User:JamesMLane/Robinson sandbox

This page is being used to prepare a draft RfC concerning Gene Robinson.

Request for comment: presentation of Robinson's name

Robinson's name at birth was Vicky Imogene Robinson. He is most commonly known as "Gene Robinson", and everyone agrees that the article should stay at that title. The RfC concerns the treatment of the information concerning his birth name. The questions are: (1) Should Robinson's birth name be included at the beginning of the article, or omitted there and addressed later? (2) If it's included, how should the article begin: Vicky Imogene "Gene" Robinson or V. Gene Robinson (born Vicky Imogene Robinson on May 29, 1947). These issues are discussed more fully in the "V. Gene Robinson's birth name" thread above.

Question 1: inclusion of the birth name in the introductory section

There is agreement that the explanation for Robinson's unusual name should be given in the "Early life" esection. The issue is whether to state his birth name in the introductory section.

Argument for omission

This biography is of a living person. His birth name is used in some quarters to disparage him. The circumstances surrounding his birth name are unusual these circumstances should be co-located with the birth name.

To follow the MoS in this case would be a disservice to our readers. In most cases of name changes from those associated with on sex to another, the person has chosen to change his or her gender association. This is not a case of gender reassignment, it is a case where the sex of the new-born was ignored because the parents didn't expect their baby to live long enough for the name to used on anything other than a birth and death certificate. Bo (talk) 02:32, 28 April 2009 (UTC)

Question 2: format of any inclusion

If the birth name is included, it could be stated as his name, with "Gene" included in quotation marks as a nickname (as in the Jimmy Carter article), or given as a "born as" name (as in the Bill Clinton article).

Argument for "name change" version -- V. Gene Robinson (born Vicky Imogene Robinson on May 29, 1947)

Compromise position: Name used changed from female to male after birth, reflect the way he is referred to (e.g., in his consecration), with his birth name following in bracketed (born as...). And make sure it is Vicky, not Vicki or Victoria, as some people who want it in the lede seem unclear about it; if there is doubt about which it is, then it should not be in the lede. Mish (talk) 08:16, 28 April 2009 (UTC)