Some individuals and organizations planning to attend COV4 -- including Indigenous youth, trans people of color, sex workers, and poor and working class people of color -- have been subjected to online attacks on twitter for months. The COV4 collective has tried to speak directly with people who are involved to clarify the basis of the conflicts. We do not support these attacks, we stand with the people who are being targeted, and we remain open to engaging everyone involved.
The fact that people are afraid to attend an anti-violence conference because of how they've been targeted online is important information about the politics of online safety for and between women of color, trans/queer people of color, and Two-Spirit people, especially young people, survivors of violence, and people in the sex industry. We also believe that conflicts like these reflect the complexities of transformative justice and community accountability, including the bold possibilities, the lessons, the failures, and the unanswered questions. Our hope is that tensions like these will be frankly and critically explored at the conference itself. We also take seriously our own accountability to our principles and communities as we move forward.
The fact that people are afraid to attend an anti-violence conference because of how they've been targeted online is important information about the politics of online safety for and between women of color, trans/queer people of color, and Two-Spirit people, especially young people, survivors of violence, and people in the sex industry. We also believe that conflicts like these reflect the complexities of transformative justice and community accountability, including the bold possibilities, the lessons, the failures, and the unanswered questions. Our hope is that tensions like these will be frankly and critically explored at the conference itself. We also take seriously our own accountability to our principles and communities as we move forward.