Submission Guidelines: Gender from the Trenches

GftT is dedicated to featuring voices from the trans community. Interested in sharing yours? Here are the submission guidelines…

(updated June 15, 2020) — for updated or new material on this page, look for this loudspeaker symbol: 📢

What is Gender from the Trenches?

Gender from the Trenches (or “GftT”) is a publication on Medium committed to amplifying voices from the trans community. Through the authentic stories of trans adults and parents of trans youth, GftT aims to inform as much as inspire. Brought to you by writer and trans advocate, Martie Sirois (who’s also the fierce “MamaBear” of a trans non-binary teen), GftT invites you to step out of your comfort zone, explore gender, and see beyond the binary.

📢Who can publish on GftT?

At GftT, we value diversity, and we use “trans” as an umbrella term that encompasses any and all gender identities that are not cis.** (see note). However, you must be at least 18 or older to publish with us.

For our purposes, a trans writer might mean someone who’s trans binary (male or female); trans non-binary/“enby” (neither male nor female; some combination of both; third gender — like the the Hijra community in India; or another gender altogether — sort of like Native American Two Spirits). It might mean someone who identifies as agender, genderqueer, genderfluid, bigender, trigender, demigender, and so on.

**Note: cis writers may publish in GftT as long as they meet one or more of the following criteria:

1.) Are the parent(s) of trans youth (all ages & stages); see “Important Note to parents of trans youth” below

2.) Are a professional who specializes in working with the trans community (such as a gender therapist)

3.) You are a public advocate for trans rights

Anyone can request to submit writing for GftT, but please understand that we are committed to amplifying voices from the trans community — both trans adults, and parents of trans youth. Contact Martie Sirois by email at: martiesirois@gmail.com (but please double check the spelling — otherwise, I might not receive it!)

What can I publish on GftT?

We’re open to considering diverse forms of media — stuff that goes beyond writing personal essays: photography, artwork/graphic art & images, cartoons, etc. We want to see your creativity shine!

That said…

Generally, non-fiction writing will be given preference — at least at this moment — as we’re still building our community and looking to specifically amplify voices from the trans community by using authentic storytelling. (This includes poetry, as long as it reflects your personal experience in some way).

Also: Everything you submit does not have to have a “transgender angle.” Of course, we still want your trans-specific stories (remember, we use ‘trans’ as an umbrella term to include any/all genders that aren’t cisgender). But if you have a story to pitch where being trans is not the central theme, we’re happy to take a look!

Feel free to submit unpublished drafts of your original material. Previously published work may be considered, but preference will always be given to new material (unpublished drafts).

Please remember that since we’re interested in authentic representation of the trans community, whatever you submit should be your point of view, your first-hand account, or material that’s personally relevant. For example, I’m cisgender, but I’m the mom of a trans teen. I cannot tell my child’s story; I can only tell my point of view, which is from the privileged, narrow lens through which I get a glimpse of my child’s experience. In short, tell the story from your viewpoint.

Please make sure to read everything on this page before submitting to GftT.

Important note to parents of trans youth:

You may write under a pseudonym if you wish (unless you’re already an established writer here on Medium), and/or you may wish to use a pseudonym for your child’s name. If you are writing publicly with real names, you must take a few minutes to review this handy guide compiled by GLAAD, HRC, NCTE, and PFLAG:

Going Public: Is Public Advocacy Right For You And Your Family?

Even if you’re writing with pseudonyms, I still highly recommend you read this guide first. It’s a wonderful resource for parents of transgender and gender expansive youth, which takes into consideration security issues, legal aspects, understanding the media, long-term privacy and identity considerations, and more.

