We are a growing community of Wikipedia editors dedicated to identifying, categorizing, and improving articles regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and intersex people. LGBT Studies covers people, culture, history, and related subjects concerning sexual identity and gender identity - this covers a lot of ground and your help is appreciated! Some points that may be helpful:
Our main aim is to help improve articles, so if someone seeks help, please try to assist if you are able. Likewise feel free to ask for help, advice or clarification.
Originally from Talk:Transsexual, removed as it doesn't pertain to the article
Hi every1, i want to know something
i guess that genetic medicine is not very advanced but, i was asking to myself something.
Do u think that one of these days, a genetic sex reassignment theraphy can exist?
i mean, do u think that scientists can develop a way to change all our genetical structure? that would be cool u know, because, even that it would be expensive, it would make of a transgender woman, a real woman (with possibilities of beign pregnant and that kind of stuff).
My question is, if we use all our technology, do you think that kind of theraplhy would be a reality one of these days? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.192.18.232 (talk • contribs) 01:51, 14 February 2007 UTC
In reality, probably not for a LONG time.
Gene therapy has its limits, and does not necessarily mean the reconstruction of the body. It is certainly conceivable that therapy could be made to replace genetic material in a Y chromosome so that it acts as an X chromosome, however you need to remember that gene expression is not absolute; there is a phenomenon called penetrance to start with, and the hormonal and chemical status of a developing foetus has much to do with the end phenotype (how a person looks). Just look at the impact of Hormone replacement therapy - that is essentially turning on and off different gene expression in vivo. It would, however, be quite ironic; the VAST majority of a woman's second X chromasome is, in fact, inactive !!!! (See Barr body to see what it looks like in real life - btw, it's not all inactive, as women with only one X chromosome have Turner's syndrome and MOST women with two X chromosomes don not)
There are definitely ways to change our genetic structure; Epstein-Barr_Virus and HIV are both viruses that embed themselves into our DNA and change our genetic makeup forever. This is limited to certain cell lines, but the principle is there. (Any retrovirus will work by changing the DNA of the host cell permanently. --Puellanivis08:07, 14 February 2007 (UTC))[reply]
In terms of giving a transsexual woman the ability to bear children, stem cell technologies are the way to go; You basically need a hollow organ with a blood supply (uterus) which has been achieved in the form of making a bladder; and you need to manage the early hormonal state of pregnancy (after a relatively short while, the placenta takes over the production of hormones). Of course, you still would need to produce an ovum from the transsexual woman, but there are already several technologies that could lead to that (such grabbing a spermatocyte during meiosis, and exchanging it's nucleus with that of a donated ova ovum; difficult, and with complications (such as the molar pregnancy)).
I would like to strongly point out, though, that even without this, Transsexual women identify as "real women" - just as some with intersex conditions identify as "real" women, despite similar (at least, post-GRS) anatomy.
Yes, I have researched this. I hope that it is in the future, but it is not likely in the current climate. I hope that helps.
P.S. if this is an issue you are going through, I recommend one of the many community sites and organizations set up to help transgendered and transsexual people - Cheers Lwollert04:50, 14 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Please note that this is a talk page for improving the article itself, not for a general discussion of transsexualism. As noted above, many great online forums exist for discussing these issues. Thanks! Jokestress05:04, 14 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
From a wikipedia standpoint, such an action is unnecesary to be a "real woman", as mentioned above, Androgen insensitivty syndrome is where the karotype of an individual is XY, but their phenotype is female. There is a tendency to think that genetic distinction as XX would make us "real women", just like some people still believe that GRS will make them "real women". There's just no justification of that. Women who were raised as girls would still feel some separation from us as we were (most often) raised as boys, whether we shared exactly the same genetic material as them or not. Transsexual females will always be different from cisgender females, but that doesn't mean we're not "real", and being "real" isn't dependent upon how much or how little surgery/alteration we have. So basically, while this section may be an interesting tagent for some people while dreaming, it would provide no actual benefit to this article at all. Nothing short of changing history can make us identical to cisgender females. ... Oh, and sorry, but I just *have* to correct "Ova" to "Ovum", as the former is the plural of the latter, and the indefinite article "a/an" governs the singular. --Puellanivis08:07, 14 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Along those same lines, I've heard/read a lot of comments from many transwomen who say "it takes more than a vagina to make a woman." Likewise, it takes more than a penis to make a man. Most cis-folk probably wouldn't agree with either statement (which is a large part of the problem), but I'd posit that it's extremely difficult to really understand trans-ness if you're not transgendered or transsexual. And even that isn't necessarily enough; as a transperson, sometimes I don't understand what it's all about either. <shrug> But as Jokestress says, this really isn't the place for this discussion. — Wwagner16:41, 14 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
ok, ok, thanks for that. i didn´t mean to offend any1 with my comment, it´s just that i am interested on that kind of technlogy and im also planning the sex change, ok?
But anyways, thanks for clearing my doubts ppl. That´s why i luv wikipedia, u know, i find any kind of information i need, and i want to thank to all the ppl that has helped me on every doubt i have, really, thank u. :-)
No problem, but if you do identify as transsexual, I HIGHLY advise appropriate medical supervision from as early as possible; most clinics should understand if you are not prepared to transition immediately, but as pointed out above, non-cisgendered women and men have a LOT to work through - it's just not right for a girl to be brought up as a man (tongue-in-cheek, there). transsexuality, TS Roadmap, and Lynn Conway's Site are all useful resources, although the author of the last one is a little more controversial (at least according to TS Roadmap).
