LGBTQ and Wikipedia

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Participants at a Wiki Loves Pride event to improve LGBTQ-related content on Wikipedia, in Serbia (2019) Viki voli prajd uredjivachki maraton 2019, 02.jpg
Participants at a Wiki Loves Pride event to improve LGBTQ-related content on Wikipedia, in Serbia (2019)

There are various intersections of the LGBTQ community [lower-alpha 1] and Wikipedia. LGBTQ people who edit the online encyclopedia often face cyberbullying and other types of harassment. Wikipedia content about LGBTQ individuals is often vandalized, but various Wikipedia user groups, WikiProjects, and the Wikimedia Foundation endorse campaigns to promote inclusion on Wikipedia. Availability of Wikipedia's LGBTQ content, in countries that otherwise suppress information about LGBTQ issues, has been praised.

Contents

LGBTQ coverage

In 2011, the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) made it a strategic goal to recruit more women, people of color, and other underrepresented individuals as editors, including LGBTQ people. [1]

In 2019, Rachel Wexelbaum, an associate professor at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, United States, wrote, "For LGBTIQ+ people and those searching for LGBTIQ+ information, Wikipedia has proven invaluable in countries where LGBTIQ+ publications, media, or visibility may be criminalized or cut short due to AIDS NGOs leaving those countries." [2] It can also be valuable for those in communities where this information is socially marginalized; [3] : 91  a notable example is the experience of transgender author and activist Abby Stein, who discovered the idea of being transgender on the Hebrew Wikipedia. [4] Wikipedia is often consulted by LGBTQ youth seeking information on sexual health, as Wikipedia's coverage of health-related topics is backed by numerous medical journals. [3] : 91  Some Wikipedia editors, however, have reported struggles with encouraging LGBTQ health organizations to participate in contributing LGBTQ-specific health information to Wikipedia. [1]

In some cases, particular language editions of Wikipedia have slanted toward anti-LGBTQ content. The Croatian Wikipedia has been criticized for advancing homophobic propaganda and for other reasons. In addition, the only active administrator of Amharic Wikipedia, at one point, enforced the Ethiopian government's anti-LGBTQ laws on the wiki. [5] According to Business Insider , an anonymous editor using an IP address coming from the United States House of Representatives, who claimed to be a Capitol Hill staffer, made a series of edits about the transgender community, including some that were critical of transgender individuals. [6]

Names and pronouns

The English Wikipedia's style guidelines on identity state editors should describe transgender and non-binary subjects using their preferred name and pronouns corresponding to their most recently stated gender identity. However, such articles are frequently targeted with vandalism, misgendering or deadnaming their subjects. [7] In August 2008, the article about Ina Fried, a transgender journalist for CNET , was caught in an edit war over which pronouns to use for her. She stated that Wikipedia did not have a stylebook on gender, unlike the Associated Press Stylebook, and said that while she found it "somewhat confusing" to see the gender changes on her page, she "found the debate interesting." She later added that it was a "reasonable compromise" to remove all pronouns in her biography entry. [8]

Chelsea Manning 2022.jpg
Caitlyn Jenner Web Summit 2017 (cropped).jpg
Editors debated the titles and pronouns used in Wikipedia's entries for Chelsea Manning (left) and Caitlyn Jenner (right) after both transitioned.

After Chelsea Manning came out in August 2013, editors debated the title of the article about her. At the time, Slate praised actions by Wikipedia editors, saying that Manning's article was rewritten quickly and with "remarkably little controversy". [9] However, in October 2013, The Guardian noted that the English Wikipedia's Arbitration Committee had "banned a number of editors from working on articles related to transgender topics or individuals," noting that while some were banned for "making transphobic comments about Manning", others received the same punishment "for pointing out the bigotry". Two of the restricted editors had insisted on referring to Manning as a man, while another editor who alleged the existence of "a 'consensus' of virulently transphobic" Wikipedia editors was sanctioned for a "battleground approach" by the committee. [10]

