How to Ensure Transgender Identities Are Ethically Represented in Your Reporting
Anti-trans sentiment is on the rise throughout the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is tracking over 184 pieces of anti-trans legislation that have been introduced through the country in just 2022. Transgender people also have a significantly higher mortality rate than cisgender people.
Trans people are also underrepresented in journalism, and therefore it’s important to build an ethical framework when reporting on trans issues so as to most accurately and helpfully portray the current trans struggle in the United States. Too often journalists commit acts of violence against the trans community by misgendering or deadnaming subjects of their pieces, interviewees, or even victims of anti-trans hate crimes. Misgendering refers to gendering trans people as something other than the gender identity they occupy whereas deadnaming refers to using a name the trans person formerly used before they came out as trans. Both are extremely triggering to members of the trans community, and experts have drawn a line directly from acts like misgendering and deadnaming to acts of bodily harm (including murder) against trans people.
Currently, only 25 percent of people in the United States say they know someone who is out as trans, but trans identities are complex and many. As society’s understanding of transness develops, more people will feel empowered to come out as trans. Journalists can stay ahead of these developments by asking all interviewees or featured people in a piece what their pronouns are. This avoids a major pitfall, which is journalists treating trans people like “special cases” based on gender. This also allows room for nonbinary identities, who are an extremely misunderstood piece of the trans community.
The next thing to consider is: when dealing with a trans subject, is it necessary to disclose to readers that this person is trans? Unless the article specifically mentions transness and the person in question has consented to draw attention to their identity as trans, the answer should be no. “When journalists report on a cis woman, they rarely refer to her as cis. At the same time, journalists often overemphasize transness,” wrote Nazlee Arbee, for the International Journalists’ Network. “If it’s integral to highlight someone’s transness, avoid reiterating their transness, except for where it naturally emerges in discussion. For example, you don’t need to say ‘a trans activist,’ or ‘a trans man’ more than once.”
Though trans journalists are underrepresented in journalism, that does not mean the number of trans journalists is zero. Consider contacting a trans journalist either for collaboration or, in some cases, to take over the piece if you believe the story is better handled by a trans person. “If you have a history of marginalizing a group, it may not be your place to take the reins on representing this community,” wrote Arbee. This could also be true if the publication you work for has an anti-LGBTQ+ or an anti-trans bias. To make that determination, you can cross reference your publication with a list of anti-trans dogwhistles.
Finally, ask questions often. If you aren’t sure how to approach representing a trans person in your piece, that person will likely be more than happy to give you some help on that. Your personal journalistic process may need to work more slowly here, in order to ensure you are accurately and non-violently sharing the stories of the trans community members with whom you are engaging. “Spend time reading and listening to people within the LGBTQIA+ community. Ask everyone about gender and steer away from the guessing game,” said Arbee. “In the process of building a more inclusive reporting style, you may even discover more about yourself and your own preferences when you allow the opportunity for options.”
