Cancel donations to Wikipedia: It's a peddler of disinformation

The Women’s Rights Party is urging its members to cancel their donations to Wikipedia as members are outraged at the misrepresentation of the Party and its co-leader on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia describes the Party as “a transphobic political party founded in New Zealand in April 2023. The party's main ideology is trans-exclusionary feminism.”

In the entry about Co-leader Jill Ovens, Wikipedia falsely claims the Women’s Rights Party is “dedicated to the exclusion of trans people from New Zealand society and society in general”, citing an interview Ms Ovens did with podcaster Megan Murphy. 

Ms Ovens did not say this. She objects to allegations that protecting women’s long-held rights is “transphobic”.

“How is it that we have come to the point that women’s rights are only to be defined in relation to men who wish to pass as women?” she says.

She says the Women’s Rights Party focusses on a wide range of issues, including women’s incomes and wellbeing, caring for mothers and children, and access to childcare, to women’s health services, and to affordable housing. 

Ms Ovens says the promotion of rights of men who identify as women have become a concern in recent years as this has put long-held women’s rights at risk.

These include single-sex spaces which preserve women’s and girls’ safety and dignity, and women’s sports where fairness and safety are considerations. Women also have the right to be free from violence in all its forms, she says.

“We started the Party after Albert Park in March when our rights to speak freely and to assemble were met with an angry mob and women were assaulted,” Ms Ovens says.  

“Under the Bill of Rights Act 1990, everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, including the right to adopt and to hold opinions without interference.  This includes women.”

Wikipedia claims its entries are accurate and referenced, yet a simple check of the reference to a Newsroom article justifying Wikipedia’s description of Ms Ovens shows she is described by Newsroom as “a trade unionist, who quit the Labour Party the night of the Albert Park protest, having become ‘increasingly off-side’ with the party line and saying women’s voices were not being listened to.” 

Ms Ovens, who is standing in the Port Waikato by-election on Saturday, 25 November, says the Newsroom description of her is accurate and has been well documented in her interviews and media releases.