Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 20:30, 28 November 2024

This is an essay on the Misplaced Pages:Disruptive editing guideline and Misplaced Pages:Civility policy. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Misplaced Pages contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Misplaced Pages's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

Shortcuts WP:NQP WP:NOQUEERPHOBES WP:NOQUEERPHOBIA WP:NOLGBTPHOBIA WP:NOLGBTQPHOBIA

This page in a nutshell: It is well within the scope of the disruptive editing guidelines to discipline editors for behavior indicative of queerphobia. This essay lays out common queerphobic beliefs and how to handle users who consistently express and advance them.

Many people are drawn to edit Misplaced Pages in order to promote anti-LGBTQ views, mistakenly believing that their beliefs are protected by the WP:NPOV policy. Expressions of homophobia, lesbophobia, gayphobia, biphobia, transphobia, arophobia, acephobia, or general queerphobia are not welcome here. They disrupt the encyclopedia by promoting WP:FRINGE viewpoints and drive away productive LGBTQ editors.

The essay WP:HATEISDISRUPTIVE lays out why denigrating minorities is not allowed on Misplaced Pages and results in blocking and banning; others such as Misplaced Pages:No racists, Misplaced Pages:No Nazis, and Misplaced Pages:No Confederates lay out more specific guidelines for those forms of bigotry; this essay specifically serves to outline common anti-LGBTQ beliefs, disruptive manifestations of them, and the systems of recourse on English Misplaced Pages.

Context of this essay

Discussions have raged on for decades about how Misplaced Pages should write about LGBTQ people and topics. Gender and sexuality (WP:GENSEX) are currently considered a contentious topic (formerly "discretionary sanctions"), meaning that editors contributing to articles and discussions about these topics must strictly follow Misplaced Pages's behavioral and editorial guidelines. MOS:GENDERID and the supplementary essay MOS:GIDINFO contain the most up-to-date guidelines for writing about transgender people on Misplaced Pages.

Anti-LGBTQ editors frequently disrupt Misplaced Pages by promoting misinformation or pushing fringe viewpoints (particularly dangerous in medical articles), and create an unwelcoming environment for other editors. Editors who are unable to set aside their beliefs about the LGBTQ community when editing or who seek to promote WP:FRINGE viewpoints may be restricted from editing.

This essay outlines common queerphobic beliefs, popular misinformation about the LGBTQ community, and groups known to spread and support it, so that administrators and editors may recognize them, address them, and show queerphobes the door.

Arbitration remedy history

Beliefs, expressions, and actions

This essay and sister essays such as WP:NORACISTS, WP:NOCONFED, and WP:NONAZIS face a common criticism: "we should sanction editors for their behaviors, not their beliefs".

This is not an unfair argument so it bears exploration. The essay Misplaced Pages:Hate is disruptive addresses the issue like this (emphasis added):

This essay is based on that underlying principle, put succinctly as "your right to swing your fist stops where my nose begins". If you believe LGBTQ people are amoral deviants who need conversion therapy, but practice civility, never bring it up, and solely contribute to articles about entomology and highways, you have nothing to worry about and your contributions to Misplaced Pages are welcomed. This essay isn't about you. If you try to change the first sentence of LGBTQ to All LGBTQ people are amoral deviants who need conversion therapy...—or insist on talk pages that this is the case and Misplaced Pages needs to take your POV seriously—that is a behavioral issue and the focus of this essay.

Queerphobic beliefs

This is an essay, not a content or behavioural guideline. This section provides a working definition of queerphobia by way of editing behaviors and POVs widely considered disruptive, hateful, insulting, or FRINGE. Their inclusion here alone is not necessarily an accusation of bigotry, a restriction on editing, or a consensus-backed judgement on due weight.

Queerphobia is the fear, hatred, or dislike of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and otherwise queer people. Queerphobes commonly believe that LGBTQ people and identities are deviant, and should be denied rights and protections.

Frequent anti-LGBTQ narratives

• That being LGBTQ is unnatural or a conscious choice.
• That LGBTQ people are inherently fetishistic, predatory, pedophilic, or otherwise dangerous.
• That the LGBTQ community or a subset of it are indoctrinating or grooming youth into being LGBTQ.
• That LGBTQ people overall have greater societal power than cisgender/heterosexual people.
• That marriage, adoption, or parenting should be restricted to heterosexual couples.
• That recognizing same-sex marriage is a slippery slope towards legalizing bestiality or other strange or disfavored sexual practices.
• That the open or subtextual presence of LGBTQ people or acknowledgment of them is inappropriately sexual or political and should be kept from the public square, media, or education.
• That public spaces such as offices or schools should not protect LGBTQ people from bullying, deadnaming, and misgendering.
• That LGBTQ (and intersex people's) rights are not human rights or LGBTQ people are requesting "special rights".
• That people turn transgender due to "gender ideology".
• That LGBTQ people should be forced to undergo medical or psychological treatments, procedures, or testing on the basis of their identity.
• That transgender people should be unable to change their legal gender, should be invariably excluded from gendered spaces, or should be legally denied medical transition or have it otherwise made inaccessible.
• That the human rights of transgender people are at odds with women’s rights
• That transgender people pose a threat to the "rights, spaces, and safety" of cisgender women
• That the rights of LGBTQ people are negotiable and debatable
• That anti-trans laws are there to "protect children", when in reality these laws are violating basic human rights, and are linked to a rise in transgender youth suicides.