P.S. changed ova to ovum - thanks, I often muck that up.
P.P.S. to the unsigned poster we've been addressing, feel free to make an account and contribute!
P.P.P.S. As this discussion does not relate specifically to the article, it should be moved or deleted at some stage, probably soon. I'm happy to put it on my talk page for a bit, or are there other suggestions
I was just thinking, that perhaps we could streamline it, get the important details and make it into a sort of sub-article that can then be placed on a person's User page. I kind of have something like that already on my user page with the "Hormone Therapy vs. Gilbert's Syndrome" entry. :) --Puellanivis02:38, 22 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds interesting - I would certainly be interested in compiling the information - But it's mostly original research on my half so far, so do we run into wikipaedia rule issues? Or is it OKAY as a User's page?
BTW, In regards to your page, interestingly, I too have Gilbert's Syndrome, and am in the fairly rare (but thankfully not unique) position of being a final-year medical student (The medical training system over here (Australia) is quite different to over in America - basically, I know more general and much less specific knowledge than American graduates) as well as a Transwoman. I can say that the dose of estrogen you describe on your page is quite reasonable, and any higher you run into significant risks of Stroke, Deep Vein Thrombosis, and other similar medical conditions.
I can however, recommend adding progesterone in general for several reasons;
Progesterone is a potent negative-feedback agent in the pituitary-gonadal axis; It helps block the production of testosterone quite effectively
Because of the above, it may reduce the need for specific anti-androgens (such as spironolactone, which has significant "side effects" as well as complications - remember, its most common use is as a Diuretic.
It allows the delivery of the hormones in a simple form - i.e. the Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill twice daily. An example is Ethinyoestrodiol 50mcg and Levornestregel 125 mcg.
As an alternative, look at Cyproterone Acetate, which although not approved by the FDA in america may still be available - It's a very potent anti-androgen
Don't forget, too, that ethinyloestradiol doesn't turn up on hormone assays - really the only useful test is Serum T - if that's in the female range, the hormones are doing their job. It takes time, patience, and a lot of frustration (from my limited experience, anyway.) I've also got a reference for a really good article from a year or two ago trying to get consensus on hormone treatment, I'll post it here when i get back from work tonight.
Monthly Challenge: Find 5 editors to LGBT articles and invite them to the project! Check out our recruitment tips if you need them. Good luck!
Project News
With such rapid development of the project, it was decided that a Coordinator was needed to ensure all the fiddly maintenence was kept up. Elections were held and Dev920 (talk·contribs) has been elected Coordinator for the next three months. She said "I am honoured and proud to be at the helm of such a fantastic WikiProject and look forward to our future". Congratulations Dev!
The assessment system continues to be a great success, we have tagged over 5200 articles! Please tag any LGBT related articles you come across by adding {{LGBTProject | class=}} to the talkpage. Please see the Assessment Department for how to assess an article according to the grading system.
Jumpaclass is proving to be quite successful! The winner at the end of the year gets to pick the January collaboration, so sign up and get going! Or challenge another user to see how far you can jump a stub!
A new Community department has been set up to foster community amongst our members. It mostly acts as other WikiProjects' Outreach department, but also has a Quilt to which every member is entitled to add a square containing anything of their choice.
The peer review is not getting much custom - please notice you can cross-list other peer reviews from different projects that also fall within our scope.
Many people still seem to be unaware that the Deletion sorting subpage exists for XfDs to be listed: please use and watch that page instead of issuing "alerts" for ordinary AfDs on the project talkpage.
WP:FILM has a current drive to give every film article an infobox. WP:LGBT successfully gave all 105 LGBT infoboxless films infoboxes, so a big thank you to everyone who participated.
A new template, LGBT, has been created for articles which are becoming to cluttered with infoboxes. Thanks to WJBscribe and SatyrTN for creating it.
A very basic resources page has been started. Please add to it as you come across useful sites.
A promotional poster for the project has been created: http://wplgbt.tripod.com/Wikipedianeedsyou.doc (you have to directly cut and paste the url, or it won't let you download it). Please distribute anywhere and everywhere you desire, such as gay libraries, cybercafes, community centres and so on. Also, please let Dev920 know where you have put it up, so she can keep track of our coverage.
An LGBT Publications Taskforce has been proposed. Please sign up here if you are interested in being involved.
An LGBT WikiProject has been set up on the Spanish Wikipedia! Set up by Raystorm, it has already gained six members and is developing an assessment system. If you speak any Spanish, please consider going up and lending a hand if you can!
To stop receiving this newsletter, or to receive it in a different format, please drop me a line. If you have any news or any announcements to be broadcast, do let Dev920 know.
You said "Intersex communities and LGBT communities have worked together in the past". Have you got background information on this that you could help me find? It's been a few years since I had my old course materials close at hand. — coelacan — 10:14, 10 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Hi Lauren, my name is Lindsay, and i´d like to ask you for some help.
I consider myself as a transsexual but, i have some doubts, and i feel really confused about what is going on, i don´t even know if i can make it.
I told my mom about my wish of being a girl a few weeks ago, but she got very devastated.
