Monica Roberts has an important post over at Feministe that nails media outlets for using incorrect pronouns in their coverage of transgender people ... even when the AP Stylebook (the basic guide for journalists) makes it clear that trans people should be referred to with "the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly."
Roberts writes:
Maybe it’s time for the media to do what they did back in the day. When they realized they needed Black reporters to cover the Civil Rights Movement and other breaking news in the Black community where White reporters couldn’t go, they hired Black reporters to do so.
It’s time to hire transgender reporters to cover these issues.
Seems like it’s the one way we trans people can insure that we won’t face the recurrent pronoun problems. In addition, our issues and concerns will get the sensitive, respectful coverage they deserve.
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