LGBTQ Tech List for Berlin

22 October 2020 - 4 mins read time
Tags: LGBTQ Germany Berlin

Disclaimer: This functions as a public note. It is not consistently formatted and is not meant to be comprehensive, but let me know on Twitter if you have any suggestions.

Where does one even begin for LGBTQ-friendliness of tech companies? Tech is (supposedly) as a young industry, where there’s more openness and freedom – in theory. Berlin has a reputation of being a haven for subcultures and the queer community. But how do these perceptions actually play out on the ground of lived experiences?

Berlin’s Tech Community and Events

I haven’t been in Berlin long and have attended in-person events between 2019 Q3 and 2020 Q1. My personal impression is that Berlin’s tech community is implicitly LGBTQ-friendly. Below are some of the ways I notice LGBTQ visibility and influence:

Some example of events I’ve been to with queer presenters:

Apart from the Uhlala events, many of the tech events I go to are not LGBTQ-focused.

Tech Groups to Check Out

Because I would say the general tech community, as defined by groups in tech rather than companies, is generally LGBTQ-friendly, I generally find that ones led by women or people of colour also tend to be more inclusive. Because I don’t drink and am not much of a night owl, this list skews heavily towards professional groups and gorups for women/trans/non-binary folks rather than general LGBTQ social groups (which should be searchable based on your interests).

Unicorns in Tech QueerJS @queerjs

Heart of Code

Feminist Geeks Open Source Bash

systemli.org tech collective @systemli Femisphere @FemisphereBLN An event in Berlin to highlight and celebrate diversity in the games industry Devolution @devolutionbln Devolution is an exhibition / event series about the evolutionary process of game development. FemDevsMeetup @FemDevsMeetup Networking events in Germany for women who work in, are students of, or interested in working in the game industry. Feminist War Cult @FemWarCult Safer-space gaming, welcoming players of all genders, sexualities, races, classes, and abilities. Destiny and beyond! Prototype Fund Superrrr

What about Berlin’s tech companies?

By taking this Code of Conduct, the hosts have committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and religion (or lack thereof). The event host, in theory, has made explicit that the event invites participants to create safe and positive experiences for everyone and reserves the right to remove people who have unacceptable behaviour (clearly listed). At a number of events, the Code of Conduct is mentioned at the opening.

Individuals to follow in Berlin tech

Paloma Oliveira @pcultural - Developer, curator, indisciplinary artist, wholehearted-explorer #criticalDisability #openSource #autonomy

@octopuscitizen I like Feminism, sɹǝʇndɯoɔ & dogs loves @heartofcode thinks about #diversity #organizations & #internetfreedom program manages @opentechfund
Ferdous Bioinformatics grad student who likes people, traveling, dogs and programming ツ @codecurious_bln organiser (former @RailsGirls_Bln)

Jessica Greene @sleepypioneer Backend Developer @Ecosia; IoT, ML, GO, Python, JS, data visualisation @WWGBerlin @PyLadiesBer

Laura Wadden @laurawadden systems femme cto & co-founder - LaceWing Tech

Anika Lindtner @langziehohr Gründerin http://littlevillage.berlin – coworking space mit pikler kinderbetreuung // herzensprojekt: @wishlephant // früher: CEO @travis_fnd

Ellen König @ellen_koenig Senior data engineer @mytransport Meetup organizer @PyBerlinPython Tech blogger & speaker. Part-time sociology student. Curiosity-driven person. (she/her)

Xenomascha @MaschaCamino Game Design @MaschiMensch at @saftladenberlin; Co-organizer of @femispherebln, @devolutionbln, @BerlinGamez and @IndieSchoolTrip

Meowrina Díez @Ninfa_dp CEO @3ofcupsgames @wondershophq @mesaatio ❀ Lead Designer @studio_jnsq ❀ @terebimagazine ❀ #BAFTACrew ❀ Game Dev Heroes ❀ she/they

ali reder @lamettafabrik Game Designer at Etermax. Founder of @FemisphereBLN

Sara Vieira @NikkitaFTW International agent of JS Bullshit Developer @codesandbox Queer master of @queerjs Wifey to @AlxSavage

Alex Savage Frontend Engineer @Webflow ・33% Hippie + 33% Nerd (figuring out the rest)・JavaScript & Music & Arts・She/Her @QueerJS

Julia Kloiber @j_kloiber Managing Director, Superrr Lab Partner, Ashoka Co-Founder @prototypefund Mozilla Fellow Feminism Emerging Tech Speculating about the future.

Maybe Other Stuff

Technologiestiftung @TSBBerlin Disruption Network Lab @disruptberlin