I don´t even know what to do, and im not sure if i can make it, my mother is trying to wash my brain with stupid ideas, when i know what i really want, i really need help lauren, pleasee check my youtube´s videos!!!!!!!!!!! just put raidentheninja on the search bar on youtube23:31, 23 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
thanks for the help, but i have something else to say
Hi, it´s me again, thanks for the help, i just have one more question, how much money do you think i would need to have a complete reassignment? im talking about hormonal treatment, surgeries, breast augmentation, everyhting.
and i have another question, what is the electrolysis for? isn´t supposed to be that the laser epilation is for that? what methods are the most used in the hair removal process?
thanks for your help, and i hope i can survive to this, because i really want to make this dream to come true xoxo take care lauren, and hanks :-) check my youtube´s videos!!!!!!!!!!! just put raidentheninja on the search bar on youtube00:56, 25 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for all the things that you have told me, i really aprecciate it, i´d also like to say that i liked the way you talked to me.
so i´d like to be your friend, because im gonna need some real support for this (at least someone who can listen ot me)
I leave you my MSN and yahoo
I hope we can talk again, take care, and once again, thanks for everything
DavidShankBone deserves kudos for his current drive to provide quality LGBT photos from the NYC area. One of the more recent photos is posted on Michael Musto, and you can check out the gallery on David's user page.
Project News
There is now the beginning of a list of core topics to possibly be included in the Wikipedia 1.0 release. Your suggestions are welcome; there may be many core LGBT topics still missing.
SatyrTN identified all the articles that were in subcategories of Category:LGBT but not yet tagged with the project's banner, about 1,400 articles. These have been completed, though SatyrBot will make periodic runs through the cats to find any new entries. Thanks Satyr!
The number of articles within our project's spectrum (6,667 currently) should now be relatively stable and only grow with article creation. However, if you find a category that should be included, please let SatyrTN know so it can be included in the bots runs.
Work is underway to improve the LGBT Portal. Please add any good quality (free) photos you come across on LGBT articles to the gallery here. Also if anyone would like to volunteer to help in maintaining the portal, please make yourselves known on the Portal's talkpage.
To stop receiving this newsletter, or to receive it in a different format, please drop me a line. If you have any news or any announcements to be broadcast, do let Dev920 know.
Hi, I recently helped with a discussion at this article regarding the nature of the word and came across your user subpage User:Lwollert/Shemale when doing a Google search. It looks like you have some good material that will help improve the article; I invite you to contribute to it. See you around, Sancho04:24, 16 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Noticed your comment on Sanchom's talk page, especially the phrase 'a particular user who reverts any addition or modification to it.' [1] if that was an offhand slight against me I'm sorry you feel that way - for as you can see, I don't 'revert any and all modification' - quite the opposite, I didn't edit war, justified my views (as I did when last we edited that article) and it appears to have been improved by the attentions of this recent round of editors. I invite you to continue to make constructive edits and I ask you to continue to assume good faith. -- User:RyanFreisling@23:53, 16 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Please take a look and comment. I bring this up due to the Shemale article currently stored in your userspace, which I feel could be employed to bring the Shemale article from a dictionary definition to a true article given the proper references. Hope to see you at the AFD. Cheers, Lankybugger ○ Yell ○ 03:19, 25 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
As a side note, I believe your version of the article is superior to the version currently presented in the Shemale article, providing a larger scope for the term beyond a typical dictionary definition. Frankly, that User:RyanFreisling seems to have ignored the additional information presented seems silly. Cheers, Lankybugger ○ Yell ○ 03:30, 25 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Not silly, I just felt there was a lot more information there than was encyclopedic for the topic -that's my opinion. I didn't ignore or reject the majority of the content there, indeed much of it was present for months and months before Lwollert's edits and some of it I myself provided during the exchange with Lwollert. The ongoing attempt to remove or reduce the derogatory nature of the term to an 'aside' is what I saw (and see) as silly (and unencyclopedic). In any event, if the general sense of the community is to support this new version, I was and am happy to accept it as well. Honest thanks for your edits! -- User:RyanFreisling@03:52, 25 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
A taskforce dealing with LGBT publications has been proposed. If you are interested in getting involved, consider signing up at the projects' page.
Our core topics list is looking good. It's still a bit slim on LGBT history articles, non-American LGBT media, and important LGBT biographies. Do you have suggestions?
David Shankbone has done an amazing job taking photographs of LGBT celebrities. Thanks David! People interested in collaborating with him and setting up a photography taskforce should contact him or drop a note at the project's talkpage.
The LGBT Portal still needs a bit of love and attention :-). Again, any good quality (free) photos you come across on LGBT articles can be added to the gallery here. Volunteers to help out with the Portal are extremely welcome- make yourselves known on the Portal's talkpage. Updates to the current news items are helpful.
Deputy coordinator elections
WikiProject LGBT studies is looking for new Deputy Coordinators to help out with various essential tasks in organising the project. To nominate yourself or contribute to the discussion, please go to: Wikipedia:WikiProject LGBT studies/Coordinator/May 2007. The deadline for nominations is May 5 and the elections will last a week after that.
The elections will be pretty simple- everyone just endorses their favourite candidate(s). The three with the most votes at the end of the week are the new deputy coordinators, who will assist Dev920 in keeping the project running.
To stop receiving this newsletter, or to receive it in a different format, just ask Dev920. If you have any news or any announcements to be broadcast, do let her know.
