Preserving the data of LGBTQ+ history
An interview with Dr. Clair Kronk.
Photo by Olga from Pictrip, modified by Pax Ahimsa Gethen
by Pax Ahimsa Gethen
In what is rapidly becoming a “post-truth” society, queer and trans people face ongoing misinformation, censorship, and erasure of our history on websites and social media. To restore and preserve accurate information about our communities, some have turned to Wikipedia, the free, volunteer-run encyclopedia, and its sister Wikimedia projects, including the knowledge base Wikidata. While many have found these projects relatively reliable on trans topics – to the chagrin of those who prefer Grok’s version of truth – they have plenty of room for improvement.
One trans scholar working to improve the collection and accuracy of LGBTQ+ information is Dr. Clair Kronk (she/her), an ontologist, terminologist, medical informaticist, and natural language processing researcher who serves as an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In an interview with Assigned Media, Kronk said, “So many queer resources are disappearing from the internet and are only partially preserved or completely lost. It is so crucial that people know we were here.”
Kronk recently talked about her work at Queering Wikipedia, an annual conference for queer and trans Wikimedians and allies. Having edited Wikipedia since childhood, she became more involved in the community during grad school while serving on the board of Homosaurus, a linked data vocabulary of LGBTQ+ terms which is currently maintained by the Digital Transgender Archive. Kronk went on to contribute her expertise to a Wikidata initiative, WikiProject Personal Pronouns, which aims to improve the accuracy of pronouns assigned to humans and fictional characters represented in the project.
Precision and accurate terminology are very important in Kronk’s work. Her recognition of this importance, coupled with her experience of transitioning during graduate school, led her to create GSSO, the Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation Ontology. This resource helps facilitate accurate and respectful communication between health professionals and their queer and trans patients. As Kronk explained to Assigned Media, “My research focuses on a number of different problems where the underlying idea is: ‘we have the data, but it isn't understandable – let's make it more understandable’.”
Another data collection Kronk started toward that end is lgbtDB, a “cousin” project to Wikidata she envisions as “a free, reliable, and comprehensive database of LGBTQIA+ resources that preserves historical and contemporary lived realities of queer people.” She sees it as a “search engine for other places across the web, that allows people to find books, medical research, comics, video games, Cuneiform tablets, laws, events, and places where their experiences are represented.”
Unlike Wikipedia and Wikidata, lgbtDB does not allow any inclusion of deadnames. The database also includes items that might not be considered notable enough for inclusion in Wikimedia projects. In contrast to those projects that “anyone can edit”, applications for accounts on lgbtDB are individually reviewed for approval, to stave off vandalism and harassment. On coping with transphobia from Wikimedia editors, Kronk said, “I have been fairly lucky in this regard so far, but many of my colleagues and friends have dealt with far worse. I do hope, generally, there is a path forward where transphobia is not provided an open license on Wikimedia projects.”
Folks interested in helping out with lgbtDB don’t need any particular expertise. “To add information to lgbtDB, all you need is a bit of data entry experience!”, Kronk said. “While those with more technical or coding experience might be able to help with some of the larger datasets, anyone of any skill level can add information to our growing encyclopedia.”
The lgbtDB project is hosted on Wikibase Cloud, a free resource using the same Wikibase software suite that underlies Wikidata. Kronk highly recommends the service for people working in GLAM institutions (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums). Affordable resources for archivists and researchers are greatly needed, as the anti-DEI actions of the Trump administration have made it difficult to find funding for LGBTQ-related projects.
“Even before these restrictions were in place, funding was a constant need in the academic world,” Kronk explained. “Right now, many of us are attempting to pivot where possible, but early-career investigators (people who finished graduate school in the last 5-7 years) are suffering the most. Some of us are lucky to have seed funding or foundation funding to help us continue vital research, but right now nothing new is able to be funded during the shutdown at all.”
Asked if she has advice for young trans folks considering careers in STEM fields, Kronk stressed the importance of community. “I made a plan in undergrad to come out to my parents, but I was honestly too scared,” she related. “I was not in a strong place financially and I wasn't sure my friends would support me. Looking back, I think they absolutely would have, and my parents ended up being supportive as well, and I'm so grateful for that. But making sure you have that support network is absolutely crucial.”
Kronk continued, “STEM fields are often very trans and queer friendly! 500 Queer Scientists is a super incredible resource to connect with people in any field for their specific experiences and advice too.” Kronk gave thanks to those who supported and encouraged her during graduate school, including her mentor Dr. Judith Dexheimer, Dr. Randall Sell, and Dr. Susan Stryker.
With talented, conscientious individuals like Dr. Clair Kronk working on our behalf, hope remains that trans knowledge and history will be preserved – accurately and respectfully – for future generations.
Pax Ahimsa Gethen (they/them) is a queer Black trans writer and editor. They live in San Francisco with their spouse Ziggy.