cause while she was still PAC and *apparently* of her own volition
        So that we're on the same page, you made that up in your head. I didn't do that, and Legal didn't accuse me of doing that. (They accused me of distributing CSAM and gaining unauthorized access to OTW internal communications. I'd actually prefer your accusation instead!)
        Did I suspend you at some point? Is that what you're mad about? Because you seem mad, and I have to tell you, I have no idea who you are.
        
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      5. Katoska Sat 24 Jun 2023 07:29PM UTC
        
        So this person signing as you, isn't you?
        https://fail-fandomanon.dreamwidth.org/598363.html?thread=3666921307#cmt3666921307
        Cause they are saying they banned people for legal (albeit deeply suspicious) material.
        And no, you never banned me. I'm mad because I believe you are one of those people the OTW was founded against.
        
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        azarias Sat 24 Jun 2023 09:35PM UTC
        
        Thanks for linking your source, Katoska. That is indeed me! Anyone interested is welcome to take a look and compare what I said to your bizarre interpretation. I did in fact permanently suspend users for posting fully-clothed, sadomasochist sexual exploitation videos of real prepubescent children, and would do it again in a heartbeat.
        Since AO3 doesn't have a policy about this material at all - not that it is allowed, not that it is disallowed, but any policy whatsoever - and since the Legal Committee's guidance was to use my judgment as to how to proceed, I used my judgment. My judgment has not changed and would yield the same results now as it did then. If you believe this material should be allowed on the Archive, you're entitled to that belief, but I'm unlikely to ever agree with you.
        I followed PAC procedure in handling this and all other cases involving user suspensions. If you care to read the TOS, you'll see that the procedure is explained there. A temporary suspension requires the approval of two PAC members. A permanent suspension, on the other hand, requires the approval of a simple majority of PAC members (and at least one chair, which is an additional restriction PAC observes which isn't mandated by the TOS).
        And more importantly, Legal publicly said why I was suspended from volunteering, and it isn't the reason you've headcanoned.
        To recap, in order for your belief that I was suspended from the OTW for unilaterally permabanning users to be true, the following parties have to be lying:
        1. All of PAC.
        2. 1-3 PAC chairs.
        3. Legal.
        4. The Board of Directors.
        5. Me.
        Are you certain you think that's plausible?
        
        Last Edited Sat 24 Jun 2023 10:00PM UTC
        
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  3. azarias Sat 24 Jun 2023 03:20AM UTC
    
    The simplest way to shut me up is to make a retraction :) Takes a minute to type up. Maybe five if they want to be fancy about it, but I'll take "We retract the accusations the Legal Committee made about azarias" and call it a day, tbh.
    If you don't want to see me again, you can either mute me, or you can tell the Board to go ahead and make the retraction to shut me up! Otherwise I'm gonna think you like seeing me.
    
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  4. 1. slhisenbrower Sat 24 Jun 2023 05:05PM UTC
      
      Yeah because the comments on a news post is DEFINITELY the best way to contact the right people and demand a retraction.
      
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    2. 1. azarias Sat 24 Jun 2023 05:08PM UTC
        
        Since they haven't responded to my emails, it seems like the only route. If you're tired of hearing from me, blame the Board. They had the chance to handle this privately weeks ago, and chose to stonewall instead.
        
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      2. acidbirth Sat 24 Jun 2023 08:51PM UTC
        
        Have you considered that you’ve actually amplified the claims about you (read: unnamed individual that only a limited number of people with specific context would have inferred to be you) by doing this? How many people on this site knew who you were, exactly, until very recently?
        If this is actually about the defamation of your reputation, then you’ve game-theoried poorly.
        
        Last Edited Sat 24 Jun 2023 09:02PM UTC
        
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        azarias Sat 24 Jun 2023 09:10PM UTC
        