How to Submit to GftT…

If you already have a Medium account with published work (or even drafts), start here:

First:

1. Contact Martie Sirois via email: martiesirois@gmail.com
2. Give a brief introduction of yourself, and add a link to your Medium profile page.
3. I will gladly visit your page and check out your writing. If you haven’t written anything on Medium yet, please wait to contact me until you have something written at least in draft form on Medium. If your writing is featured elsewhere, please provide a link to that.
4. I will respond back to let you know if we are able to add you as a writer at this time — but please be patient; I’m only one person with two jobs, three teens, and three pets 😉

If you haven’t heard back from me in a few days, please feel free to follow-up. Sometimes emails get buried.

If you’re new to Medium, start here:

If you’re new to Medium and the process of contributing your work to publications on Medium, visit the Medium Help Center here, which covers all the basics of getting started:

Medium Help Center

If you’ve finished your work but aren’t sure how to submit drafts to a publication, this tutorial link will walk you through each step of the process:

Add a draft or post to publication

Then, proceed as directed above (under the “how to submit if you already have a Medium account…” section).

Please note: while mobile devices are great for Medium readers, if you’re a writer on Medium, you’re going to want to use a PC. If you only have access to a mobile device, you can still publish your stories, but currently, Medium’s mobile app doesn’t have all the same publishing features as the desktop version. This will likely delay your story from being considered or published in GftT. Please let me know if you don’t have access to a PC but want to publish with us, and I’ll see how we can collaborate to make it work.

After You’re Added As a Writer For GftT:

Before submitting, please double-check your work for each of these:

• Please include an image with your story, along with the source credit directly underneath the image.
  **How to do this: after inserting the image into your piece, click on it. This will give you formatting options for placement of the image, and the correct size font for your caption).
  **A few places to get great free images (and an easy cut & paste embed code that’s required) are: Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, Gratisography, Reshot (among others). Priority is given to stories that already have this done, correctly. If you submit a story without an image, or without proper (or any) attribution, your story may not get published, or I may end up choosing an image for you — which may not be the image you would’ve picked.
• If you’re using a photo/artwork/image that you’ve taken/created yourself, please credit yourself (i.e., “image courtesy the author” or “image courtesy (@YourNameOnMedium”). If you’re using a photo/image/artwork from a friend, please credit them by name and hyperlink their website (or social media — whichever they prefer).
• 📢 For relatively short pieces, I recommend using only one good image just above or below your title which should capture the theme of your piece without being too abstract. If your piece is longer, you might consider two or more images — but preferably no more than three.
• Please make sure your title is in title format (most or all initial letters of words capitalized, typically no punctuation), and please make sure your subtitle is in sentence format (only first word capitalized, like in a sentence).
• 📢 I highly recommend using a subtitle. It’s an opportunity to further explain the theme of your piece — and catch the reader’s attention. Note: if you change your title and/or subtitle, you must also go to the three dots (near your profile image/top right corner) and from the pull-down menu, select “Change display title/subtitle,” and update it there as well. Otherwise when you publish, your story may look the way you want — as it appears in front of you, but when anyone tries to share it, it will default back to the original title & subtitle, rather than the newest edited or changed one.
• Please send only your best, finished writing (proofread, spellchecked, image(s) added, etc.).
• **IMPORTANT STEP: Once your piece is finished, before you hit that “Ready to publish?” tab, first, click on the 3 green dots in the upper right corner near your profile pic, and select “Add to publication.” A pull-down menu appears for you to select which publication. If I’ve added you as a writer, you’ll see “Gender from the Trenches” as an option. Select that. Then, “select and continue.” Finally, click the “Add Draft” tab. A copy of your draft automatically sends to me. (If you’re submitting a piece that’s already written, you’ll have to go back into edit mode and then follow these same steps.)

Preference will always be given to unpublished drafts rather than already published pieces. If you send us a story that has already been published, it may not show up on our homepage at all, since Medium defaults to showing newest work first (though sometimes I’ll manually tweak this, if time permits, in order to give all writers maximum exposure. However, this will likely change as the publication grows).

