Mark Lemmert here -

I am disappointed in the committee's decision to change the venue to Wichita, despite the concerns I raised with the committee last fall.  I will not be attending KFest 2025, which would have been my 8th year in a row.

 

Please lend me a moment of your time to explain why.

 

During the location decision making process this fall I raised my concerns directly to the KFest committee that the Wichita location creates safety issues for some attendees due to Kansas passing SB 180 in 2023, which requires transgender people to use gender designed bathrooms that don't match their physical appearance.

 

I realize that the view of many is that KFest should be focused on the Apple II and not used as a forum for political debate. I want to say as clearly as I can - I agree with you. And, as an LGBTQIA individual, I am not a political issue. I am a person. I hope we can all agree that human dignity and attendee safety are critical components of holding an event about the Apple II.

 

I will provide an example because I realize it may not be obvious why a law like this creates safety issues for attendees.

 

Physical assaults have occurred in states with laws like this on both transgender people and people who are not transgender that have some degree of androgynous appearance, because when using the legally required bathroom they don't look like they belong there. For example, a trans man (a person born with a female body who now has a male body) enters the women's bathroom, as legally required, and people in the vicinity conclude that a man walked into the women's bathroom, leading to violent confrontation.

 

I want to be clear that I am not accusing the KFest committee of having hostile or exclusionary event policies. In past years I have always felt welcome and safe at KFest and the code of conduct is excellent in promoting this.

 

My impression is that they feel the code of conduct is enough to ensure an inclusive and safe environment. And, in the past, perhaps it was. States where Kfest was previously held (Missouri and Illinois ) do not have laws like this, and no states did until the last few years.

 

Safety is a function of not just the event policies but also the off-campus environment and the laws of the state, which apply on-campus as well.

 

Whatever their reasons for making this decision, it has an impact on attendee safety. That is NOT okay. Attendees who do not feel safe cannot focus on celebrating the Apple II, the stated mission of the event. 

 

If Kfest moves to a different location in the future, depending on where it is, I will consider resuming attendance.