Due to the software used sex reassignment surgery points to Sex reassignment surgery, and is not a redirect. All titles have their first letter capitalised regardless of how they should be. Notable issues arise with iPod and eBay, which point to IPod and EBay respectively. More information is available at Wikipedia:Naming conventions (capitalization), if you're interested. Avoiding redirects is a helpful task, but one not required in this instance. If my undo seemed snippy, it's just because too many people use AGF as a weapon, rather contradicting the spirit of the principle. I don't know which you were meaning, but happy editing. --Limegreen11:00, 7 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Ah. But you did also insert [[Sex reassignment surgery|sex reassignment surgery]](which is unnecessary). I assumed that your second edit was the same, at a speed glance... --Limegreen04:45, 8 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Is it possible that Gender Identity Disorder is a manifestation of chimerism in humans? In human chimerism, two fertilized ova merge very early in pregnancy to form an individual with mixed genetic makeup, e.g., liver with one set of DNA and kidneys with another. It seems possible, for example, that such an individual could be formed with mostly female characteristics but with substituted (or added) male genitalia. If this were the case, treating the condition as a purely psychiatric disorder might not be wholly appropriate. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Zbvhs (talk • contribs) 01:43, 29 April 2007 (UTC).[reply]
Note: You should also see Mosaicism. Chimerism is often used when it's two different species, but technically is just two different zygotes.
Everything is possible; however, all people who get hormone therapy have at least a hormone assay, and commonly a karyotype. This would pick up most mosaics or chimeras. Additionally, natural chimeras very rarely have a single part affected; it is usual to have almost all organs and systems affected. this is commonly found in trisomy 21 or Down's syndrome, although the difference in genetic makeup is caused by a mitotic defect rather than fusion of two seperate embryos.
That said, my mother thinks I "ate" my twin, which is why I have GID. (Had a second gestational sac, no second twin inside). Thus she believes I developed a female brain and (*ahem*) male body. To date there is no proof of this :)
At the moment, the trend is towards looking at disorders of sexual differentiation in the brain; single-point de novomutations are common enough to describe the epidemiology of GID.
I suggest you read the following articles which may be of interest;
P.S. as someone is about to point out, this is a page for discussion of improving the article, not about the article itself. After one week, I'll move this to my talk page.
Hi. I find this a very interesting debate; chimerism/mosaicism vs gender identity. I (sadly) don't think it has the potential of scientific investigation, but very interesting nonetheless. Chimerism itself (very rare in humans) is a feature of cells that you only find when you specifically look for it (even karyotyping can sometimes miss chimerism). It seems hardly possible for chimerism to exist only between the brain and the rest of us, but a higher grade of chimerism could well mean that some important areas of the brain (SDN-POA etc) 'end up with' female genetic material. Which brings me to another interesting topic: genetic material in humans. One of my personal questions: what is the difference between mosaicism and chimerism? I have worked with patient material that we call mosaicism (45X0/46XY; turner mosaicism), what in fact could be a chimere as well (female turner vs normal male). A more interesting question for me has always been: how does the immune system react to chimerism or mosaicism? Especially in low grade mosaicism. Well, to sum up: you've provided me with enough to put my thinking cap on again. Greetz Chbse 07:26, 26 September 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chbse (talk • contribs)
Thank you for giving me the link to the video of SRS, but today when I tried to watch, I couldn't watch! I clicked the "play" and it didn't show anything. --Edmundkh11:15, 25 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Monthly Challenge: June Stub Review! Take a moment and sift through the roughly 3,600 Stub-class LGBT articles. Are they still stubs? If not, make an assessment change. Even better, do you see anything you can add/edit to increase the rating? Let's see if the project can lower the number of stubs down below 3,000!
Project News
WP:LGBT Exceeds 200 Members!!
Two editors have been selected by project members as co-coordinators. Their duties are still a bit unclear, but having a few more janitors around the project will help keep us running smoothly. Please feel free to message Fireplace or SatyrTN if you have any project questions or concerns.
To stop receiving this newsletter, or to receive it in a different format, just ask Dev920. If you have any news or any announcements to be broadcast, do let her know.
Monthly Challenge: Submit an article to our Jumpaclass competition! Languishing unloved, it is a great way to improving that article you always meant to improve but never got round to. Challenge someone else to go head to head and see who can improve their article most!
Our Deputy Coordinators have been doing a fabulous job so far. Well done!
The portal is now looking very snazzy, well done to Fireplace for all his hard work.
The list of LGBT people to be sorted has now beed reduced by 20%. Please help us with it, all of us adding just one person a day would have a dramatic effect!
The Core Topics is now largely complete. The original aim of getting some kind of publication out of it is extremely long term - any short term uses we can make of it are welcome on the project talkpage.
A suggestion was made this month that we start our own wiki. Although the conclusion was that we felt we were a part of Wikipedia rather than a stand alone organisation, it seems there is an LGBT wiki already, at http://lgbt.wikia.com/wiki/Main_page . Members may be interested in getting involved there.
The Collaboration is now getting rather short on suggestions. Article nominations for August through December would be welcome on the talkpage.
There is now a list of Missing LGBT Topics. Help is needed to work out which topics can be made redirects or need to be created. Please contribute is you can.
An LGBT banner that was created for Wikipedia's internal ads system has now been adapted so it can be placed on blogs and websites. The html is <a href="http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/WP:LGBT"><img src="http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Qxz-ad48.gif" height="53" width="445"></a> Please credit Miranda and link to her userpage: <a href="http://en.wiki.x.io/wiki/User:Miranda">Miranda</a>. The banner can be seen in action here. If you have a blog or a website, please consider adding the banner, either in a post or as part of your profile.
To stop receiving this newsletter, or to receive it in a different format, please let us know here. If you have any news or any announcements to be broadcast, do let Dev920 know.
Message from Coordinator: It's been almost two months since the last newsletter came out, so there are a fair few people who haven't really been kept up with our project. I'd like to welcome all those who have joined and those who have returned, and strongly reccommend that you use the talkpage for any queries or problems you have. Happy editing!
