Out and Equal: Please Don’t Take Snap Me!

I’m in Dallas, Texas for the 2011 Out and Equal Workplace Summit. I’m pretty jazzed about attending this year, and the weather thus far has been amazing.

Providing a safe and inclusive environment for LGBT employees is certainly important but so is something else –– privacy. For those who follow my blogs, you know that ethics and privacy on social media are something that I cover quite a bit. One thing that struck me, and is not addressed as much as I would like, is the respect of privacy of attendees that Out and Equal is promoting at the event. According to the FAQ section, Out and Equal is making it possible for attendees to keep their identities private by placing a sticker on their badge. The sticker on the badge signals to both the media, and guests of the event, that they would not like their picture to be taken and to be honest, I’ve seen a good handful thus far.

According to the site, the FAQ section states:

Can I take photos at the Summit?
Out & Equal respects that some Summit participants value their privacy and do not wish to have their photographs taken. Participants with a dot on their name badges have asked not to be photographed during the Summit. Please respect their rights. Generally speaking, please ask for permission before you take someone’s picture.

Will my picture be taken at the Summit?
Out & Equal respects that some Summit participants value their privacy and do not wish to have their photographs taken. Participants with an indication on their name badge have asked not to be photographed during the Summit. Please respect their requests. Please be aware that unless you clearly express your desire not to be photographed and avoid cameras when they appear, your image may appear in press coverage or be used for Out & Equal promotional material.

Granted, this warning doesn’t mean that there won’t be people who probably won’t think to adhere to this guideline, but it’s nice to see it promoted and talked about in detail in the conference materials.

Respecting the privacy of others is critical, as not all of us are open about our sexual orientation or gender identity to everyone around us. The fact that Out and Equal is reminding not just the media, but guests of the event as well, to seek proper consent before taking pictures, is important to do so that you’re protecting a guest’s privacy and identity at events such as this.

In addition to providing information for attendees to seek proper consent before taking a picture, the Out and Equal is also leveraging both Facebook and Twitter with hashtag #outandequal to keep the social conversation going.

So tell me, have you been to conferences before that promote the protection of privacy of attendees? If so, tell me about it in the comments below.

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