Queering Wiki Conference Gathers 150 in Montreal
Contributors and activists from at least 30 countries met in person to strengthen Wikipedia's coverage of LGBTQ+ history and culture.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in LGBTQ+
Live Poll
Do you trust online sources like Wikipedia to accurately cover LGBTQ+ history?
Over 150 people gathered in Montreal for the first in-person Queering Wiki international conference, hosted by Wikimedia LGBT+ and Wikimedia Canada. Contributors, editors, activists, academics, and librarians from at least 30 countries attended under the theme "Knowledge Without Borders: Queer History and Queer Futures."
Why it matters
Organizers said the gathering was fueled by a global rise in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and increased criminalization of LGBTQ+ people, making documentation of queer history a pressing task. The event aims to strengthen how Wikipedia records LGBTQ+ people, history, and culture worldwide.
Over 150 people attended the in-person gathering, with contributors, editors, activists, academics, and librarians drawn from at least 30 countries. Wikimedia LGBT+ has not yet secured formal nonprofit status, and its executive director is Bisi Alimi.
The players
Wikimedia LGBT+
Wikimedia LGBT+ is an affinity group within the Wikimedia movement that works to improve coverage of LGBTQ+ people, history, and culture across Wikipedia and its sister projects, and it co-hosted the conference.
Bisi Alimi
Bisi Alimi is the executive director of Wikimedia LGBT+ and a longtime LGBTQ+ rights advocate known for his activism across Africa and beyond.
Wikimedia Canada
Wikimedia Canada is the Canadian chapter of the Wikimedia movement, which supports Wikipedia and related free-knowledge projects within Canada, and it co-hosted the Montreal conference.
Bridgit Kurgat
Bridgit Kurgat is the Gender Lead at the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia, and works on gender equity in the Wikimedia movement.
The details
Hosted by Wikimedia LGBT+ and Wikimedia Canada, the Montreal gathering brought contributors together in person to focus on expanding documentation of queer people and their histories on Wikipedia. Organizers framed the conference around strengthening that record amid growing pressure on LGBTQ+ communities.
Timeline
- Last weekend: Queering Wiki conference held in Montreal, Canada.
- 2028: Wikimedia LGBT+ plans its next in-person conference.
Culture Shift
The gathering reflects a broader effort within the Wikimedia movement to close long-standing representation gaps on Wikipedia, which has historically under-documented LGBTQ+ people and their history. It moves that work from online editing into sustained in-person organizing across borders.
For readers who edit or rely on Wikipedia, the push to document LGBTQ+ people and history may mean more complete and better-sourced articles on queer topics over time. Readers can also contribute directly by joining Wikimedia's community editing projects.
The takeaway
Documenting queer history is increasingly an active, cross-border effort rather than a passive archive, and readers interested in closing these gaps can start by reviewing and improving LGBTQ+ articles they already know well.
What happens next
Wikimedia LGBT+ hopes to hold another in-person conference in 2028 and is planning to apply for formal nonprofit status.
Further reading
For more on how queer communities are shaping online knowledge, explore our LGBTQ+ coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by LGBTQ Nation.
Live Poll
Do you trust online sources like Wikipedia to accurately cover LGBTQ+ history?
