Having been part of another site that did something like this, I have to admit to mixed feelings.
On the one hand we have a large pool of competent people who probably do have other interests we share away from Perl. Should the new section come about I would bet top dollar that it will be popular. More than that, if there is a section in it with a name like "Open forum" it will be the most popular of all.
On the other hand when you get away from Perl, what people will want to talk about are the topics which they care about most. Politics. Religion. Microsoft. But the very fact that people care means that their feelings are on the line and people will get upset.
I have seen this scenario before. A lot of interesting stuff will be said. It will be popular. People will get upset and leave.