What Happens After You Submit

If your piece is chosen for publication:

• Your work will be proofed (grammar & spelling check, format check; ensuring all links work and that images have proper attribution, etc.) Small errors that GftT feels you may have missed will be fixed on sight. Note: stories with too many errors will not be selected for this publication.
• GftT reserves the right to make minor changes to your submission without notice. This is mainly for form and flow, so that our stories have a certain consistency).
• Other possible changes made at the editor’s discretion may include: rewriting a title or subtitle (or adding an appropriate subtitle if needed); resizing images or removing images (especially if there are too many or they interrupt the flow of reading); adding line breaks; reformatting section headings and paragraphs; using pull quotes and/or drop caps; removing undisclosed affiliate links; and removing CTA (calls to action), as a few examples.
  Please understand that these changes are for your benefit — to make your work stand out — and GftT makes these minor changes, generally, in lieu of rejecting a submission.
• 📢 Select images carefully, and don’t forget to choose one to be the featured image that shows up wherever your story is shared.
• Because I can’t dedicate the time I’d like to the process of really thorough editing, priority will be given to well-written pieces that are ready to go, as is, and already have images with proper attribution included and correctly formatted titles & subtitles.

Again: I will consider running work you’ve previously published, but priority will be given to brand new pieces that are submitted to GftT in “unpublished draft” form.

Connect with GftT on Social Media!

Photo by dole777 on Unsplash

First, please make sure you’re following (subscribed to) Gender from the Trenches here on Medium, and check back frequently! When a new piece is published, we may feature it prominently at the top of GftT’s homepage for a few days.

📢Subscribe to our monthly(ish) newsletter, “Spill the T.”

Please feel free to share it with all your social networks!

Follow us:

here, on Facebook
here, on Twitter
📢 ** NEW** here, on Instagram

📢 At GftT, we have all kinds of writers, from well-seasoned to just starting out. At this time we are accepting most writer applicants who fit the criteria outlined above. Our primary aim is to amplify authentic voices from the trans community, whether trans adults, or parents of trans youth.

Please be supportive of the other GftT writers’ work here — especially if it resonates with you. Feel free to share your GftT stories widely, as well as other GftT stories!

📢 Also, now you can share our new (coming soon!) monthly(ish) newsletter, Spill the T! Spill the T will feature (one or more of the following): quotes and stories from the past month on GftT; helpful resources for the trans community (and families/allies) for use during a global pandemic (like info for upcoming virtual event offerings); a sampling of outside blog posts or stories from other trans or LGBTQ-friendly websites; ever-evolving best practices & new LGBTQ “language”; new studies & research findings; tips; inspiration; FAQs; writer spotlights; and/or other valuable free stuff you can’t get from just reading GftT by itself.

*A final note to all GftT writers: Please exercise patience (and grace) as I work on getting your stories up and running. As a writer myself, I so much understand the emotional urgency to hit that publish button soon as you’re done. To that end, if you’ve written a time-sensitive piece, please let me know via email so I can prioritize managing GftT better.

Still, I ask for your continued patience and grace, because I’m only one person — with two jobs, three teens, and three pets 🙃 — running this publication on a volunteer basis (i.e., not paid). Pieces with many typos, spelling and grammatical errors, formatting issues, etc., can be quite time consuming as I’m sure you can imagine. I will get to your submissions for final editing as soon as I’m able.

I value your voices, and I thank you immensely for being here.

Basics, Rules & Such, For Publishing on GftT:

📢 Some of the points categorized below as material we will not publish are taken directly from, or are based off of Medium’s own rules for user content.

