Open Gender Monologues 2019: Share your Story!

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May 10, 2019

At the Open Government Partnership Summit in 2016, just a year after Open Heroines was founded at OGP 2015, we hosted a realistic, supportive, and honest session we called the Open Gender Monologues. We read anecdotes of women and LGBTQ people working in the Open Government space — sharing their stories of challenge, opportunity, and the wonderful diversity within the Open Government movement. The Monologues shed light on stories that had not yet been told, many of which had remained “closed” until the session, even within our “open” community.

Two and a half years later, at OGP 2019, Open Heroines has grown into a community of over 500 women. And within our community, we have more stories to tell than ever.

That’s why this year, we will be integrating our stories across the entirety OGP, instead of just dedicating one session to these important anecdotes. Heroines and friends of OH will be telling their stories on different panels, printing and sharing them in rooms at sessions, and making them part of every discussion. Particularly in a year when the OGP Summit is highlighting the importance of women’s voices and participation throughout open government processes, it is critical that the broader community learns from our successes, obstacles, and experiences.

Friends, heroines, queer and trans people of our community, share your story with us!

Using this form, tell us your story in 200 words or less. We want to hear from all of you — all kinds of stories and experiences, from all over the world — a group of stories as diverse and individually unique as the Open Heroines community. The stories of these individuals are published as they are, with almost no edits or changes, to represent each individual’s true voice. They are both inspiring and infuriating — and relatable to many of us! You can read many of the anecdotes from the 2016 Open Gender Monologues here.

We will share these stories on the OH blog before the Summit, and bring them into conversations in Ottawa at the summit. At the Summit, you can read our own story, or your story can be read for you on your behalf (remaining anonymous or with attribution to you). We welcome all stories, and please feel free to keep your story anonymous if it’s more comfortable for you.