[Gendergap] What to do about sexism when we see it on WP?

[Ryan Kaldari]

The behavior you describe is all too common on Wikipedia (and even worse 
on Commons). I could quote some much more blatant examples than the one 
you cite, but I'll spare everyone the groans. I think the problem is 
that most guys do not understand that creating an unwanted sexualized 
environment is a form of sexism and an abuse of male privilege (and that 
it has a real effect on women's participation in the project). Indeed, I 
imagine some do not even comprehend the concept of "unwanted sexualized 
environment". Perhaps it would be helpful to point them to: 
http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Sexualized_environment

This reminds me of my unsuccessful attempt to get WP:HOTTIE deleted :(

For the long term, we should think about trying to get wording added to 
either the Civility policy or the Harassment policy about offensive 
verbal comments and sexual innuendo.

Kaldari


On 3/17/11 2:15 PM, Sarah wrote:
> I saw an incident recently on WP that's fairly common, but it's not
> clear to me what we should do about it, if anything.
>
> A woman editor did something that a few male editors didn't like, and
> she was taken to task for it. In the course of the discussion, the
> Wikipedia biography of a woman was mentioned and linked to, and her
> photograph showed her as attractive. One of the men taking part in the
> discussion said something positive about the image -- then he added
> that policy prevented him from going into detail about his feelings
> about it. (I won't quote him so as not to identify him, but it was
> words to that effect.)
>
> It's a remark typical of young men, and he almost certainly intended
> no harm. But the effect on me as a reader was that it undermined the
> woman taking part in the discussion. She also felt that way, and said
> so. The response was that her objection was laughable.
>
> What should we do when we witness this kind of thing? I've never said
> anything in these situations, because I see them so often, and there's
> a risk of turning it into a dramafest. I also know that some people,
> men and women both, would say it's too minor a thing to comment on.
>
> So -- should we be saying something, and if so what and how, or is it
> best to ignore?
>
> Sarah
>
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