a personal scary story

Last year I shared information about our event, Cursed Code, in a group for women in tech.

I wanted to show what my partner and I had created, share our project, and maybe even find a woman who would be interested in speaking at the event.

The only response I received was from a girl who, in the middle of the night, left a comment telling me I should be ashamed for sharing this in a group for women when we didn’t have a single female speaker at the event.

We are putting our hearts into this, spending all of our free time to realize our vision of creating a community in a unique setting. It’s perfectly fine to have opinions and thoughts, but kindness doesn’t cost a thing. In a world where we keep talking about lifting each other up, we actually need to… lift each other up.

And sure… this wasn’t a social media apocalypse. But it shows the sad kind of attitude one often encounters in the virtual world, and how easy it is for people to throw out discouraging words from behind the safety of a screen. I doubt the same words would have been said AFK, face to face.

This is exactly what we want to move away from with Cursed Code! We want everyone – regardless of gender, background, ethnicity, or any other label – to feel welcome and to take part in a community where we support and lift each other up.

I, as a woman, welcome you as a woman.

You who don’t identify with any gender.

And you who are a man.

We are people.

We are a community.

That’s it!

This year we hope for a more diverse lineup of speakers. Do you know someone who would be the perfect fit for Cursed Code? Drop a comment or reach out to us!

See you at Cursed Code!

/ Malin Leverin