X.org calls for the removal of the of the entire FSF BoD

[Roman Gilg]

On Wed, Mar 24, 2021 at 5:56 PM Lyude Paul <lyude at redhat.com> wrote:
>
> Hello. As many of you are already likely aware, yesterday Richard M. Stallman
> rejoined the Board of Directors for the Free Software Foundation. This is an
> incredibly disappointing decision, one which runs contrary to the values that
> the X.org and freedesktop.org communities are built-upon.
>
> Richard M. Stallman, or RMS for short, has an infamously well documented history
> of causing problems both for the FSF, it's associated projects, and open source
> as a whole. On numerous occasions he's exhibited seriously inappropriate
> behavior and views that are transphobic, ableist, and misogynist among many
> other things that are wholly unacceptable and which have no place in the open
> source community. In doing so he's set a dangerous and irresponsible precedence
> for the open source community that has tarnished its reputation for ages.
>
> As well, the board for the Free Software Foundation must also be held
> accountable for his actions and presence back on the board. While RMS himself is
> a huge problem, he would not be able to hold a place on the FSF BoD without the
> board being complacent with his behavior and allowing him to return. This is
> also part of a long recurring pattern with the FSF board encouraging RMS's
> behavior and refusing to hold him accountable. It is not enough for RMS to step
> down again, the entire board of directors must step down.
>
> It is for these reasons that the X.org foundation's Board of Directors have
> overwhelmingly voted to join in the call for the FSF's Board of Directors to
> step down, and additionally for RMS to be removed from all leadership positions
> including the GNU project. You can find our endorsement of this along with more
> information here:

I assume you think it's righteous what you do. But cancelling oddballs
like RMS for voicing unusual and sometimes disturbing opinions is not
how you spur creative thinking and progress. On the opposite you will
demolish any open platform for discourse and collaboration or if
necessary honest critique. RMS reminds me of Sokrates who had to drink
the hemlock cup for wrong-think and speak.

And with your absolutistic take on political correctness you ensure
that it becomes even more difficult for people from lower social
classes and non-western cultures to join established open source
projects like X.Org, as they will most often feel alienated by it.

Of the candidates for this X.Org board election are there people who
in the future will push back against the harmful SJW politics of Lyude
and the other X.Org board members who have voted in support of this
political witch-hunt?

Roman

> https://rms-open-letter.github.io/
>
> We encourage members of X.org, freedesktop.org, and the open source community as
> a whole to endorse this letter and boycott involvement with the FSF and
> associated projects.
>
> Sincerely,
>         Lyude Paul - X.org board member and Secretary
>         On behalf of the X.org foundation
>
> _______________________________________________
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