Gay rights group calls for House investigation of Wikipedia edits

The Human Rights Campaign called on Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to identify who in the House made multiple controversial changes to Wikipedia articles related to transgender people. 

A number of Wikipedia edits deemed offensive that originated from Internet Protocol (IP) addresses linked to the House led to a month-long ban for anonymous House edits on Wednesday.

{mosads}The Human Rights Campaign, the largest civil rights organization for LGBT individuals, called the reports “deeply troubling.” 

“At a time when more and more Americans are recognizing and upholding the rights and dignity of transgender Americans, it is an unwelcome reminder of how much work remains to be done,” HRC Vice President Jeff Krehely said in a statement Thursday night.  

The temporary ban Wednesday was the third this year relating to the House IP address. The ban does not extend to House staffers who have created an account and logged in to edit posts. 

On Wednesday, someone from the House attempted to edit the Wikipedia page of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” which features transgender actress Laverne Cox. 

The edit changed Cox’s description as “a real transgender woman” to “a real man pretending to be a woman.”

“Laverne Cox not only plays an inspirational character, but has inspired so many of us as an advocate for transgender equality,” Krehely said. “She deserves much better than this.”