Following Caitlyn Jenner's gender transition in 2015, Kat George of Bustle wrote, "We can start learning about the proper use of gender pronouns, with Caitlyn Jenner's Wikipedia article as a perfect example of the correct before and after language we should be employing." [11] The name and pronouns to use for Gloria Hemingway were a matter of discussion for over 15 years. In February 2022, after a week of debate, votes were evenly split between using Gloria and "she/her" pronouns, or continuing to use her birth name. An editor closed the discussion in favor of renaming; the decision was appealed but upheld by an administrator. [12]

Harassment

Wikipedia editors experience harassment, and in one case, a transgender editor was publicly deadnamed. The WMF has expressed concern over situations where transgender editors could be repelled from Wikipedia due to online abuse. [7] BBC News said in 2020, "Many, particularly women and members of the LGBTQ community, have complained of abuse and harassment from other editors." [13] Editors can report harassment to administrators via email or notice boards, which can cause harassers to be barred from editing. [7]

Editors in anti-LGBTQ areas experience more virulent harassment. LGBTQ editors from countries where being LGBTQ is criminalized often use aliases and edit from various IP addresses so their work is not traced back to them. [1] In one instance, an editor was blocked by a Wikipedia administrator since their username suggested they may be gay. The administrator was eventually blocked for those actions when WMF's Trust and Safety Team got involved. Amir Sarabadani, an editor, stated that in 12 years of editing Persian Wikipedia, users were often hostile to articles related to homosexuality. He said that his work as an administrator there helped make abuse less tolerable and that homophobic content that was previously acceptable now resulted in blocks. [7]

In October 2022, a group of 40 French public figures, including director Céline Sciamma, writer Virginie Despentes, writer and graphic novel illustrator Jul Maroh, writer and philosopher Paul B. Preciado, and journalist and filmmaker Rokhaya Diallo, in conjunction with the National Transgender Association of France, signed an open letter, published in L'Obs magazine, to Wikipedia, denouncing "stigmatizing behaviors" against transgender, non-binary, and intersex people on Wikipedia including misgendering, deadnaming, the use of pre-transition pictures, and harassment of openly trans editors. [14] [15]

Wikimedia movement

Wikimedia LGBT+ representation at EuroPride in Stockholm, 2018 LGBT user group at Europride parade.png
Wikimedia LGBT+ representation at EuroPride in Stockholm, 2018

The Wikimedia movement has seen campaigns and hosted edit-a-thons [16] to improve coverage of LGBTQ topics. [17] [18] [3] : 91–92  Wikipedia Loves Libraries, one of these initiatives, saw the Tom of Finland Foundation become the first LGBTQ cultural heritage institution to participate, hosting "Queering Wikipedia" edit-a-thons. [1] Wiki Loves Pride is a campaign from June to October to create and improve LGBTQ-related content across Wikimedia projects. [19] Wiki Loves Pride has promoted coverage of notable LGBTQ people. [20] Art+Feminism has been described as "a campaign to improve the site's representation of women and nonbinary individuals". [7] WikiProject LGBT studies, [lower-alpha 2] which works to create and enhance articles on LGBTQ topics, is present on 28 Wikipedias, as of 2023. [3] : 92  An LGBTQ portal for organization has been overseen since 2006. [1]

Wikimedia LGBT is a user group affiliate of WMF, [3] : 92  established in August 2012. [1] In 2022, WMF joined human rights and LGBTQ organizations in opposing the Kids Online Safety Act introduced in the United States Senate. The groups argued that "over-moderation" would "cut off members of marginalized younger groups who rely on online services to learn about sex education or access LGBTQ+ resources". [21] [22] In 2023, organizers of Wikimania requested a unisex public toilet for the duration of the conference at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. One was temporarily converted from an existing restroom usually designated for women, prompting "some hostile reactions" online, according to Today . [23] [24]

British physicist and Wikipedia editor Jess Wade has worked to improve coverage of LGBTQ topics on the site. Every day in 2018, Wade wrote at least one Wikipedia article about a woman, person of color, or LGBTQ figure in science to expand the diversity of Wikipedia's coverage. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transphobia</span> Anti-transgender prejudice

Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social gender roles. Transphobia is a type of prejudice and discrimination, similar to racism, sexism, or ableism, and it is closely associated with homophobia. People of color who are transgender experience discrimination above and beyond that which can be explained as a simple combination of transphobia and racism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-binary gender</span> Gender identities that are neither exclusively male nor female

Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gender that is different from the sex assigned to them at birth, although some non-binary people do not consider themselves transgender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence against transgender people</span> Violence or victimization against transgender people

Violence against transgender people includes emotional, physical, sexual, or verbal violence targeted towards transgender people. The term has also been applied to hate speech directed at transgender people and at depictions of transgender people in the media that reinforce negative stereotypes about them. Trans and non-binary gender adolescents can experience bashing in the form of bullying and harassment. When compared to their cisgender peers, trans and non-binary gender youth are at increased risk for victimisation and substance abuse.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) characters have been depicted in video games since the 1980s. Throughout the history of video games, LGBTQ characters have been almost nonexistent for a long time, reflecting the overall heteronormativity of the medium. While there has been a trend towards greater representation of LGBTQ people in video games, they are frequently identified as LGBTQ in secondary material, such as comics, rather than in the games themselves. Often, LGBTQ characters and themes, when they are included, are underrepresented, minimized, or watered down. Queer games and characters have also often found themselves being the subjects of cultural crossfires or moral panics. In 2018, Sam Greer of GamesRadar+ found only 179 games commercially released games with any LGBTQ representation, only 83 of which have queer characters who are playable characters, and only 8 of those games feature a main character who is pre-written as queer as opposed to them being queer as an option.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wikipedia community</span> Volunteers who create and maintain Wikipedia

The Wikipedia community, collectively and individually known as Wikipedians, is an online community of volunteers who create and maintain Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. Since August 2012, the word "Wikipedian" has been an Oxford Dictionary entry. Wikipedians may or may not consider themselves part of the Wikimedia movement, a global network of volunteer contributors to Wikipedia and other related projects hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libraries and the LGBT community</span> Library services to the LGBT community

In the post-Stonewall era, the role of libraries in providing information and services to LGBTQ individuals has been a topic of discussion among library professionals. Libraries can often play an important role for LGBTQ individuals looking to find information about coming out, health, and family topics, as well as leisure reading. In the past 50 years, advocate organizations for LGBTQ content in libraries have emerged, and numerous theorists have discussed various aspects of LGBTQ library service including privacy concerns, programming, collection development considerations and librarian/staff education needs, as well as special services for juvenile and teen patrons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edit-a-thon</span> Editing collaboration on a specific topic

An edit-a-thon is an event where some editors of online communities such as Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, and LocalWiki edit and improve a specific topic or type of content. The events typically include basic editing training for new editors and may be combined with a more general social meetup. The word is a portmanteau of "edit" and "marathon". An edit-a-thon can either be "in-person" or online or a blended version of both. If it is not in-person, it is usually called a "virtual edit-a-thon" or "online edit-a-thon".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender bias on Wikipedia</span> Gender gap problem in Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects

Gender bias on Wikipedia includes various gender-related disparities on Wikipedia, particularly the overrepresentation of men among both volunteer contributors and article subjects, as well as lesser coverage of and topics primarily of interest to women.

Chennai has LGBTQIA cultures that are diverse concerning- socio-economic class, gender, and degree of visibility and politicisation. They have historically existed in the margins and surfaced primarily in contexts such as transgender activism and HIV prevention initiatives for men having sex with men (MSM) and trans women (TG).

Queerala, a registered community-based Organisation (CBO) for Malayali LGBTIQ people, gives adequate support to Malayali persons who belong to the sexual and gender minorities. Queerala originally started in May 2013 as a secret Facebook page where closeted LGBTQAI+ community members met online. Since its start of operations, Queerala has been an active platform for the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community in Kerala and India and focuses on various awareness campaigns on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity/Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC). Queerala's representatives have been marking its presence, in areas of literature, art, cultural spaces, and academic discourses as well as conducting case studies on issues pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity. They also focus on sensitization on SOGIESC inclusive healthcare services, educational curriculum, workplace policies and local self-governance.