Article News
The ongoing effort to create a comprehensive list of LGB people has begun to bear fruit - /A AND the /W-Z lists have been featured! Congratulations to Dev920 and SatyrTN who nominated them respectively. Please consider pitching in the the remaining lists to help us get them finished before the end of the year.
Project News
WP:LGBT now has an IRC channel! It is #LGBTProject on Freenode. Users without IRC or Xchat can use the java app at java.freenode.net to access the channel from their web browser. Hope to see you in there sometime!
David Shankbone has taken a LOT of photos. An idea has been mooted to create a page for listing people who are willing to take images in their area on request, please give your thoughts here.
Considerable discussion has recently been held on our coverage of same sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships. You may be interested to read it.
The list of LGBT people to be sorted has now been reduced by over 30%. Please help us with it, all of us adding just one person a day would have a dramatic effect!
A gay cabal conspiracy ghost has been created to do with what you will. :)
Wooh, massive gay conspiracy...
Member News
Since the last newsletter was released, we have had more members been labelled inactive than who have signed up - please consider recruiting a few more people if you can, a WikiProject is only as good as its members. :)
To stop receiving this newsletter, or to receive it in a different format, please let us know here. If you have any news or any announcements to be broadcast, do let Dev920 know.
The LGBT studies project has been rather quiet of late. Though we've added over 180 new members in the last year, only a small percentage are active participants. If you haven't visited our project or talk page in a while, please stop by for a look. Also, if you happen to bump into another editor who you feel might enjoy working with us, please extend an invitation. There's lot's do do, and the active members would sincerely appreciate some help.
Our Peer review project is struggling at the present, with only a few people reviewing the articles. While it is certainly possible to submit articles for a general peer review, a review by members of the LGBT community can be of additional value for LGBT specific writing. There are several articles currently up for review on a wide range of topics. At the very least, reading the articles will undoubtedly broaden your intellectual horizons :-)
At the moment, David Le Brocq, Malmö Devilants and Trajectory Hermeneutics are up for deletion review. Please take a look at them and make your voice heard at the deletion review. Articles nominated for deletion also present a challenge for improvement. See what you can do, and watchlist our deletion review page.
The Pederasty articles continue to be a point of controversy both within and outside of our community. Various editors have suggested that to include them as LGBT Project related somehow taints the project and brings Wikipedia into disrepute. Other editors have stated that the articles, and especially the Pederasty article, are part of the core of LGBT studies. Well meaning editors continue to remove our tags from the articles themselves as well as the talk pages. If you have time, please read the articles and watchlist them to protect them from vandalism and well meaning but counterproductive edits.
The list of LGBT people has survived its 4th nomination for deletion. Please watchlist this list to protect it from vandalism and unsourced additions. There are many in Wikipedia who would like to see this Featured status list removed from the project. It is up to us to keep it to such a high caliber that it never is removed.
Our project member David Shankbone is now working as a journalist for Wikinews, as well as continuing to improve our project and Wikipedia as a whole with his photographs. A sincere thank you goes out to him for all of his hard work. Wikipedia would not shine nearly as brightly without your contributions, David.
Happy Halloween, everybody! Be happy and celebrate!
The surviving life partner of prominent LGBT rights activist Barbara Gittings recently called one of our editors and, among other things, complimented us on what a great job our project is doing on Wikipedia. Thanks to everyone who contributes to this project, either through their article edits or support for other project members. We really are making an difference here!
Member assistance
Some of our project members have been having difficulties related to editing on the encyclopedia. If you are feeling frustrated or distressed by your editing experience, please don't keep it to yourself. Wikipedia is a collaborative effort, and we are all here to help one another. Drop a line on our talkpage or on another editor's page, and other members of the LGBT project will happily give you the support you want and need.
Lastly, Halloween is just around the corner. More than most holidays, Halloween is a holiday embraced by and tailor made to our community (though God only knows why we are invisible in the Halloween article here. Perhaps somebody would like to rectify that editing oversight). Have fun, everybody, and remember to both trick and treat!
To stop receiving this newsletter, or to receive it in a different format, please let us know here. If you have any news or any announcements to be broadcast, do let Dev920 know.
Hey, Peeps, it's that time of the month again (no not that time — get your mind out of the gutter): time for another monthly edition of the LGBT Project'sLove Boat newsletter from your cruise directorMiss Julie. So much has been happening this month and I just can't wait to tell you all about it!!!
Let's start with some good news: Alice and the project lost the bothersome sock puppet who had been disrupting many articles we monitor, and now most of us can edit in relative peace. Congratulations, Alice, for being able to come out of semi-retirement. Benjiboi, on the other hand, has gained an anonymous IP stalker who seems to be more Catholic than the Pope and who has a hard-on for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. We seem to have a sort of Yin and Yang thing going on here, which helps both to keep us in balance and on our toes <bright smiles all around>.
Albus Dumbledore got outed this month, and was immediately adopted by our project. The international brouhaha surrounding this disclosure reached all the way to Wikiland, and his article was briefly locked due to homophobic vandalism (as well as well meaning editors who just couldn't believe that that nice man could possibly be gay). This is a wonderful article to add to your watchlist, and will surely give you hours of reverting fun on cold winter days.
On a more serious note, Fireplace has suggested a new article series about LGBT rights in the United States, state by state. This ambitious topic will surely require many editors and a lot of research, but has the potential to add further prestige to our already prestigious project.
