By Gemma Coleman | Wikimedia UK Wales Programme Coordinator
On 9th May 2025, Wikimedia UK proudly collaborated with WMLGBT+ and the National Library of Wales on a Trans + History Week Edit-a-thon hosted by Cardiff Central Library. The aim was to celebrate the contributions of Trans people here in Wales by improving the coverage of notable Trans people and events on different Wikipedia projects.
We had a range of editors attend, from those very new to Wikipedia who wanted support building their Wiki skills, to more experienced editors wanting some advice on articles they were currently working on. One attendee, Keira, said:
“This was the first time I’d met other Wikipedia editors, and everyone was so friendly and lovely! I learnt a lot, and it’s got me excited to contribute more!”
Bilingual editing
The editathon was facilitated and attended by both Welsh and English speakers so we were able to work together on articles on both Wicipedia and English Wikipedia and some editors also updated Wikidata too.
The mix of language abilities mean some less confident Welsh speakers were able to tackle some smaller edits in Welsh that they wouldn’t have felt confident making on their own. Having other Welsh speakers on hand meant they could easily check spelling, grammar and the best way to translate terms, improving their own Welsh skills and ensuring the quality of the language used on Wicipedia.
Gender and historical figures
Whilst we munched on welshcakes and tea, we talked about our experiences editing Wiki. A contributor shared an article draft about an individual whose gender identity lacks historical consensus, yet this complexity was only briefly addressed. The editor believed this lack of consensus deserved greater emphasis based on the source material but had found that even small attempts to incorporate this nuance were quickly being undone by other editors.
We talked about challenges in clearly and fairly recording gender identity of historical figures. We also talked about different ways editors could work well with other wiki editors to create unbiased articles that fairly represent the prominence of opposing points of view as per Wikipedia’s Neutral Point of View policy.
What we achieved
Over the afternoon, 5 brand new articles were created (3 in Welsh and 2 in English) and another 3 articles were improved to ensure the lead images and pronouns used throughout reflected the subject’s most recently expressed self-identification, as per Wikipedia’s Manual of Style:/Biography guidelines. Some attendees also then went on to join a related online editathon run by WMLGBT+ starting that evening.
Want to join in?
If you couldn’t join us but would have loved to, there are lots of ways you can still get involved.
- WMLGBT+’s Trans History Week and IDAHOBIT editathon runs until 18th May and there are some suggested articles there for inspiration.
- From June to October there’s Wiki Loves Pride
- Multilingual editors happy to edit in more than one language might want to look at WikiProject LGBTQ+ translation page.