Deadnaming is the act of referring to a transgender or non-binary person by a name they used prior to transitioning, such as their birth name. Deadnaming may be unintentional, or a deliberate attempt to deny, mock, or invalidate a person's gender identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art+Feminism</span> Annual worldwide Wikipedia edit-a-thon

Art and Feminism is an annual worldwide edit-a-thon to add content to Wikipedia about women artists, which started in 2014. The project has been described as "a massive multinational effort to correct a persistent bias in Wikipedia, which is disproportionately written by and about men".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Red</span> WikiProject to address the systemic gender bias in Wikipedia

Women in Red is a WikiProject addressing the current gender bias in Wikipedia content. The project focuses on creating content regarding women's biographies, women's works, and women's issues.

Lindsay Amer is an American LGBTQ+ activist and YouTuber. Amer created and hosts Queer Kid Stuff, a YouTube channel directed at children and focused on LGBT issues. Amer has been recognized by GLAAD, the TED Conference, and the Webby Awards for her work relating to LGBT education and advocacy.

Wiki Loves Pride is a campaign to improve LGBTQ-related content on Wikipedia and other projects in the Wikimedia movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles McKenna</span> American actor and vlogger (born 1995)

Miles McKenna is an American vlogger, actor, and LGBTQIA+ advocate. McKenna is a trans man and is among YouTube's most prominent trans creators with over one million subscribers. His videos incorporate comedic skits and often include commentary on gender identity and other LGBTQ issues. Through his videos, McKenna documented his coming out and his transition, including the effects of hormone replacement therapy and top surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WikiStipendiya</span> WikiProject on the Uzbek Wikipedia

WikiStipendiya is a WikiProject aimed at improving content on the Uzbek Wikipedia. The project is organized by the Youth Affairs the Republic of Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Council of Young Artists, and the Wikimedians of the Uzbek Language User Group. The name of the project is a portmanteau of the words "wiki" and "stipendiya" (scholarship). It focuses on encouraging content creation on the Uzbek Wikipedia, particularly by students, but is not limited to any group. Another goal is to increase the number of editors on Uzbek-language wikis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Moore (Wikipedia editor)</span> American Wikipedia editor (born 1984/1985)

Jason Moore is an American Wikipedia editor among the English Wikipedia's most active contributors by edit count. Editing since 2007 as "Another Believer", he has specialized in current events, with coverage including the COVID-19 pandemic, George Floyd protests, and the culture of Portland, Oregon, where he is based. On Wikipedia, Moore has created and developed editor affinity groups for joint work on these topics. As an organizer in the Wikimedia movement, Moore has hosted meet-ups and edit-a-thons to train new editors.

Ash Hardell is an American author and YouTuber.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ There are multiple acronyms for the LGBTQ community (see LGBTQ § Variants for more details). This article uses "LGBTQ", though quotes may use other acronyms.
  2. ↑ WikiProjects are spaces where editors can list articles for creation, work to enhance the quality of existing articles, and review the status of articles under their jurisdiction. [3] : 92 

