On the 24th February 2010, Osmosoft and BT will be launching the new website of ILGA, the International Lesbian Gay, Bisexual Trans and Intersex Association. Disastrously I managed to plan my holidays to coincide with this event having thought it would be launched in January, and the fact I am not going to be there on the day is the one major disappointment I have had in my time on this project.

The project has had many highs. For me it has been an amazing learning experience. I have learnt a hell of a lot about web development, web design, project management and LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) issues. It has been the biggest project I have had the honour of working on in BT and for me it has been the most exciting and interesting as it is the first website I have built that I truly felt I could make a difference with.

I have been working on this website over the duration of almost a year, at times alongside fellow Osmosoftonians Ben Gillies and Jon Lister. The website is the result of a combined vision between Stephen Barris, communication officer of ILGA and the team. Centered around a map of the world showing legal data, the purpose of the site is to provide information to LGBTI people all over the world in what ever country they happen to be in and whatever purpose that has brought them there - whether it be as a tourist, as a worker or as a resident. The website also aims to raise awareness about LGBTI issues, hopefully engraving outdated and unethical laws into the minds of all who see it.

I've been working on this project for over a year. Like many of the things I do in Osmosoft, it has raised many questions from my peers -usually they don't understand why BT would pay me money to make open source software but this is another story)- they have now been asking the question, "why would BT invest so much time in making a website for a charity with no financial gain? "It is an interesting question, which I can only offer my own personal opinion on (not BT's) which has always been the reply question "well, why would a company give a company X thousands of pounds to a charity with no outcome except a potential pat on the back for showing you support said charity". Here I believe BT have done something much more useful and powerful than they could have done with a charitable donation.

As a straight person, before my involvement I must confess that I never really passed a thought on the issues that LGBTI issues face. I believe the website we have produced for ILGA reflects these issues well and powerfully, in its articles, legal maps and through the voices of LGBTI people all over the world through the Your Stories section - a section which allows users to post personal stories about experiences they have had in their own country or others just because of their orientation or sexuality. For me reading through it I think I am starting to *get* what LGBTI people face... I really urge you to go visit and have a look and hope that it has the same impact on you whether you are straight, bisexual, gay, lesbian, intersex, transexual or an alien lifeform that is has had on me.

In my opinion I would say BT + Osmosoft have come out of this project with:
1) Useful open source software that can be reused elsewhere inside their company. The main technology that ilga.org is built around is TiddlyWeb and TiddlyWiki- both opensource platforms which we in Osmosoft are currently using to construct voting/reputation systems (a la Stack verflow), document collaboration systems (see TiddlyDocs), reporting applications, powerpoint replacements, carbon footprint tools, Scrumptious... the list goes on. It also uses HTML 5 technology (canvas) and prehistoric IE technology (VML) to create chloropleth maps - the first major website I am aware that does so (bearing in mind that ilga.org gets between 1000-1500 hits a day) - creating real possibilities for graphics capabilities in BT without Flash (read a summary of why flash is bad.. note there is a video out there but can't find it).
2) An application that could truly make a difference to raising awareness about LGBTI issues around the world. Every person who has come into Osmosoft towers for demos has seen a map of the world showing how many countries still punish homosexuality by the death penalty and gasped (or at least shown some sort of shock). It might not be Martin Luther Kingesque but it's still quite a satisfying achievement that makes me proud. Activists and non-activists are raising awareness of LGBTI issues through their personal stories and articles.
3) A useful resource for BT's LGBTI employees to inform them about the risks posed by traveling around the world on business or pleasure.
4) Some good publicity (BT recently was voted by the IGLCC as the most gay friendly company in the world in 2009)

You can see the website at http://ilga.org. The website is launched officially at BT Centre on Wednesday. Ironically I will be in Brunei, a country where homosexuality is illegal and carries a punishment of up to 10 years of jail time. I obviously will be keeping quiet....