• GftT values diverse voices from the trans community, but we will not publish stories which are inherently transphobic, that promote intolerance within the LGBTQ community, or promote violence or hatred against people based on protected characteristics like race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, disease, age, sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity.
• We will not publish material that includes the use of debunked myths, scientific, or pseudoscientific claims that are used for the purpose of demeaning the trans community, or otherwise pathologizing, dehumanizing, or disempowering the trans community or LGBTQ community in general.
• We will not publish conspiracy theories which have an associated history of harassing, hateful, or violent incidents among its adherents OR theories which may foreseeably incite or cause harassment, physical harm, or reputational harm.
• No calls to action. Calls to action include things like soliciting “likes” or “claps,” embedding gifs or emojis of clapping hands, requests for follows or donations, or other links or embeds for the purpose of capturing user information or soliciting money. This is not a GftT policy; this is a Medium policy for members-only posts (meaning: stories that are curated/behind the paywall).
  Stories in violation of this rule are not considered for curation by Medium’s curation team.
  **Exception: Sometime in spring 2020, GftT will begin including our publication logo with a link back to our Medium home page at the bottom of some of the stories published on GftT. (This is allowed by Medium, and your story can still be curated — if selected for curation by Medium’s team.)
• 📢 Sometime in late May/June, GftT will begin including a sign-up box for our newsletter, “Spill the T,” at the bottom of every story published on GftT.
• No embeds to your other writing at the bottom of stories. (This is considered a call to action). Additionally, this space is held for the GftT logo, and all stories on GftT need to appear similar in form & flow. We streamline as much as possible to make the reader’s experience consistent, easy to read and enjoyable.
• Hyperlinks to your other stories on Medium are allowed within the body or your work, as long as it’s relevant to the story and you’re not just adding links to drive traffic. In fact, hyperlinks are always a good idea when referencing facts and statistics, public figures, or material that readers may not be familiar with, and hyperlinks (or footnotes) are required if you’re using any words or ideas that aren’t your own; always credit and link back to (or footnote) the original source to avoid plagiarism.
• Products or service promotions are not permitted. Medium is ad free, and so is Gender from the Trenches.
• If you make your story eligible for curator review and distribution behind Medium’s paywall, then you must follow Medium’s Curation Guidelines (and yes, you can still be curated even if you’ve published your piece in a publication!)

Medium's Curation Guidelines: everything writers need to know

• Photos that do not have proper attribution will not be used, and may be substituted with free images selected by yours truly. (Refer to the first bullet point a few paragraphs above, in the “how to” section).

On Payment:

It is totally up to you whether you choose to earn money for your stories or not. Some people writing for GftT do, some do not. We have a variety of both. If you choose to be a member of the Medium Partner Program so you can earn money for your stories, you’ll be responsible for providing your own individual tax ID number and so on. Everything you need to know about Medium’s paywall & partner program is here, and also here. Please read those links before proceeding to publish, especially if you’re new to Medium.

And please, please, please — if you do not intend to put your writing behind Medium’s paywall and earn money, then before you hit the “publish now” button (or “send draft to…”), you MUST “uncheck” the box that reads Make my story eligible to earn money and allow curators to recommend my story to interested readers…

Questions:

The fastest way to get an answer to (probably most of) your questions is to visit the Medium help center, here. Of course, you can always email me with questions; it’ll just take longer to get your answer.

Writing Tips & Tricks

Refer back to these guidelines to improve the success of your articles.

Proper Formatting of Your Title & Subtitle

Your title is important. People decide whether or not to read your story based on the title alone. A well-written subtitle is also super helpful. It should further clarify your title. Your title should be interesting, but not ambiguous; readers decide in less than a second whether they’re going to click on your story or not, so the title should be a clear premise of what lies ahead in the story.

All titles should be in title format (most words capitalized, usually no punctuation), and subtitles should be in sentence format (only the first word capitalized, just like in a sentence, unless the subtitle includes proper nouns).

For one example, see one of mine here.

Better yet, take in this insightful 3-minute read from the Medium Writer’s team:

How to Write a Headline

Tagging Your Work

Adding relevant tags to your post helps readers discover your work. All pieces on GftT should be tagged with LGBTQ (or LGBTQIA), and Transgender. You can (and should) add up to five tags per post. If you don’t add any, I will.

