I have recently learned that an intersex wiki was just made. That is really cool, as a way to centralize intersex information somewhere that is actually, you know. Run by intersex people.

But browsing through the wiki, I... can't help but have severe concerns about how it's run.

For a start, I have seen several pages using tumblr posts as sources. Not as in "some intersex people think x thing"," or even as in "this term was coined on tumblr in x post." The exemple I'm thinking of comes from the page on intersex variations, where they get their definition of "an intersex variation" from a tumblr masterpost of intersex terminology.

I. I don't know how to say this man. A tumblr post is not a primary source. Just like my blog which you are currently reading is not a primary source. They're not primary sources because they're individual posts made by singular guys unaffiliated with anyone who aren't getting peer-reviewed. They CANNOT be used as primary sources because People Just Like on the internet. If you just accept singular tumblr posts as absolute truth, what's stopping people from quoting, say, terf posts? What's stopping anyone from putting in "all intersex people are still ultimately male or female?" Because there are MANY tumblr posts who claim so.

Another thing that bothers me on this page is the inclusion of whether these variations have a clear perisex-intersex boundary. While that is certainly helpful information, I also can't help but see all the ways it can be misused for exclusitionism purposes (ex: oh you're not REALLY intersex, look the wiki says you're a fringe case!)

Outside of this page, I've also checked the page on our dearest H slur, which cites the Oxford dictionary as a source regarding the origin & use of the word. This is cool and baller, except that as far as I can tell the part they meant to quote is locked behind a paywall. Either that, or I am too stupid to see where the bit they're quoting is on the page. Which is not a possibility I'm dismissing, but I do feel like it is worth pointing out that there is a pattern of cited sources which are either unreliable or innaccessible.

The page on intersex studies features some really cool ressources and stuff I shall check out shortly, but uhm. "Work needs to be done to document and appreciate the different experiences and histories of intersex people outside the United States, especially in the developing world." I'm not sure developing world is the way you want to refer to folks. Makes it a bit too transparent that the guys running this wiki are from northern America.

It's good that this wiki was made, and I want to believe it will only improve over time. But my experience in online communities make me wary. Centralizing intersex information on a single website also means you HAVE to be careful with what you put on it, else anyone who will check it (most importantly: intersex folks who just discovered they're intersex) will have a false vision of the intersex community and what is valued here. The intersex community & intersex issues are broader than Northern America, broader than what people talk about on social media, and especially broader than what is discussed in the US circles of social media. I sincerely hope this wiki will not fall into the trap of centering theoretical online discussions over real-life ones.