Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Intersexual, and Questioning (LGBTIQ) researchers and practitioners primarily come to software engineering conferences to discuss technical aspects of their work with the research community. But we are people, too, whose rights and safety are sometimes affected by the political climate. At this year’s Birds of a Feather session, LBGTIQ researchers, practitioners, and friends are invited to lunch together in a safe place and build community. We will also discuss how we fit in with our academic, industry, and governmental institutions, and what we can do to help make all software engineering conferences and workshops to be safe and welcoming spaces for LBGTIQ members of the software engineering research community.
— Organized by Alexander Serebrenik