Other relevant tags for (most of) the writing on GftT include the following: Gender, Gender Identity, Culture, Equality, Family, Parenting, Self, Relationships, Self Improvement, Mental Health, Social Media, Creativity, Life Lessons, Society, Feminism, Masculinity, Nonbinary, Queer, Pronouns, Identity, Social Justice, This Happened To Me, Short Story, Poetry, Life, Personal Development, etc.

Storytelling & Good Writing

• Write like you speak, for the most part. (But avoid spelling & grammar errors.)
• Keep the tense consistent throughout your piece. If you’re writing in past tense, don’t switch it up to present tense in another place.
• Make your work easy to read, and easy to understand. This will help you connect with your audience. Avoid superfluous stuff. (I had a college professor who always said, “Why use a word like ‘utilize’ when the word ‘use’ works just fine?” People tend to use words like ‘utilize’ to try and sound more elegant, formal, serious, or educated. Rule of thumb: refer back to my professor’s advice, unless you have a really juicy word that just fits better.)
• When using acronyms, spell them out for the first instance. Not everyone knows them all.
• Edit, edit, edit. Then, edit some more. Ask a friend for feedback. Always be willing to accept constructive criticism. The main reasons why your writing might get rejected, whether in this publication or any others, is due to one or more of the following: subpar writing, bad grammar, lots of mistakes, incorrect punctuation, spelling errors, lack of direction (wanders/veers off-topic too much), and/or lack of clarity. I’ve found it helps to read my work aloud as part of the overall editing process. If the words don’t roll off your tongue, they won’t be easy to read for someone else.
• Whenever citing another work, someone else’s quote, or other material, ALWAYS hyperlink to the original source, and when possible, reference the author’s name.

Finally:

GftT reserves the right to pass on any submission which doesn’t meet submission criteria. And, just to reiterate, as sole editor of GftT, I reserve the right to make simple edits for you — typically just for form and flow, and for the sake of time — without compromising the integrity of the piece. By becoming a contributing writer for GftT, you are acknowledging that you agree to work within this structure.

*Updating to tag all our current writers: Martie Sirois, Dr. Misty M. Ginicola, Bridget Sampson, Alessa Catterall, LAURA-ANN MARIE CHARLOT, Zanne Nilsson, Mx. Marie Chase Lewis (She/They), WeeziSbaby, Ryan Theodosia, Jennifer Eash, Branwen Rhiannon Drew, Kira Wertz, Andy Waller, Constance Rosenthal, Soon to be deleted, Michelle D., Val Willham, Ethan Tibbets, Danny Jackson H., Emma Holiday, Cassius Corbin, Kathryn Foss, Naomi Kurz, Cassie Brighter, Som Paris, Allison Holt, AJ Clauss, Jas Martinez, Drew Lor, Alix Caprari, Isabel Goldman, W.E. Massoud, Kaig Lightner, Mostafa Mahdy, Fiona Leigh, Shayla D. Potter, Daphne Goodlake, Elliot Ames, Zada Kent, Joanna Mills, Jane mcqueen, Mick Tilio, Sylvia Howard, Melina List, Robin Kyrie, MaryRose Denton, Cassie LaBelle, Chaidie Petris, Imani Roberts, theoaknotes, Foster Rudy, Claire Michelle Music, Jazelle Garzeski, Nia Chiaramonte, Kat Quinn Porco, Jada Mikel, Rozemarijn van Kampen, Riley Black, Max Micallef, Sher Ali, The Transgender Therapist, Hazel Grant, Justin Dickens, Oliver, Stella Luna, Stephanie Florczyk, Hannah Hottenstein, KP_the_writer, Robin Knauerhase, Leah Blooms, Dan Thomas, Christine Morgan, Jacob Flanders, Takoda Patterson, Starr Gonzalez, Alexander Petrovnia, Johannes T. Evans, M. Kerlan, Gil Bahat, Sivvy, Mila Bea, Amber L.B., Megan Holstein, *Lobsterbird* Sophia Remolde, Nova Grace, Jenny Starr, aspen kobie

GftT writers: please check back often for updates to this page.

Read more on GftT