LGBTQ and Wikipedia

There are various intersections of the
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
Names and pronouns
The English Wikipedia's
After
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
Wikimedia movement

The
Wikimedia LGBT is a user group affiliate of WMF,
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]
References
Notes
- ^ There are multiple acronyms for the LGBTQ community (see LGBTQ § Variants for more details). This article uses "LGBTQ", though quotes may use other acronyms.
- ^ 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
- ^ ISBN 978-1-936117-79-6.
- ^ 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.
- ^ from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Campbell, Colin. "Someone On Capitol Hill Seems Obsessed With Editing Wikipedia Articles On Transgender Topics". Business Insider. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
- from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- from the original on November 14, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
Further reading
- Weathington, Katy; Brubaker, Jed R. (April 2023), "Queer Identities, Normative Databases: Challenges to Capturing Queerness On Wikidata" (PDF), Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact, 7 (CSCW1): 1–26, doi:10.1145/3579517, Article No. 84