Who are you willing to exclude?

Yesterday, I wrote an article that I knew was going to be a bit controversial: masking is an inclusion and accessibility issue.

The funny thing about writing articles like this is that people tend to show you exactly who they are. It’s a great way to purge an email list of assholes.

No one who wrote back actually disagreed that masking is an inclusion issue. I’m happy to have that conversation.

Instead, I got several replies that some version of…

Someone else’s disability or vulnerability is not my problem. They can figure out how to manage it or not attend.

Sometimes it starts polite. Sometimes they’re rude from the start. But the underlying theme is always the same.

To paraphrase Julianna Roswell, they’re willing to actively exclude certain people from industry events.

I have zero tolerance for that. One of the perks of running your own business is that you can choose to not do business with assholes.

Everything about my business—my courses, my workshops, the community I manage—they’re all geared around building a web and a learning environment that’s warm and welcoming.

If you’re willing to exclude certain people from events for your own personal comfort, you can’t be part of that.