Francis Bacon (not the new gay one, but the old gay one ... though they're actually both dead, now that I think about it) has also aroused passions here on Wikipedia, with editors opposing his sexuality being disclosed in his biography. The always helpful Haiduc has thoughtfully provided any number of sources, but it is slow going getting his point across. Anyone want to lend a hand?
And speaking of passions, Jack Kerouac has inflamed the senses once again with editors, including administrator Irishguy, mounting a spirited defense to keep him as heterosexual as possible for Wikipedia purposes. Why? I don't know. Perhaps some of you can drop by the talk page and ask your questions there. I feel certain a stimulating debate will ensue that will be enjoyed by all.
Did you know that one of our Featured articles, Lawrence v. Texas, lost its shiny gold star? That was a shocker. It has been suggested that we turn our attention to it in an effort to restore it to its former glory. I took a peek, and it does need our help badly. For our American editors, it would seem almost a civic duty to edit it (not that I'm hinting....).
Though it was far too intellectual a debate for a mere cruise director like myself to take part in, Intersexuality was certainly a hot topic a week or two ago. The thrust of the debate was over inclusion in our project. Lots of good editors had lots of good opinions. For those too lazy to check out the discussion, we decided to leave it out for now.
Peer review is, as always, short staffed and seemingly unloved. Wouldn't you feel better about yourself and the world in general if you took a few minutes to read one of the listed articles and offer some helpful advice? I know I'd feel better if you did.
The article LGBT movements in the United States certainly raised eyebrows last week, especially when it was discovered that copyrighted content had been added to our article. Tragedy was averted at the last minute, though, when the original hosts of the article where the material had been pilfered agreed to make it free to everyone. Our thanks to them, whoever they are. Busy Bee that I am, I haven't had time to read it, but I'm sure it's sensational.
Not content to run for Best Actress, plucky Bannon won a Best supporting actress Oscar... whoops, I meant to say Ann is also getting more than her share of womanly attention on the Good Article list. Joining her on this exalted plane are Freddy Mercury, Waylon Smithers and Lance Bass. Good articles indeed, and the last one mentioned just goes to show that one needn't admire the subject of an article to appreciate the effort put into making him worthwhile reading. What on earth Britney ever saw in him I'll never know. Truly a riddle cloaked in an enigma and wrapped around a puzzle.
On a personal note, your already overworked cruise director is being cyberly whipped almost daily by Nemissimo, who desperately wants to get the German BDSM translation copy edited and used as a replacement for the current one. It's such a ... err, stimulating topic that I am sure many of you will want to join the copy editing fun. Jump right in, folks! It's so lonely copy editing it all by my lonesome!
A little birdie just whispered in my ear that our noble collaboration project was delisted from the Community Portal due to inactivity. When asked how this scandalous turn of events could have occurred, the answer I received was "we suck at stuff like that". Well. In the first place, I disagree that sucking should be considered a negative, but to each his or her own. In the second place, I have full confidence that we can and will collaborate with other projects in the future. So let's not view this as a setback (even though it is), but rather a challenge to improve (and good Lord, I sound almost Wikipedian!).
Lastly, the holidays are rapidly approaching. Our American cousins are currently getting ready to slaughter masses of poultry in an effort to show their gratitude and generally peaceful demeanor, and those of the Canadian persuasion, trendsetters that they are, celebrated a bit early this year. I'm sure all us foreigners will join together in wishing them all a very happy Thanksgiving on their respective holidays, both already celebrated and forthcoming... though I would hope somebody would enlighten me as to why they don't celebrate it on the same day. I was awake all last night trying to figure that one out.
In the spirit of this peculiarly North American holiday, let me take a moment to thank all of our editors for their contributions to this project. It's people like you who make people like me...well, a "people person"! May all your Wiki days be bright, and may your Love Boat never turn into a Poseidon.
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Quelle Suprise! King James is a Queen!
Our dear Haiduc, never a stranger to controversy, recently decided to delve into the wardrobe of the British Monarchy, and what did he discover? King James had more than appreciative eyes for strapping young men! Naturally, Haiduc felt the need to share this news with the community, but instead of being praised for his scholarship, he was reviled. In fact, one rabid heterocentrist even rummaged around in his own wardrobe until he found an old pair of socks to play with. All seemed lost until astute editor Jeffpw noticed some odd postings and did some sleuthing of his own. The socks were uncovered, the Wicked Witch was melted and readers the world over were able to learn that Good King James regularly ordered tube steak from the menu of the day. Thank you, Haiduc! Thank you, Jeff! And let Miss Julie add (for readers who might not know) that tube steak tastes just like chicken!
It's Britney, Bitch!
Well, maybe it's not Miss Thang, herself, but it's the next best thing: Chris Crocker! he stirs up just about as much controversy as his idol does, even here on Wikipedia. Though it's all a bit of a muddle, one of our editors hopes you can drop by the talk page and leave a message of hope for those battling the forces of obstructionism in that little corner of the Wiki World. It is so hard to spread enlightenment. As Miss Parker herself said, "You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think".
Game show for nerds
Wallowing in cash from the latest beg-a-thon, the powers-that-be have decided to sponser a little contest here to improve the articles, with a Grand prize of $100. Yeah. Just enough for a Burger King dinner for the family. Still, the thought is nice and the goal is noble, so we should support it. Our little Queer beehive has taken a look at what's on offer, and both the Greek Traditionalists and Daughters of Bilitis are well represented. The ever useful SatyrTN has made a little list, which can be found here (if that malignant bot hasn't archived it already, that is). So find a pal, roll up your sleeves and dive right in. Let's show this Encyclopedia just what Queers with firecrackers up their....err, I mean, let's show the others what we can do.
