Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes on Wikipedia? Editors recently battled it out over how to refer to a transgender shooter involved in a tragic Minneapolis incident. Pronouns, ‘deadnaming,’ and even ‘hate crime’ classifications sparked intense debate. Whose rules should prevail when tragedy strikes and identities clash?
A recent Wikipedia controversy ignited a fervent debate among editors concerning the appropriate representation of a transgender shooter involved in a tragic incident at a Minneapolis Catholic school. This contentious discussion has brought to the forefront complex issues surrounding identity, journalistic integrity, and the application of Wikipedia’s evolving editorial policies in sensitive cases. The digital arena became a battleground for linguistic and ethical considerations following the devastating events.
The core of the pronoun debate emerged almost immediately after Robin Westman attacked Annunciation Catholic School. An editor, SuperPianoMan9167, promptly altered the shooter’s Wikipedia entry, changing all male references to female pronouns and removing Westman’s birth name, Robert. This action was justified by citing Wikipedia’s policy against “deadnaming” – the use of a transgender person’s given name from before their transition, unless they were notable under that name.
This bold move sparked considerable infighting within the editors’ forum, with some arguing that adhering strictly to identity-based pronouns, even for a perpetrator of violence, was paramount to upholding Wikipedia’s stated policies. Other editors, however, invoked the principle of “ignore all rules” (IAR), suggesting that no policy should impede the improvement or maintenance of the encyclopedia, especially when facing such a morally charged subject.
Proponents of the changes meticulously argued that their decisions were rooted in established Wikipedia guidelines, seeking to depoliticize the act of accurate biographical representation rather than expressing sympathy for the shooter. One editor, identified as EF5, emphasized, “It doesn’t matter how insensitive it is…it’s Wikipedia’s job to get the facts straight. If she identified as a female, then that’s what Wikipedia should reflect.”
As the online moderation efforts continued, the Wikipedia article on the Minneapolis shooting now exclusively uses female pronouns for Westman and omits the birth name, Robert, making only a single reference to the individual as “transgender.” This outcome reflects a particular interpretation of the platform’s guidelines regarding gender identity, even amidst widespread public scrutiny of the shooter’s actions.
Another significant point of contention revolved around classifying the incident as a hate crime investigation. An editor under the moniker 46.97.170.26 controversially asserted that that “Catholics are not a protected minority, or even just a minority for that matter, so the ‘hate crime’ classification does not apply.” This perspective was met with strong counterarguments.
Ultimately, those advocating for the hate crime designation prevailed. The article now explicitly states that the FBI is investigating the attack as “an act of domestic terrorism and an anti-Catholic hate crime.” This classification aligns with Westman’s documented extensive hatred against Catholics, Jews, and Donald Trump, as detailed in personal writings, pictures, and videos, which underscored the premeditated nature of the attack at Annunciation Catholic School.
The tragic event saw Westman fire through the church’s windows during a morning mass, resulting in the deaths of two students and injuries to seventeen others before the assailant turned the gun on himself. This profound tragedy, coupled with the digital battle over its narrative, highlights the complexities inherent in documenting sensitive contemporary events within collaborative online platforms.
