Subcommunities such as Women in Red may not offer a perfect solution to Wikipedia’s gender gap, especially as they face potential disruption from newcomers, but they are a promising step in the right direction. At the very least, subcommunities focused on creating content related to women’s topics can employ design suggestions such as clearly listing tasks, tracking progress towards a goal, and celebrating individual accomplishments publicly to support newcomers and encourage participation. Such subcommunities support Wikipedia’s goal of lowering the barriers to contribution for newcomers, increasing coverage of women’s topics, and could also expose male-identifying participants in the project to a more friendly editing culture.

Though the high stakes of the case between Khosla and the Surfrider Foundation ultimately supported the public good, the mere possibility that one individual’s appeal could redefine coastal management across the country reflects how the litigation process’ reliance on precedent, as well as the existence of differential legal power between parties, will continue to act as a deterrent to meaningful legal change.