Common misconceptions

Overlapping with the narratives and beliefs above are more medically-related misconceptions, often associated with pseudoscientific/unevidenced proposals and typologies. The guideline WP:FRINGE addresses how to handle these in article space. In short, we don't include them in articles on the broader topic, but if notable we can discuss them in their own articles while making clear they're fringe).

Some of these common misconceptions include:

• That being LGBTQ is a mental illness or disorder.
• That LGBTQ identities can be cured, treated, or suppressed — commonly referred to as conversion therapy, advocates often use alternate terms such as "reparative therapy" or "gender exploratory therapy" to hide the true meaning and may justify it in scientific or religious terms.
• The belief that "transition" always implies a full medical transition. In reality, transition is a slow process that involves many steps, several of which involve no medical intervention at all. The process starts with these non-medical steps, and includes regular check-ups to evaluate the outcome of every step.
• The belief that medical transition commonly occurs in children. This is also false because in many cases, these types of interventions physically cannot be performed on children. Where transition occurs in children, it invariably refers to social transition, which is completely reversible.
• That LGBTQ people, particularly youth, have become LGBTQ through media exposure, peer pressure, or social contagion. This narrative is often repeated as if it were a serious scientific theory, but in reality it has never had any scientific support, as explained in detail here.
• That using alternate terms such as gender-critical feminism as a rebranding from their original terms such as trans exclusionary radical feminism (TERF) hide the true hate-based origin of their beliefs

Frequent arguments brought by queerphobic editors on Misplaced Pages

• That pushing anti-LGBTQ narratives is protected by free speech or the neutral point of view policy.
• That misgendering transgender subjects or consistently using their deadname is necessary to preserve a neutral point of view, "biological reality" or "the historical record". (See MOS:GENDERID for the current consensus on how to deal with pronouns in BLPs; see here for the most recent consensus regarding the use of deadnames for dead people.)
• That LGBTQ editors have an inherent conflict of interest or are unable to write neutrally on LGBTQ-related topics because they are LGBTQ.
• That "gender-critical beliefs" cannot be considered WP:FRINGE for reasons related to UK labour law.

Possible manifestations

These beliefs may manifest in various ways that damage the encyclopedia. Below is a non-exhaustive list of possible ones.

• WP:TENDENTIOUS promotion of WP:FRINGE viewpoints about the LGBTQ community, commonly civil POV-pushing.
• Hostility toward other editors, such as consistently treating LGBTQ editors as biased, or refusing to gender them correctly.
• Denigrating comments about the LGBTQ community in articles and talk space, often through the use of dog whistles and/or phrases serving to delegitimize transgender people (e.g. calling trans women "males masquerading as females").
• Userboxes or userpages expressing anti-LGBTQ sentiments (e.g. a userbox with the text "This user Hate LGBT").
• Deadnaming or misgendering article subjects, or arguing against using their current pronouns in violation of Misplaced Pages's MOS:GENDERID guidelines.

Aspersions

Casting aspersions of queerphobia (as well as -ist or -phobe aspersions) should not be used as a trump card in disputes over content or a coup de grâce on a noticeboard. They have the potential to permanently damage reputation, especially when the accused's account is publicly tied to a real-world identity. As such, unsubstantiated aspersions are a form of personal attack which may lead to the accuser being blocked.

Aspersions make the normal dispute resolution process difficult to go through and may create a chilling effect. Editors are encouraged to work through the normal dispute-resolution process when it comes to legitimate content disputes, such as disagreements on the interpretation or quality of sources.

To avoid unnecessary conflict when reporting a user to AE or ANI for legitimately problematic behavior, describe the user's behavior, as well as any issues it may have caused in as neutral a tone as possible and avoid any value judgements or claims about its nature. This lets the administrators make their own determination about the nature of the problem, and avoids making your report "about" some larger conflict.

What to do if you encounter queerphobia

You should always assume good faith and exercise civility. However, our social policies are not a suicide pact; we don't have to treat every harmful edit as the result of non-malicious ignorance.

