"One of the CppCon organizers and speakers (herein “individual X”, or “X””) has a criminal record. They were convicted of rape and possession of Child Sexual Abuse Imagery in 2011, and are a registered sex offender.

#include <C++> believes that CppCon and the Standard C++ Foundation’s stance on X’s involvement in CppCon is inadequate, inappropriate, and irresponsible. CppCon and the Foundation have chosen to prioritize the prosperity of one sex offender over the physical and mental safety of the C++ community."

Presumably X served his time in prison and is getting on with his life. There have been discussions on HN about the need for felons to re-enter society productively. Doesn't that consideration apply here? Not discriminating against someone for having a criminal record is not the same as "protecting" him.

It is little appreciated how child sexual abuse can affect the victim and the people who are close to the victim for the rest of their lives.