OpenSpace DAO

#OpenSpace DAO ##– osDAO – ###The Inspiration My husband and I have been together for 23 years. In 2008 we were living in California and on Friday, November 1st, a few days before the election, the country was reveling in the possibility of the nation’s first black President.

I was in grad school in San Francisco and Luke was working in Oregon. He called and said he was worried about the possible outcome in another election; one governing our right to do something as simple as engaging in a committed relationship, in a way recognized by our own government and affording us the same rights as any other couple.

Luke flew down on Thursday and on Friday we joined a long line of others at city hall rushing to get married before the vote. We were officially bound in matrimony in the Rotunda hall on Friday and on Tuesday, it was again an illegal process and even the validity of our bond was to be tested. Only marriage between a man and a woman was valid or recognized in California. It’s hard to imagine now, after Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriage. Even after these fights for rights, we are lucky.

Other countries are so far from providing gay marriage rights that they impose fines, imprisonment, lashes and even the death penalty.

Several times through travels I have met individuals living on the fringe of this oppression. In Turkey I met a young man who was entrapped while trying to meet others like himself in his community in Uzbekistan - he was beaten and told he would be imprisoned under their law for three years for meeting with someone on a gay social app. He fled and when we met, he was living on the street in Istanbul. His story was one deserving to be shared, but after a day filming, he asked that it never be shown, over fear of his life and for his mother’s safety in Uzbekistan.

Another friend was outed in Uganda on the radio and fled with a crowd chasing him through the streets threatening to burn him alive. He hid in a refugee camp for two years until he was rescued by an NGO.

We rarely hear the stories of those thrown from buildings, stoned or beheaded because the oppression in those places is so harsh, the lives of those people are smothered out of existence.

###What can a DAO do for these individuals?

The emergence of DAOs is also very promising for the digital communities that are being created. They can be remarkably niche, formed around topics that allow people to come together around a cause and create opportunities in a fair, community-oriented way. DAOs have the potential to create ways for members to have a safe space to communicate, have a say in the governance of a project and find ways to give back to both the DAO members and the larger LGBTQ community around the world. At the same time, the emergence of NFTs and their ongoing royalties provide LGBTQ talent, who may have previously struggled to find equal opportunities for their creative work, a way to get compensated and be given credit for what they have created. Caroline Pugliese of Rally – an open network that enables creators to launch independent economies powered by the Ethereum blockchain.

As the founder of the Zero Tech world 0://gay I feel there is a profound opportunity to explore the ways in which DAOs and web3 can be used to support gay and civil rights and mental health in foreign countries. It is true that there are already many large and well funded organizations working in the space of LGBTQ rights. Having attended the HRC gala and met with more than one of their presidents, I’ve witnessed the shroud that exists around these organizations as they funnel millions through a massive infrastructure with limited transparency. Their programs and methods are sometimes powerful, but traditional.

###The Idea Create a DAO for the development of a place where people of any race, orientation or gender identity can access resources and share their stories and interact with others in a safe and protected environment. They can choose how to share their own story: locally with other like-minded individuals or globally, as a way to inspire and inform.

Ultimately, I hope that they could interact using a Wilder World avatar as a way to express themselves in a forum where they are accepted - as often this is impossible in their own communities.

We would begin by creating communities of shared interests but seek ways to help people interact with others who might have differing opinions in order to avoid the echo chamber problem common in social media. As the DAO is developed, participating members contribute and vote on ideas and projects which are most valuable to their situations.

###Meow DAO Value Add Growing up I did not understand people of alternate gender identity. Later in life, as we fought for gay marriage equality, I realized others did not understand me and my relationship and so I needed to be more receptive to people of different gender identities, lifestyles and beliefs. The power of storytelling grew in my life, by studying for a masters in film, working on documentaries and engaging with people around the world.

There is great value in providing spaces for people in communities different from our own. Technology spaces and gaming are evolving and encompassing people of greater variety. Learning from the pitfalls of earlier iterations of social media experiments calls for ways to prevent the echo chamber and enhance our interconnectivity as a people.

Individuals will find safety and a platform with the OpenSpace DAO. They can participate and share in a way that is safer than in their physical worlds.

##Key Metrics ###Stories Document at least 3 stories per month for the first several months to build a library and ensure privacy and distribution within the story owner’s wishes.

###Communities Develop 5 ‘borderless’ communities the first month, 2 the second month and assist members the following month. Communities help members orient themselves within the open world. Ideally members create their own communities based on their identity and shared views.

###Members Seek out and assist members from places like Ukraine, Uganda, Iran and other oppressed nations to become members, while remaining diligent in the necessity for privacy and security with communication and member identification. Engage at least 15 potential individuals per month with the goal of onboarding at least 5.

###Resources Within 3 months develop a trusted resources system for sharing secure and private essential links and information for oppressed communities.

###Major Hurdles Impoverished or repressed communities typically will have less access to emerging technology. It will be critical to find ways to allow people of all socio-economic groups to access the resources of the Open Space DAO. With over 25 years of online application development, I look forward to working with the GIT resources that are being developed to see what will be possible.

###Why Should You Support the osDAO? A couple years ago I was keen to find out more about these NFTs I had heard about. I hunted around and lucked upon Wilder World. I bought a wheel and felt fortunate to mint a couple wolves. It all seemed nifty - this NFT with utility.

Ideas began to form about what might be possible in this virtual world. Then Zero Tech was revealed and what appeared to be a fun game bloomed into something that could change the digital world.. and for some, the real world.

Imagine living, as a young woman, in Afghanistan with dreams of finishing school and improving your life. Now you cannot leave the house unattended. Imagine living in Uganda as a gay man or lesbian where a mistaken text, comment or glance could end your life.

We need to find creative ways for people to find resources, communicate, and to share their stories and to find hope.