An image policy has been created in order to keep image uploads on LGBTQIA+ Wiki maintainable and properly categorized, as well as safeguard their overall quality and relevance. Uploads that fail to meet the criteria listed here may be renamed or deleted by administrators at their discretion.
Filenames
Filenames should be clear, descriptive, and original. Note that uploading a file under the same name as an existing image will replace the old file with the new one. If you encounter such a conflict, modify your description rather than adding a number to the name.
Correct (first upload): Lesbian Flag 5 stripe.svg Incorrect (first upload): Screenshot 20200209-000200.png Correct (name already taken): Gladys Bentley.png Not preferred (name already taken): Gladys Bentley2.png Better (name already taken): Gladys Bentley Full.png
Quality, file extension, and size
The image should be of the highest quality available. In the case of duplicate images, the highest quality image is kept. There are several file extensions that can be uploaded to LGBTQIA+ Wiki, with the most common being .jpg and .png. Due to their lossless data compression, .png files are generally preferable for most images and .svg files are recommended for flags.
A bigger size does not mean higher quality by definition. There is no point in uploading an image that is over 1 MB in size, as there will be no instance in which that large size will ever serve its purpose. Instead, this overly large image size for the use on this wiki is detrimental to the loading time of our pages. Therefor, keep images of reasonable size and proportions, knowing that most of the time, they will be solely displayed in a 200px thumbnail.
Since this wiki places the emphasis on the written word for educational purposes, animated .gif are disallowed due to their lack of purpose and distractive quality.
Copyrights
Every non-free image is used on LGBTQIA+ Wiki under the auspices of the fair use doctrine of the United States Fair use law. This means that they are used for informational/educational purposes, meant to identify the subject of an article and to illustrate something directly relevant to the text in its immediate vicinity. Non-free images must remain unaltered. The only exceptions to this happens when the change is done to replace a deadname from a bookcover, credit screenshot, etc.
Sourcing
All images must have clear source info as to where the image is from, and this is to be added to the page of the image itself, not the page where the image is uploaded. If an image is not sourced correctly, the uploader will be contacted to do so with the knowledge that the image may be deleted if it is not sourced properly within a given amount of time.
Usage
All uploaded images must be used in a page within a reasonable time from when they are uploaded. Unused images are deleted weekly, if not sooner.
Article pages
Given the nature of copyrighted images, LGBTQIA+ Wiki tries to use them sparingly. The focus of this wiki lies on the written word. If one well-chosen image for a large or several small paragraphs is insufficient to illustrate and enhance the text it accompanies, one should consider rewriting the text to better convey the intended message.
Using too many images on one article should also be avoided. This causes readability and aesthetic issues. Images are used as visual aids; they should not be the overwhelming focus of the page.
User pages
While it is recognized that the user profile is for personal expression, the user profile is not to be used as an image depository. Users may only use up to three images that are already uploaded on the wiki on their user page. Excess images will be removed. This rule does not affect global user profiles, i.e. profile templates hosted on Community Central, not the display of images on your profile that are not directly uploaded on LGBTQIA+ Wiki.
Users may not upload an image solely to be used on their user subpages or blog posts. Certain exceptions apply when they directly benefit the wiki, and these will be gauged on a case-by-case basis.
Flags
LGBTQIA+ Wiki is not a place to claim new flag designs. Officially recognized images of identity and orientation flags may be uploaded on their respective page. New, upcoming flag designs need to have been established prior and taken a foothold within the larger LGBTQIA+ community before the design can be used on the wiki. If you wish to share your own flag design, you are most welcome to do so on our Discussions platform.
Galleries
Galleries should be avoided and only used when they are necessary to convey the information correctly and completely, and the article itself is too small to host images within the body of the text in direct relation to the paragraph they are about. The images used within a gallery should also not exceed six so to keep in line with the policy regarding using images sparingly.