The strategy most used by the patriarchal order to try to control and eradicate lesbian desire has been the denial of its existence and, therefore, of its visibility.
Difficult task, then, to history what seems not to have taken place, what seems not to have been seen or said, much less represented.
In 2001 Wikipedia was born and with it opened a universe of possibilities to create knowledge in a free and shared way on the Internet. Everything was to be created and, over the years and the gradual increase of volunteers who dedicate our time to editing, today we find ourselves with almost two million articles in the case of Spanish Wikipedia. Far from being a place where you have started from scratch in relation to certain biases when it comes to addressing knowledge, in the most consulted encyclopedia in the world many of the ideas that perpetuate inequalities are repeated. One of them is the invisibility of lesbian relationships in the creation or translation of biographies.
At Wikisphere meetings, this is a common theme. We comment on the articles that raise doubts about the sexual orientation of the protagonist, we highlight the phrases that hint at the possibility of an affective-sexual relationship between two women o we perceive the difficulty in differentiating between lesbianism and bisexuality (it seems that for a woman it is enough to have a heterosexual relationship in youth to be bisexual; However, men who have had girlfriends or wives are no doubt categorized as gay.) We are always surprised by the euphemisms that come to be used not to name: “very dear friends”, “long-standing companions”... Sometimes you have to laugh, at least as a detente.
Among the articles about women who related lovingly and / or sexually with other women, we usually find the following cases:
- There is no reference to that relationship or relationships, nor the sexual orientation of the biographer, as in the case of the actress Lina Morgan or the pedagogue Maria of Maeztu.
- It is exposed in a veiled way, appearing as close friends or roommates. In the article of the suffragette Lucy Elmina Anthony, today modified by colleagues from Wikiesfera, her partner appeared with the example already mentioned of a ‘long-standing colleague’.
- Lesbianism is raised as a possibility, sometimes with debate in the article itself, or there is talk of ‘unconfirmed’ rumors., as with the biography of the American writer and politician Eleanor Roosevelt. On that of the British writer Marie Corelli, doubts are expressed about a 40-year relationship with another woman, Bertha Vyver, to whom he left all his inheritance when he died.
- In many articles from other Wikipedias translated into Spanish, nothing appears in the text of the article but in the categories. Here, we understand, the bias of the one who translates leaves without passing into Spanish a whole section where their lesbian relationships are described but maintains the categorization. This is the case of the American scientist Ruth Bleier.
- It is expressed explicitly (well!), but in many cases in a stereotyped way.. Too much data is provided, such as when lesbian “discovered” (Sara Gilbert), the list of lovers (Natalie Clifford Barney) or the name of their pets, as in the case of the Australian footballer Tayla Harris.
- Occasionally, attempts to justify: in the case of the actress Mary McCarty there is no other option but to show it, as “your biographer said so”. Some relationships are novelized, like that of women writers Carmen Conde y Amanda Junquera o moral judgments are raised about his life, as in the article on the British motorboat runner Joe Carstairs, now also modified, in which the aspects of his life that were linked to his lesbianism were described as ‘picturesque’.
- Finally, highlight something quite common. Someone, we can assume that in some cases descendants, insists on erase the lesbian footprint in the biographies of some women where it does appear. In the article of the Spanish painter Marisa Roësset, someone tried (in this case unsuccessfully because his edit was reversed) to deny his relationship with the soprano Lola Rodríguez Aragon (disambiguation).
While we share the analysis and continue to elaborate our strategies to favor the development of inclusive narratives in Wikipedia, from Wikiesfera we make a appeal to other editors (and editors) as well as lesbian historians with whom to continue working in this line: the ways of naming when there is no confirmation, but a lot of suspicion, around a lesbian experience; ways of investigating when information is not easily accessible or establishing criteria to delimit the line between bisexuality and lesbianism, among other issues.
There is much that still remains to move forward, always respecting who (speaking of living people), has not explicitly wanted to come out of the closet, and out of responsibility we should not do it for her, or has decided not to publicly show that facet of her intimacy. The American actress Katherine Moennig, internationally known for her role as Shane in the series The L Word, is an example of someone who has asked for respect for his private life.
In this task, our personal and political commitment moves us, both with lesbianism as a vital possibility for women (and more livable the more visible it is) and with rigor and historical reality. We feel responsible for make Wikipedia a place as plural as it is reliable.
English (UK)