Ethical Reporting in a Time of Rising Anti-Trans Attacks – A Guide for Journalists on Accuracy, Safety, and Responsible Coverage
Introduction
Transgender rights are under attack globally, with increasing criminalization, violence, and political scapegoating targeting trans communities. Reporting on transgender individuals and issues requires more than neutrality—it demands accuracy, responsibility, and a commitment to ethical journalism.
Misinformation and bias in reporting can fuel stigma and discrimination, contributing to real-world harm. In some countries, transgender people face legal repercussions up to and including the death penalty, and in many others, they are disproportionately targeted for hate crimes, harassment, and state violence. Journalists must take extra precautions to protect sources, especially those in vulnerable or criminalized regions.
This guide outlines best practices to ensure fair, respectful, and fact-based coverage of transgender people and the issues affecting them.
Checklist for Reporting on Transgender People and Issues
Respecting Identities
Use Correct Names and Pronouns: Always ask for and use the individual's chosen name and pronouns. Misgendering a source is not only disrespectful but can expose them to harm if they are outed.
Avoid Deadnaming: Refrain from using a transgender person’s birth name (or "dead name") without explicit permission, even if it appears in police reports, government records, or legal documents. Deadnaming is frequently weaponized to undermine trans identities and can escalate threats against the individual.
Include Transgender Voices: No story about transgender issues is complete without input from trans people themselves. When reporting on policies or violence affecting transgender communities, ensure transgender individuals, advocates, and experts are quoted alongside lawmakers or opponents.
Ensuring Accuracy and Context
Seek Expertise Over Opinion: Gender identity is not a debate. Reporting on trans rights should be grounded in medical, psychological, and legal expertise rather than personal opinions or political rhetoric.
Challenge Unsubstantiated Claims: Trans communities face relentless misinformation campaigns. If a source makes a claim about transgender people or healthcare, demand evidence and include fact-checks in the report.
Research Affiliations of Sources: Many individuals and groups opposing transgender rights have ties to far-right organizations, religious fundamentalist movements, and extremist lobbying groups. Providing historical and financial context about these sources is essential for truthful reporting.
Highlight the Medical Consensus: Every major medical association worldwide, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and World Health Organization, supports gender-affirming care as safe, necessary, and life-saving. Make this clear when reporting on healthcare access.
Avoid False Equivalence: Presenting fringe, debunked theories as “equal” to expert consensus is journalistic malpractice. Do not balance science-backed research on gender identity with unfounded conspiracy theories.
Report on the Human Cost of Anti-Trans Policies: Transgender people are directly impacted by laws targeting their rights. Cover not only legislative developments but also the lived experiences of those affected, including increased rates of mental health struggles, homelessness, and forced displacement due to hostile environments.
Further Reading: Trevor Project – 2024 LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health Report
Safety and Security Considerations
Transgender people face extreme levels of violence and criminalization in many parts of the world. Reckless reporting can put lives at risk.
Confirm Identification Preferences: Before publishing, confirm how the source wants to be identified. Some individuals may use a pseudonym, first name only, or request anonymity to protect their safety.
Protect Privacy: Publicizing a trans person's location, legal name, or physical appearance can expose them to harassment, arrest, or violence. Be mindful when filming, photographing, or describing environments.
Consider the Global Legal Landscape: In some countries, being transgender is illegal. Outing a transgender person in these places can lead to criminal prosecution, imprisonment, or even execution. In others, transgender people face violent vigilante attacks, honor killings, and state repression. Journalists must act responsibly to prevent harm.
Be Cautious with Minors: Transgender youth are particularly vulnerable, and guardians—whether willingly or unwillingly, through conscious or unconscious bias—may put them at risk. Always ensure parental or guardian consent is obtained before including identifiable information about minors, but remain mindful that consent does not always equate to safety. Avoid outing youth in unsafe situations.
Further Reading: Human Rights Watch – Human Rights Violations against Transgender Communities in the United States (pdf)
Informed Consent
Clarify Intentions: Provide clear, upfront information about the outlet, audience, and publication timeline before proceeding with interviews.
Respect Boundaries: Ask interviewees what aspects of their transition, personal history, or experiences are off-limits and respect those requests.
Differentiate On and Off Record: Some individuals may share sensitive details off the record. Always confirm what can and cannot be published before finalizing the report.
Further Reading: Trans Journalist Association – Media Guidelines
Avoiding Common Mistakes in Coverage
Misinformation & Sensationalism
Do not frame trans existence as a "debate." Trans people exist. Their rights are human rights. Treating their basic dignity as an ideological question reinforces anti-trans narratives.
Avoid focusing solely on medical transition. Not all trans people medically transition, and transition is not limited to hormones or surgeries. Reducing trans stories to medical procedures ignores broader lived experiences.
Use accurate language. Avoid terms like "biological male" or "biological female"—these are inaccurate and non-medical. Instead, use terms like trans woman, trans man, nonbinary, transfeminine, or transmasculine as appropriate. When in doubt, ask the trans person relevant to the article how they would like to be described. Additionally, avoid political claims, slurs, or language that reinforces harmful stereotypes about trans people. Use respectful, accurate, and identity-affirming terminology.
Do not glorify "detransition" stories. Detransition is rare and most often the result of social rejection, family pressure, or lack of medical access, not regret. Framing detransition as a widespread phenomenon misrepresents reality.
Further Reading: GLAAD – Fact Sheet: Misleading Narratives About Transgender People and Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Other Single-Sex Spaces
Final Thoughts
Transgender people are facing one of the most coordinated political and social attacks in modern history. Laws are being weaponized to erase, criminalize, and endanger trans lives. The role of journalists is not just to report what is happening, but to report responsibly.
- Be accurate
- Be compassionate
- Be aware of the consequences
Journalists hold tremendous power in shaping how trans people are perceived, treated, and protected—or abandoned. Use that power responsibly.