These 12 Steps towards fair and accurate reporting of LGBTIQ+ people and issues emerged in the preparation of a (sadly unpublished ) MediaWise handbook back in 2018.
Like it or not journalists wield power, especially those who work in the mass media and may be the sole or dominant source of information for the general public.
Anyone who is unaware that someone they know might be lesbian, gay bisexual, trans, or intersex may well form their opinion of such people based entirely upon what they have read in the press, seen or heard on radio of TV or picked up on social media. Perhaps more significantly, their impression may have been formed from the comments of others based on what they have read, seen or heard. If that information is inaccurate, unfair or downright prejudicial inevitably it can have negative consequences.
Social media allows false information to go viral long before it can be corrected. This makes it all the more imperative that LGBTIQ+ people, like other minority groups, should be fairly and accurately represented in the news media.
These guidelines are designed to help guide journalists through what can sometimes seem a minefield when it comes to reporting on LGBTIQ+ stories and people. The guidelines are not set in stone. As in so many areas of life, terminology and appropriate language is constantly changing.
MediaWise consulted many LGBTIQ+ organisations when preparing this guide; journalists will find such groups only too willing to help keep them up to date – but remember they are as diverse as any other group of people so opinions may vary. We each have to take responsibility for the choices we make.
1. Is a person’s sexual identity relevant? Stories about LGBTIQ+ people often appear to make ‘news’ simply because of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. While this may be relevant in some instances – for example if have been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity – very often it is not. Ask yourself, would this be a story if it were about someone who was ‘straight’? And if it were, would you mention that the protagonist was ‘straight’ or ‘non-transgender’?
2. Always ask In this area, as well as many others, it is always a good idea to ask the people you are reporting about how they prefer to be known in terms of gender identity or sexual orientation.
3. Avoid stereotyping There is nothing wrong with being a camp gay man or a butch lesbian, but not all LGBT people fit into such narrow stereotypes, even if they seem harmless. And some people can be ‘camp’ or ‘butch’ and heterosexual. Too often the use of such stereotypes masks ignorance or deep-seated prejudices. Journalists working in news media are expected to leave their prejudices at the door.
4. Don’t myth-make The media has help to perpetuate many misconceptions about LGBTIQ+ people. In their pursuit of the truth, journalists should be challenging them. Remember:
- Being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender is neither the same as, nor linked to, a tendency towards paedophilia or child abuse.
- Gay men are no more likely than straight men to be predatory or promiscuous.
- Bisexuals do not have trouble making up their minds.
- Try not to confuse gender with sexual orientation. Trans people may be straight, lesbian, gay or bisexual.
- Most trans people lead completely normal lives; they are not ‘tragic’, sexually flamboyant or unable to have a stable relationship or family.
- Trans people do not have a mental illness.
5. Be careful with language Often unnecessary offence can be caused quite unintentionally by unfortunate use of of language. Being LGBTIQ+ is not a shameful secret – some people choose not to publicly acknowledge their gender identity or sexual orientation, others are proud to.
- Avoid using terms like ‘admitted’ or ‘confessed’ when talking about someone ‘coming out’.
- Using terms like ‘fooling’, ‘masquerading’, ‘posing’, or ‘pretending’, etc, about trans people perpetuates an association with deception; understandably this is considered insulting.
- Phrases like ‘bizarre set up’ and ‘weird marriage’, ‘unnatural’ are equally hurtful, damaging and unfair.
6. Is it funny, really? LGBTIQ+ people have as broad, and narrow, a sense of humour as the rest of the population, but they are wary of the general atmosphere of non-acceptance which can flow from even ‘low-level’ homophobic or transphobic jokes and jibes. What may seem ‘harmless’ to those who do not face prejudice can add to a general feeling of non-acceptance of LGBTIQ+ people. Being treated as ‘other’ – not truly a part of society – can be extremely harmful.
7. Respect personal identity When writing about trans people, use the pronoun they would prefer you to use, and use each individual’s chosen name. Too often stories have used pronouns and descriptions which conflict with someone’s gender identity. For example, referring to a trans woman as ‘he’, or describing her as ‘butch’. This can be extremely traumatic for the person being written or broadcast about.
8. Respect privacy Everyone’s medical history is confidential unless the person agrees to make it public. This is as true for trans or intersex people as it is for everyone else. Medical or surgical details should only be referenced when directly relevant, and with the explicit permission of the person concerned.
9. Be accurate When writing about intersex people remember that intersexuality is not the same as transgender or bisexuality. This is a complex area and it’s important to do your research.
10. Acknowledge the existence of LGBTIQ+ people None of these guidelines are designed to ignore the diversity that exists among all humans in terms of gender identity or sexual orientation. Nonetheless it is important that the different and difficult experiences LGBTIQ+ people face in their daily lives are written about. Like other members of society they lead interesting, humdrum, and sometimes newsworthy lives, but they may also suffer discrimination in the workplace and in public places – including violence against the person, and should be afforded the same respect as any other member of society.
11. ‘Coming out’ may be news It may still be newsworthy when an LGBTIQ+ person in the public eye decides to ‘come out’, despite rapidly changing social attitudes. As far back as 2013 many asked why the sexuality of popular Olympic diver Tom Daley was anyone else’s business. However, if someone is forced otherwise to lie about their private life, it is perfectly reasonable and relevant for them to set the record straight. If a straight person in the public eye mentions a partner of the opposite sex in an interview, no-one questions why they need to reveal their heterosexuality.
12. Don’t be scared Journalists should not shrink from asking questions – that is their job. No-one is obliged to answer their questions, but don’t ask and you stand no chance of finding an answer. You will soon learn if you are ‘over-stepping the mark’. If you are are straight and puzzled about any aspect of being LGBTIQ+, talk to work colleagues or friends who are not – and vice versa. Genuine curiosity is the hallmark of good journalism; identifying people who have supplied information in confidence is not. Before you publish, check your facts so that you feel comfortable in your own skin about your output.