For a new editor, understand that they are likely ignorant of Misplaced Pages systems and standards. Point them toward relevant guidelines and policies. If they are editing material related to gender identification, make them aware of the GENSEX topic restrictions via the {{Contentious topics/alert/first|gg}} or {{Contentious topics/alert|gg}} templates. If they are arguing against the guidelines, make it clear that you can't change the guidelines in an article discussion and direct them toward where such discussions can take place.

If an editor consistently and chronically disrupts the encyclopedia by promoting queerphobic opinions/viewpoints, you should collect relevant diffs and report them. If an editor was already made aware of the GENSEX topic restrictions, then you can request enforcement at WP:AE. Otherwise, request administrator attention at WP:ANI.

Editors brazenly vandalizing articles or using slurs may be immediately blocked. Misplaced Pages has zero tolerance for such behavior. If an edit is grossly insulting, degrading, or offensive, it may be subject to revision deletion. If an edit breaches someone's privacy, you should request Oversight.

It can be very tempting, especially in article talk pages, to debate or rebut anti-LGBTQ talking points on their own merits. However, remember that Misplaced Pages is not a forum. Stick to source-based and policy-based discussions which serve to improve articles. If a conversation is blatantly unconstructive or off-topic, then consider collapsing, refactoring, or moving it so that you and other editors don't waste others' time.

A common occurrence from vandals is the intentional WP:DEADNAMING of transgender people in violation of our guidelines. You can follow some common guidance on how to handle such cases.

See also

• Misplaced Pages:Zero tolerance
• Misplaced Pages:Gender identity

Sister essays

• Misplaced Pages:Hate is disruptive
• Misplaced Pages:No Nazis
• Misplaced Pages:No racists
• Misplaced Pages:No Confederates

Sociological context

• Movements and ideologies
  • 2020s anti-LGBT movement in the United States
  • 21st century anti-trans movement in the United Kingdom
  • Anti-gender movement
  • List of anti-LGBTQ hate groups
  • Gender-critical feminism
• Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric
  • Bathroom bill
  • Deadnaming
  • Gay mafia
  • Homosexual recruitment
  • "LGBTQ ideology"
• LGBTQ and Misplaced Pages
• LGBTQ conspiracy theories
  • AIDS denial
  • Drag panic
  • Gay agenda
  • Gay frogs conspiracy theory
  • Grooming conspiracy theory
  • Homosexual seduction
  • Litter boxes in schools hoax
• Disputed medical concepts
  • Conversion therapy
  • Blanchard's transsexualism typology
  • Rapid-onset gender dysphoria

References

1. ^ Rouse, Jenny, ed. (2022). "How to respond to myths about LGBTI people". Advancing the Human Rights and Inclusion of LGBTI People: A Handbook for Parliamentarians (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
2. "About LGBTI people and human rights". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Archived from the original on 19 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
3. ^ o'Connor, Aoife M.; Seunik, Maximillian; Radi, Blas; Matthyse, Liberty; Gable, Lance; Huffstetler, Hanna E.; Meier, Benjamin Mason (2022). "Transcending the Gender Binary under International Law: Advancing Health-Related Human Rights for Trans* Populations". Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics. 50 (3): 409–424. doi:10.1017/jme.2022.84. PMID 36398651.
4. ^ "APA Policy Statement on Affirming Evidence-Based Inclusive Care for Transgender, Gender Diverse, and Nonbinary Individuals, Addressing Misinformation, and the Role of Psychological Practice and Science" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-04-17. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
5. ^ "LGBTIQ+ communities and the anti-rights pushback: 5 things to know". UN Women. 28 May 2024. Archived from the original on 28 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
6. "Transgender People - OHCHR". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
7. Lee, W.Y.; Hobbs, J.N.; Hobaica, S; et al. (26 September 2024). "State-level anti-transgender laws increase past-year suicide attempts among transgender and non-binary young people in the USA". Nature Human Behaviour: 1–11. doi:10.1038/s41562-024-01979-5. PMID 39327480. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
8. "More trans teens attempted suicide after states passed anti-trans laws, a study shows". NPR. 26 September 2024. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
9. Coleman, E.; Radix, A. E.; Bouman, W. P.; Brown, G. R.; de Vries, A. L. C.; Deutsch, M. B.; Ettner, R.; Fraser, L.; Goodman, M.; Green, J.; Hancock, A. B.; Johnson, T. W.; Karasic, D. H.; Knudson, G. A.; Leibowitz, S. F. (2022-08-19). "Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8". International Journal of Transgender Health. 23 (sup1): S1 – S259. doi:10.1080/26895269.2022.2100644. ISSN 2689-5269. PMC 9553112. PMID 36238954.
10. ^ "Guide to Anti-LGBTQ Online Hate and Disinformation". GLAAD. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
11. "Tracking Anti-Transgender Rhetoric Online, Offline, and In Our Legislative Chambers". Anti-Defamation League. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2024.

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