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wexelbaum, Rachel; Herzog, Katie; Rasberry, Lane (2015). "Queering Wikipedia". In Wexelbaum, Rachel (ed.). Queers online: LGBTQIA+ digital practices in libraries, archives, and museums. Gender and sexuality in information studies. Sacramento, CA: Litwin Books. pp. 61–70. ISBN   978-1-936117-79-6.
  2. ↑ Wexelbaum, Rachel (June 20, 2019). "Edit Loud, Edit Proud: LGBTIQ+ Wikimedians and Global Information Activism". Wikipedia @ 20 . Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Miquel-Ribé, Marc; Kaltenbrunner, Andreas; Keefer, Jeffrey M. (December 21, 2021). "Bridging LGBT+ Content Gaps Across Wikipedia Language Editions". The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion. 5 (4): 90–131. doi:10.33137/ijidi.v5i4.37270. hdl: 10230/52360 . ISSN   2574-3430. JSTOR   48641981 . S2CID   245573982. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  4. ↑ Aviles, Gwen (November 19, 2019). "From ultra-Orthodox rabbi to openly transgender: Abby Stein shares her story". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ Song, Victoria (August 26, 2020). "A Teen Threw Scots Wiki Into Chaos and It Highlights a Massive Problem With Wikipedia". Gizmodo . G/O Media. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  6. ↑ Campbell, Colin. "Someone On Capitol Hill Seems Obsessed With Editing Wikipedia Articles On Transgender Topics". Business Insider. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Jacobs, Julia (April 8, 2019). "Wikipedia Isn't Officially a Social Network. But the Harassment Can Get Ugly". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  8. ↑ Fried, Ina (August 22, 2008). "Wikipedia changes my gender more than I do". CNET . Red Ventures. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  9. ↑ Stern, Mark Joseph (August 22, 2013). "Wikipedia Beats Major News Organizations, Perfectly Reflects Chelsea Manning's New Gender". Slate . The Slate Group. OCLC   728292344. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  10. ↑ Hern, Alex (October 24, 2013). "Chelsea Manning name row: Wikipedia editors banned from trans pages". The Guardian . OCLC   60623878. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  11. ↑ George, Kat (June 1, 2015). "Bruce Jenner Wikipedia Page Now Uses The Name Caitlyn and Female Pronouns, and the Before and After Illustrates Language You Should Use". Bustle . Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  12. ↑ Cohen, Noam (January 22, 2023). "The Culture Wars Look Different on Wikipedia". The Atlantic . Emerson Collective. OCLC   936540106. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Wikipedia sets new rule to combat "toxic behaviour"". BBC News . May 23, 2020. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  14. ↑ Sierra, Laura Valentina Cortés; Constantino, Sophia; Hauger, Bertrand. "LGBTQ+ International: Chile's Non-Binary ID, Slovakia In Mourning, Mr Gay World — And The Week's Other Top News". Worldcrunch . Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Nous dénonçons le traitement que réserve Wikipédia aux personnes trans, non binaires et intersexes" [We denounce Wikipedia's treatment of trans, non-binary and intersex people]. L'Obs . October 13, 2022. ISSN   0029-4713. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  16. ↑ McMillen, Andrew (February 6, 2017). "One Woman's Brilliant 'Fuck You' to Wikipedia Trolls". Wired . ISSN   1059-1028. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  17. ↑ Milliken, Alice (July 7, 2014). "Wikipedia holds Pride 'edit-a-thons' to improve LGBT-related content". PinkNews . Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  18. ↑ Wexelbaum, Rachel (May 1, 2019). "Coming Out of the Closet: Librarian Advocacy to Advance LGBTQ+ Wikipedia Engagement". In Mehra, Bharat (ed.). LGBTQ+ Librarianship in the 21st Century: Emerging Directions of Advocacy and Community Engagement in Diverse Information Environments. Emerald Group Publishing. pp. 115–142. doi:10.1108/S0065-283020190000045011. ISBN   978-1-78756-475-6. S2CID   150552977. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  19. ↑ Phadnis, Renuka (July 6, 2014). "Wikipedia edit-a-thons to add content on LGBTs". The Hindu . The Hindu Group. ISSN   0971-751X. OCLC   13119119. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ Lapowsky, Issie (March 2015). "Meet the Editors Fighting Racism and Sexism on Wikipedia". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028. Archived from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  21. ↑ Gold, Ashley (November 28, 2022). "Human rights, LGBTQ+ organizations oppose Kids Online Safety Act". Axios . Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  22. ↑ Feiner, Lauren (November 28, 2022). "Kids Online Safety Act may harm minors, civil society groups warn lawmakers". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  23. ↑ Lam, Nicole (August 18, 2023). "Temporary designation of Suntec toilets as 'gender-neutral' sparks hostile online reaction; others see move as positive". Today. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  24. ↑ Lim, Kewei (August 18, 2023). "'So do I sit or stand?' Netizens divided by gender-neutral toilet at Suntec City". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  25. ↑ Zane, Zachary (January 2, 2019). "This Scientist Is Updating Wikipedia with Women, POC, & LGBTQ+ History". Pride.com. Here Media. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2023.

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