How to Write about Transgender People? A Style Guide for Writers

In modern society, you may face a rejection and even stigmatization of transgender people. Everyone tries to keep silent about transgenders or even consider it as a crime.

In fact, being a transgender is not a disease or a crime. This term means a difference between a person’s birth-assigned sex with their gender identification.

You may ask: how to write politely about transgender people and LGBTQ+?

Let’s figure it out!

In this style guide, you will learn how to write politely about people who do not comply with the binary gender system. These writing guidelines will be useful for journalists, writers, and those, who want to write for the English-speaking audience.

What Is Transgender? Basic Terminology

Before you read my writing tips, let’s find out, what is transgender and how do transgenders differ from cisgenders?

Transgender people are people whose gender identity is different from the birth-assigned gender. I’m talking about those who passed the transition process, and those who did not.

Cisgender is an antonym to the previous term. It describes people whose self-identification coincides with the gender assigned at birth.

An agender person is a person who does not identify themselves as a man or woman, or someone who does not experience gender identification at all.

The next question that needs clarification in this writing style guide: “Is it possible to use the “homosexual” instead of “transgender”?

And here is the answer:

No. Transgender does not mean sexuality. Trans refers to all people whose gender identity does not meet social expectations. Whether you’re writing an article or a research essay, you must know that the orientation of the transgender can be heterosexual or other.

But you should not put together terms “gender unconfirmed” and “transgender.” Gender unconfirmed refers to those whose appearance, social role, manners, etc., differ from stereotyped expectations. For example, masculine women, feminine men, agenders (those who do not identify themselves as either women or men), women and young girls with a short haircut, men and boys with long hair, etc.

Write about Transgender Politely

So, let’s move on to the peculiarities of writing styles. How to write about different genders politely?

In fact, there’s nothing complicated. Just follow these recommendations:

1. Try to avoid expressions that are directly related to sex, assigned at birth, or biology.
2. Do not write about transgender as a disorder: physical or mental. Remember: transgender is not a disease, but a matter of human identification.
3. Avoid giving preferences to cisgender people, or condemnation of transgender’s public statements about themselves and their transition experiences.
4. Always use the person’s name or a suitable pronoun. Remember that there are more than two, three, and even five genders.
5. When we speak of pronouns, it is worth mentioning some peculiarities of use. They may be used as the singular personal pronoun. Yes, this differs from what you’ve been taught in school. But that’s how it is. Moreover, you can find such pronouns as hir, gher, ze, zir, zirs. Remember, these are just pronouns, and they are not necessarily must be linked to the biologically-assumed sex of a person.
6. If you’re wondering: “How to write an article about gays?”, remember that LGBTQ+ is not a synonym to this word or an antonym to heterosexual orientation. According to a transgender survey conducted in 2015, about 15% of transgender people identified themselves as heterosexual.

As you can see, these writing tips are quite simple and easy to follow. But here are a few more rules of good tone you should keep in mind if you do not want to seem rude:

• Respect the language diversity that transgender people use to describe themselves. If you are writing about a particular person, it is worth to clarify how they identify themselves. Transsexual, transwoman, transman, queer, agent — these are absolutely different terms.
• Pay attention to the cultural and historical context. Remember that not all terms can be applied to a particular era, a certain people, race, etc.

• If you speak or write about the body and anatomical details, try to use a general terminology. Why? It’s simple: for trans people, gender-valued definitions can be traumatic.
• Remember that there is a diversity of sexes. Not two, or three, but much more. You may take a look at Ashley Dejean’s article “How journalists are wrong about transgender people” to get a solid understanding of how to write about trans people.
• Try to avoid stigmatizing the stories of transgender people. For a long time, people with gender identity different from birth-assigned were treated as mentally disordered, and even criminals. In fact, they are the same people as those who match the generally accepted stereotypes. If your story or article is not directly related to the gender of a particular person — do not mention it.
• Observe the confidentiality of the gender history of a particular person. I’m talking about changing the name, or gender. You will look like a gossip or even worse: you can provoke violence.
• Avoid labelling LGBTQ+ people as liars. Most of them avoid a public coming out for personal reasons. For example, because of fear of conviction or physical violence based on hate.
• Never justify hate crimes against LGBTQ+. Remember that the life of any person, regardless of his gender identity, is inviolable.

Want more useful resources about transgender people?

Keep reading!

Transgender: 5 Useful Writing Sources

You received an order to write an article about LGBTQ+ representatives, but the customer did not provide you with necessary style or information guidelines? Don’t be scared. Check the sources below:

1. Julia’s trans, gender, sexuality, & activism glossary. Here you will find exhaustive terminology for your writing.
2. Wikipedia. If you are looking for basic information about people, whose gender identity is different from the assigned at birth, a series of Wikipedia articles will definitely come in handy.
3. GLAAD Media Reference Guide — Transgender. Another useful source for journalists and writers, where you can clarify the correct interpretation of a particular term.
4. GLAAD Media Reference Guide — In Focus: Covering the Transgender Community. If you are looking for more detailed instructions, be sure to pay attention to these writing guidelines.
5. Transgender Studies Quarterly. This is a scientific journal investigating various aspects of trans people.

So, now you know how to write about transgender people politely and what to avoid. If you can not imagine your life without writing and want to get paid for it, join Cool.Club!