Jón Þór Birgisson
I can't pronounce his name, but he's awfully cute, he's deliciously foreign, and best of all...he's GAY! But he won't be for long, if certain users have their way. A concerted effort has been under way for a while now, designed to neuter poor Jon (pretend I put a little accent thingy over that O) and make him into a sort of rockin' Ken doll. So please watchlist this hunka man, and keep him queer! If anybody questions you, tell them "Miss Julie sent me".
TranSanta
Everybody loves a sequel
Readers not afflicted with Alzheimer's will remember that last month we had a little story about Alice and her harasser. That proved so popular that we bring you the sequel: Benjiboi and his stalker. After a chance meeting at the Michael Lucas article, this anonymous user took a shine to our Benjiboi, and has been showering him with attention on virtually every board on Wikipedia. Flattered though he is, Benjiboi finds the attention a bit distracting, and administrators have been seeking various remedies for this. It has proven difficult, as the stalker has an IP address that changes quicker than Superman in a telephone booth. So perhaps some of you would like to watchlist Benjiboi's page, and lend a hand if you see some love letters from an 11 digit friend. I was actually thinking we should get Alice's harasser and Benjiboi's stalker together. Then we could have another sequel, sort of like Freddy vs. Jason. Any bets as to who would win??
Not quite the second coming, but special just the same
Let me be the first to give a warm, wet, Love Boat kiss (though not with tongue) to our newest Project members: Jacksinterweb, Cleduc, Pigman, Becksguy and Iamandrewrice. Even in the month of our Saviour's birth, your popping into our Wikipedian lives is a blessed event indeed. As Jesus Himself said, "Live long and prosper". He did say that, didn't he? I think he said it. In any event, if he was standing next to me now, I'm sure he'd say it, and add, "Happy homo editing!"
Battle of the Wikipedia Stars!
Indomitable Ann Bannon is holding her own in Wikipedia's answer to American Idol: The Featured Article candidate list! For four feverish weeks, she has mastered the challenges and not been eliminated from the competition. Drop by the FAC page and show Ann you love her....or give her the hook (I'm not supposed to tell you how to vote). Giving our plucky Ann reason to hope is the recent promotion of List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people: Sa-Sc. If Miss Julie has her way, we will have the entire alphabet of Queerdom Featured here on Wikipedia soon! And I would be remiss if I did not give a warm, Lesbian salute to our own Belovedfreak, who showed Wikipedia with But I'm a Cheerleader that even pom poms are no protection from the Love that dare not speak its name, and got a gold star for her efforts.
Climbing the Wikipedia career ladder is User: Tim1965, who has not only written, but is now promoting Reel Affirmations to Good article status. Best of luck, Tim, and remember: there are no small parts, only small actors. We're sure you'll be trading that green circle for a gold star soon (assuming you get the green in the first place!).
Santa's on his gay way!
Santa needs elves
Yes, I know: packages need buying, trees need trimming, egg nog needs drinking. The holidays make many demands on our time. It's ...well, it's a bitch, is what it is. So I wouldn't blame you for skipping this little section and putting off my request until next year. But...think of the children. Our future. They need quality information about the homosexual "lifestyle" if we are to indoctrinate them properly. That's why I am asking you to drop by our Peer review area and give your meaning as to the efforts of your fellow gay Wikipedians. And think: in this season of kindness and good will to all, isn't it nice that I am pointing you to someplace where you can (in a Wikiloving way, of course) rip someone a new asshole? Think about it...and those children with their shiny, bright eyes, thanking you for contributing to their future.
Even more festively, consider joining in on the deletion discussions of our favorite articles. Here you can bandy about such words as "homophobia", "Right-wing Christian agenda" and my personal favorite, "just who do you think you're pushing around?!?!?". If you play your cards right, there might even be an extra present under the tree for you. :-D
Urgent Christmas appeal Tovojolo asked me to ask you to edit Elizabeth Bishop as part of the Collaboration Project. She's an old dead poet (Miss Bishop, not Tovojolo. I've never actually met Tovojolo. She's probably very young and attractive. Maybe somebody should ask if she's single), but she was a flaming homosexual long before most of us had even been conceived, so we owe her some respect. Tovojolo actually asked me for the last newsletter, but Miss Julie forgot. Bad Miss Julie. She was so busy boosting morale it just slipped right by her. Nemissimo, maybe you need to crack that whip again to get Julie back in line.
Surrender, Dorothy!!!!!!! Friend of Dorothy has attracted the attention of a group of....the more senior elements of our gay society. They disagree with our thesis that Saint Judy was the possible source of the term, and demand we change the article to reflect their contention that Dorothy Parker was the origin. The problem is, their source didn't check out. So we agreed to disagree. Well, we at the project did. They got kinda mad at us, said unkind things, and started edit warring. Though they are old, they are certainly quick, and could revert the article faster than my nimble fingers could press the undo button. To quote the divine Miss Parker, every time I saw the article on my watchlist, I thought to myself, "What fresh hell is this?". The page was protected by sympathetic administrators, but keeping an eye on it will keep Dorothy safe from future Wicked Witches of the West or East.
Ambrosia
Our dear Benjiboi has been busy indeed, lately. He recently made fruit salad out of Fruit, turning a once nasty word into a damn good article, and saving it from deletion! Congratulations, Benjiboi! I hear he has turned his attention from fruit to poultry now. Before he is through, he will have turned every major food group gay on Wikipedia!
