Media
Guide:
Some Basic Guidelines When Covering Transgendered
Individuals in Stories
1. Outing: Remember that any reporting of the transgendered status of any transgendered person without his or her expressed permission is outing that person, and has the equivalent potential for harming that person as does outing a gay man, lesbian, or bisexual man or woman. Outing is Invasion of Privacy.
2. Full-time Living Status: If a transgendered person is living full-time in the gender opposite their birth sex (i.e, a "man" living as a woman or a "woman" living as a man) prior to or without sex reassignment surgery, that person should be referred to at all times with terms appropriate to their current gender.
Usage Tips: "Transgendered Woman" is appropriate for male-to-female persons. "Transgendered Man" is appropriate for female-to-male persons. "Transgendered Person" is appropriate for both types.
3. Part-time Status: If a transgendered person is not living full-time, they may intend to do so the future. Do not assume that a cross-dressed person is a "transvestite," someone who engages in cross-dressing only occasionally.
Usage Tips: Instead of "transvestite", the preferred term is crossdresser. "Male Crossdresser" or "Female Crossdresser" are appropriate for these persons only if it is clear they do not live full-time nor intend to. (see #7).
4. Surgical Status: Generally speaking, if a male-to-female or a female-to-male transsexual has had sex reassignment surgery, the appropriate terms are "Transsexual Woman" or "Transsexual Man". However, almost all post-operative transsexuals are extremely sensitive about their transsexual status. This information should be considered confidential and should never be used in a story without their clearly given prior consent. (see #1)
5. Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives: To refer to transgendered persons using pronouns and possessive adjectives appropriate to their birth sex is equivalent to calling a gay man "faggot" or a lesbian "dyke". It is extremely offensive.
Usage tip: At all times, use pronouns and possessives appropriate to a transgendered person’s current gender status or gender expression.
6. Avoid Aspersion by Using Quotation Marks: never put the appropriate pronouns or possessives in quotes. Never put the sexual orientations or genitalia of transgendered persons in quotes.
7. Self-Identification: Ask an individual transgendered person how he/she wishes to be identified. We all like to describe ourselves differently, and some variance in terminology is to be expected. Self-identification is an important right. When in doubt, just ask.
These guidelines serve two purposes. Precise usage of the appropriate terms contained herein when covering transgendered persons will improve journalistic accuracy. In the interest of civility, correctly using the specific terminology while avoiding inflammatory and derogatory wording in media coverage of transgendered persons is both impartial and respectful. To do otherwise is to be insulting, injurious, and slanderous. To do otherwise is to intentionally show disrespect to transgendered human beings. That is called transphobia.
From Jessica Xavier (Transgendered Nation and Washington D.C. PFLAG). One of a series of handouts available through the PFLAG-Talk/TGS-PFLAG virtual library. http://www.critpath.org/pflag-talk/