Solidarity statement for tech workers in Ukraine and Donbas

The GAY COMMUNISM blog stands in solidarity with the tech workers in Ukraine and the independent Donetsk and Luhansk republics who are unable to push their latest commits to `master` and `main` due to ongoing geopolitical unrest. We say in one voice that we want this war to end so the focus of these workers can turn away from the self determination of post Soviet states and back to building great software that people love to use.

We recognise that national identity, ethnicity, and language are at the heart of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine and Donbas, and we support tech workers in the region who call for the Ukranian National Guard and the Armies of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics to create a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion working group and associated Slack channel. The Azov Battalion of the Ukranian National Guard and members of the Organisation of Ukranian Nationalists in particular should be invited to participate in an diversity and fairness training course in order for them to understand the value of diverse teams, so that they may deliver an excellent republic that citizens love to live in.

The war in Donbas is a barrier for tech workers to maintain continuous deployment of great software, against the Agile Principles to which they are committed. This is why we support tech workers calling for buy-in to a peace agreement. End this war so that tech workers may get back to satisfying customers with amazing user experiences.