Christmas came early
Yes, indeed! Valued administrator WJBscribe was raised out of the mire of mid-level management and placed squarely into the Pantheon of Bureaucracy! And Miss Julie is just too proud of him not to mention that he got the most support votes in the history of Wikipedia! Congratulations, WJB! We know you will not prove the Peter Principle correct!
You!
Yes, you! It's you who make this project shine! It's you who make Wikipedia such a valuable resource for all humanity! And it's you who make Miss Julie's dull life just a little bit better. So I want to take this moment to thank each and every one of you for all you do here. Merry Christmas, everybody! Happy Hanukkah! Festive Kwanzaa!Delirious Dong Zhi!Delicious Diwali! And for our oppressed Iranian brothers and sisters, I wish you a safe and joyous Yalda. And if I didn't mention your favorite December holiday, well, it's because I feel it's so special I should just keep it between you and me. Always remember: You light up my life!
May we all have a joyous holiday season, and a safe, healthy, happy and prosperous 2008.
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Hello! :) I noticed that you have a "feminist" userbox on your userpage and I thought you might be interested in this. Check it out and add your name under "Participants" if your interested. Have a nice day and happy editing! --Grrrlriot (talk) 23:06, 5 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Hello, Lwollert. Please check your email; you've got mail! It may take a few minutes from the time the email is sent for it to show up in your inbox. You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{You've got mail}} or {{ygm}} template.
Hi Lwollert! Women around the world who edit and contribute to Wikipedia are coming together to celebrate each other's work, support one another, and engage new women to also join in on the empowering experience of shaping the sum of all the world's knowledge - through the WikiWomen's Collaborative.
As a WikiWoman, we'd love to have you involved! You can do this by:
Hi Lwollert! The WikiWomen's Collaborative is a group of women from around the world who edit Wikipedia, contribute to its sister projects, and support the mission of free knowledge. We recently updated our website, created new volunteer positions, and more!
Get involved by:
Visiting our website for resources, events, and more
Meet other women and share your story in our profile space
What?Wiki Loves Pride, a campaign to document and photograph LGBT culture and history, including pride events
When?June 2015
How can you help?
1.) Create or improve LGBT-related articles and showcase the results of your work here
2.) Upload photographs or other media related to LGBT culture and history, including pride events, and add images to relevant Wikipedia articles; feel free to create a subpage with a gallery of your images (see examples from last year)
Or, view or update the current list of Tasks. This campaign is supported by the Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group, an officially recognized affiliate of the Wikimedia Foundation. Visit the group's page at Meta-Wiki for more information, or follow Wikimedia LGBT+ on Facebook. Remember, Wiki Loves Pride is about creating and improving LGBT-related content at Wikimedia projects, and content should have a neutral point of view. One does not need to identify as LGBT or any other gender or sexual minority to participate. This campaign is about adding accurate, reliable information to Wikipedia, plain and simple, and all are welcome!
As a participant of WikiProject LGBT studies, you are invited to participate in the third annual Wiki Loves Pride campaign, which runs through the month of June. The purpose of the campaign is to create and improve content related to LGBT culture and history. How can you help?
Create or improve LGBT-related Wikipedia pages and showcase the results of your work here
Document local LGBT culture and history by taking pictures at pride events and uploading your images to Wikimedia Commons
Looking for topics? The Tasks page, which you are welcome to update, offers some ideas and wanted articles.
This campaign is supported by the Wikimedia LGBT+ User Group, an officially recognized affiliate of the Wikimedia Foundation. The group's mission is to develop LGBT-related content across all Wikimedia projects, in all languages. Visit the affiliate's page at Meta-Wiki for more information, or follow Wikimedia LGBT+ on Facebook. Remember, Wiki Loves Pride is about creating and improving LGBT-related content at Wikimedia projects, and content should have a neutral point of view. One does not need to identify as LGBT or any other gender or sexual minority to participate. This campaign is about adding accurate, reliable information to Wikipedia, plain and simple, and all are welcome! If you have any questions, please leave a message on the campaign's talk page.
Did you know about Wikiversity Journal of Medicine? It is an open access, peer reviewed medical journal, with no publication charges. You can find more about it by reading the article on The Signpost featuring this journal.
We welcome you to have a look the journal. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. Feel free to participate in the journal.
You can participate in any one or more of the following ways:
Outreach to potential contributors, with can include (but is not limited to) scholars and health professionals. In any mention of Wikiversity Journal of Medicine, there may be a reference to this Contribute-page. Example presentation about the journal.
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Sign up to get emails related to the journal, which are sent to updateswijoumed.org. If you want to receive these emails too, state your interest at the talk page, or contact the Editor-in-chief at haggstrom.mikaelwikiversityjournal.org.
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The future of this journal as a separate Wikimedia project is under discussion and the name can be changed suitably. Currently a voting for the same is underway. Please cast your vote in the name you find most suitable. We would be glad to receive further suggestions from you. It is also acceptable to mention your votes in the wide-reachwikiversityjournal.org email list. Please note that the voting closes on 16th August, 2016, unless protracted by consensus, due to any reason.
User:Lwollert/Sandbox/List of transgender people, a page which you created or substantially contributed to, has been nominated for deletion. Your opinions on the matter are welcome; you may participate in the discussion by adding your comments at Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/User:Lwollert/Sandbox/List of transgender people and please be sure to sign your comments with four tildes (~~~~). You are free to edit the content of User:Lwollert/Sandbox/List of transgender people during the discussion but should not remove the miscellany for deletion template from the top of the page; such a removal will not end the deletion discussion. Thank you. Ricky81682 (talk) 10:03, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
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