Wikipedia uses a photo of Rachel Levine in the definition for “Woman” for several hours

There was controversy at Wikipedia over the use of a photoof Rachel Levine, deputy secretary of health in the Biden administration, in the entry for "Woman" in the free encyclopedia. The use of Levine’s photo did not go unnoticed by some users on social media.

The change lasted a few hours. Wikipedia works via a system of contributions made by individuals who receive comments and corrections from other users. For this reason, details are often changed for only a few hours before another user corrects the change or makes a new one.

Controversial issue

The entry "Woman" in Wikipedia is listed as a "controversial" topic by the encyclopedia's administration. When you go behind the scenes of the entry, you can see that there is an intense recurring debate among Wikipedia editors. Many of them argue for a more neutral and scientific reliability, while others call for revising the definition of what a woman is. In this climate, the user nicknamed "Mistyjee" changed the header image, using one of Rachel Levine.

Other users noticed the change and modified it, calling it "vandalism," the term used when someone changes a detail in a post for the purpose of joking or ridicule. The changes made the situation even worse. A user called "Socialist Trans Girl” made continuous posts and changes to the entry. The situation raises concerns about the reliability of Wikipedia and trans activists meddling with the information given by the platform.

Rachel Levine

Rachel Levine was born a man and transitioned to a woman, later becoming the first trans person to hold a position appointed by the president. Levin currently serves as the U.S. assistant health secretary. Levine's appointment was controversial at the time.

Levine is a fervent activist for the LGBT ideology. On numerous occasions, Levine has supported gender reassignment medical treatment for minors. In recent comments, Levine again insisted that trans treatment for minors is the best way to prevent suicide in individuals suffering from gender dysphoria. However, several specialists from other parts of the world made it clear in their reports that this type of treatment is not supported by science or data. This is the case of the Finnish expert Riittakerttu Kaltiala, the highest authority in her country, who restricted operations on minors after years at the forefront of this legal battle.