        In all seriousness, yes, I did think of that when all this started. When the accusations first came out, I logged off for several days and made my partner also log off until I could speak with an attorney. Accusations of mass distribution of CSAM across international boundaries are an extremely serious matter. I've been concerned about repercussions to not only my fannish reputation but my real life and career since this began. I consulted with my attorney to make sure that responding to the Board and Legal would not put me in any further danger than I already was, or make me somehow legally "deserving" of their accusations, before I said a further word.
        Unfortunately, the cat was out of the bag the moment I became aware of the accusations. Board member Natalia Gruber chose to post Legal's accusations about me in a public channel for the approximately 1000 current volunteers to see, mere hours after the Board had made a statement that the entire situation was a miscommunication and they intended to send me an apology for the inconvenience. I don't know why the Board changed its mind in that brief time and decided to post Legal's contradictory and defamatory statement. I also don't know who posted that statement to fail-fandomanon, the anonymous community where I first became aware of it. FFA has several hundred to several thousand active members, and they're very chatty. There was nothing I could do at that point to keep the post from circulating.
        So my choices were to either let the rumors circulate unchallenged, or address them directly. I tried contacting the Board privately first, and received no response. They could have, weeks ago, simply posted a message retracting Legal's accusations - something they, as the directors of the org, have every right and ability to do - and I would have no grounds to continue my complaints. Instead they've allowed the accusations to stand, and people like Katoska up there have taken it as an invitation to make wild accusations about my conduct. (Though again, I have to emphasize that I much prefer what Katoska has accused me of, which is merely silly, to what Legal and Board have accused me of, which is both criminal and monstrous.)
        As I said in my other comment to you, Board can choose to shut me up about this at any time. All they have to do is what any other organization that had gotten itself into this pickle would do and post a retraction of accusations they know are false.
        
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  5. Aerophore Sat 24 Jun 2023 06:16AM UTC
    
    Can't stand to make the difference between petty fandom disagreements and serious accusations that could have had awful serious legal consequences and did impact azarias in numerous ways? This isn't a fanfic, this is their life they're talking about. Or does that mean nothing for you?
    Downplaying what happened like you're doing is despicable. Your comment is disgusting.
    
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3. Aerophore Sat 24 Jun 2023 06:20AM UTC
  
  XD
  If this doesn't come up in the Q&A in some way, then I don't trust any of the future directors not to bury their heads in the sand like the current ones have been doing.
  
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4. impertinence Sat 24 Jun 2023 09:24PM UTC
  
  +1
  
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switchwitchbitch Sat 24 Jun 2023 03:58AM UTC

👍 actually in a financial position to pay the membership fee for once, will vote. figure it's money better spent here than on like an overpriced sandwich or something lol.

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DS_Saotome Sat 24 Jun 2023 08:25PM UTC

I gotta say; my butt is clenched for this election, goddamn. Considering the dark clould of controversy hanging over the OTW, I am VERY interesting to see how things go.

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Rambert Mon 26 Jun 2023 05:14PM UTC

Why are comments disabled on the zero-explanation post about Emyn a. withdrawing??? Did something happen with the Q&A that I missed?

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1. switchwitchbitch Mon 26 Jun 2023 05:42PM UTC
  
  The 25th was the deadline to submit questions for Q and A. If I had to guess, the comments are locked to discourage speculation or stop people from demanding answers directly from Emyn A there. Maybe they didn't like the response to the post about Heather resigning? And wanted to avoid a repeat? I just hope Emyn withdrew candidacy for something that wasn't, like, serious illness or something awful like that.
  
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2. 1. Rambert Mon 26 Jun 2023 06:12PM UTC
    
    exactly like, I understand they have a right to privacy but a crumb of context would make it not so alarming! I do hope they chose to withdraw because of a non-emergency reason and weren't pressured by anyone to do so.
    
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  2. 1. switchwitchbitch Mon 26 Jun 2023 11:20PM UTC
      
      I think we can't jump to any conclusions. I think a "for personal reasons" would have been better than nothing, but I can't say more than that without knowing more context.
      
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Slybrarian Tue 27 Jun 2023 11:24PM UTC

Why did the Board and/or the person in charge of Communications decide to shut down posting to the OTW_News Dreamwidth community, and why was the announcement timed so that we couldn't include questions about that in the elections Q&A?

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1. Prismatic Bell (PrismaticBell) Thu 29 Jun 2023 07:05PM UTC
  
  +10000
  That’s sus as hell.
  
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StarrzyStuff Sat 01 Jul 2023 01:32PM UTC

i just joined and reading the comments i'm confused and concerned. :')

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1. switchwitchbitch Sat 01 Jul 2023 07:21PM UTC
  
  I'm trying to read as much as I can about the situation and I found this enlightening re: org (dys)function over time https://fairestcat.dreamwidth.org/2023/06/26/the-otw-and-money.html it doesn't propose solutions but there's some fantastic context to how we converged on the current clusterfuck
  
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2. 1. advestager Sun 02 Jul 2023 04:55PM UTC
    
    someone's keeping a timeline of everything that's going on here https://www.tumblr.com/221loislane/721236355471097856/additional-events-06262023-june-21-2023-the
    
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