outcome of vote on BWLG/GALA

[Mary Bucholtz]

The votes have been tallied and the results are as follows. Out of 30 votes
cast (3 past the official deadline):

Option 1 (no connection with BWLG): 4 votes
Option 2 (symbolic connection only): 3 votes
Option  3 (symbolic and material connection): 20 votes

Two votes were also cast for a write-in compromise option 2.5. There was
one abstention.

There have been some concerns expressed on the list about the vote and the
nature of a connection between BWLG and GALA, especially at the symbolic
level. The facilitators want to clarify a few issues in hopes of
alleviating some of these concerns.

Because there were a few suggestions that additional options be added to
the ballot, we want to address why the options were stated as they were.
For example, it was suggested that we issue an open invitation to BWLG to
join GALA. Some later posts may have clarified why this isn't an option
(namely, that BWLG is folding and so there's no one left to join GALA as a
group, although people who were involved in BWLG are participating in GALA
as individuals).

It was also suggested that there be a position between 2 and 3: to draw on
BWLG's resources while making GALA a separate, broader organization. In
particular, there was some concern expressed about BWLG's emphasis on women
(in the name of the organization) and it was urged that GALA take a wider
focus on gender and sexuality than BWLG's name implies. This suggestion
wasn't added to the ballot because the facilitators felt that it was
already encompassed by the existing options (as option 3).

In essence, the history of the vote is that BWLG made an offer to GALA to
hand over its material resources since it's not able to continue to use
those resources. The purpose of the vote was to decide whether that offer
would be accepted. There are no stipulations from BWLG as to what precisely
GALA will do with these materials: GALA is not locked into any particular
arrangement with BWLG, and the vote doesn't preclude GALA's having a
different name, mandate, and structure from BWLG. The only thing that GALA
must do as a consequence of this vote is to provide a home for BWLG's
resources and to somehow acknowledge BWLG's foundational role as a language
and gender organization. The details of how this will be acknowledged
remain to be decided by the list.

So far, there's been only one proposal as to what to do with BWLG's
resources: have a conference this spring. If the list does decide to
endorse this proposal, we'll need to move  quickly, so as we continue to
discuss the nature of GALA and how it will use BWLG's resources, we'll go
ahead and vote on this proposal. Details will be forthcoming soon from Sara.

Mary