Source
Trans Journalists Association
Trans Journalists Association Stylebook
Access posture
About
The Trans Journalists Association (TJA) is a professional association working to improve news coverage of trans communities, providing tools and resources for reporters and editors (including its Trans News Initiative, which tracks coverage of trans communities). Its Stylebook gives journalists guidance on accurate, respectful language for covering trans people.
In the commons it is a primary source for the Sexuality & Gender Identity chapter, especially trans terminology.
Access
Host posture is private-mirror-link-out: the stylebook is published openly on transjournalists.org (linked) and was live at the last check. Because TJA updates it on a rolling (roughly quarterly) basis, the archived copy is a point-in-time snapshot; the commons links out to the current version. Quotes are held within fair-use limits.
Publication details
Terms citing this source
- Agender Use
“A term that describes someone who falls under the trans umbrella and does not have a gender.”
— Glossary of Terms, "agender (adj.)" (updated 2023-08-25)
- Biological Sex Use with care
“The phrase biological sex is common in scientific writing as a synonym for birth sex, natal sex, or assigned sex at birth. Outside of medical literature, assigned sex at birth is preferable over biological sex if used in this way.”
— Glossary → biological sex (updated 2025-09-24)
- Cisgender Use
“A term coined by a biologist and used to describe someone whose gender is exclusively the one they were assigned at birth. Use this term rather than 'normal,' 'typical,' etc. when contrasting trans people with the broader non-trans population.”
— Politicized or Inaccurate Phrases → cisgender (adj.)
- Discrimination Use with care
“Gender-based discrimination is language used to describe discrimination under a law that broadly treats transgender identity, gender identity, or gender expression as protected categories. … When discussing discrimination and nondiscrimination law, be sure to clarify the language and definitions relevant to the jurisdiction in question.”
— Entry: discrimination, gender-based (n.)
- Female To Male Avoid
“Once common ways of describing a trans person based on their assigned sex at birth, these terms are generally seen as outdated now. Transfeminine and transmasculine are more modern equivalents.”
— Glossary entry: male-to-female (MtF), female-to-male (FtM) (adj.)
- Gender Binary Use with care
“A cultural and societal classification system that sorts everyone into a male/female binary based on sex assigned at birth and equates male sex with masculinity and female sex with femininity.”
— Glossary entry: gender binary (n.)
- Gender Affirming Care Use with care
“Health care that trans people seek out as part of their gender transition is, simply, a type of medical care. Longer phrases like gender-affirming care are acceptable, as they may provide needed specificity and are widely used by medical providers.”
— "Language around transgender health care" entry (updated 2025-04-22)
- Gender Identity Disorder Avoid
“This is an outdated term. *Gender identity disorder* used to be the official psychiatric diagnosis from the American Psychological Association for trans people seeking transgender medical care in the U.S. In 2012, it was changed to *gender dysphoria* …”
— Glossary entry, "gender identity disorder (n.)" (updated 2025-04-18)
- Gender Nonconforming Use with care
“Gender-nonconforming (often abbreviated as GNC) refers to gender presentations outside typical gendered expectations. Note that gender-nonconforming is not a synonym for nonbinary. Many cisgender people may choose not to conform to typical gender presentations without identifying as trans …”
— Glossary entry: gender-nonconforming (adj.)
- Gender Use with care
“A person's sex is a biological condition determined by primary and secondary sex characteristics, and may be male, female, or neither (see intersex). Sex is not synonymous with gender, which is a social and personal identity.”
— Glossary → "sex (n.)" (updated 2023-08-25)
- Genderqueer Use with care
“Similar to (though not synonymous with) nonbinary, genderqueer describes both a specific identity and a broad category of people who identify as neither men nor women.”
— Glossary entry: genderqueer (adj.)
- Grooming Use with care
“Accusations of grooming or being a groomer are accusations of child sexual abuse and should be treated with that level of seriousness. This is especially true if the only evidence given is the fact that a person is queer or trans…”
— Glossary entry, "groomer, grooming" (updated 2023-08-25)
- Intersex Use
“Intersex people can be any gender and may or may not consider themselves trans. Further, not all people with intersex traits publicly identify as intersex; do not apply this label to someone who does not use it themself. Do not use intersex as a noun.”
— Politicized or Inaccurate Phrases → intersex (adj.)
- Latine Use
“Terms used by some as gender-neutral alternatives to Latino or Latina. Some prefer *Latine* — or less commonly, *Latin@* — to *Latinx*. Defer to an individual's use and do not apply it to those who do not self-describe with it.”
— Glossary entry: Latinx, Latine (adj.) — anchor #def-latinx
- Latinx Use with care
“Terms used by some as gender-neutral alternatives to Latino or Latina. Some prefer *Latine* — or less commonly, *Latin@* — to *Latinx*. Defer to an individual's use and do not apply it to those who do not self-describe with it.”
— Glossary entry: Latinx, Latine (adj.) — anchor #def-latinx
- Nonbinary Use
“An umbrella term for genders other than man and woman… While nonbinary people are generally not considered cisgender, not everyone who is nonbinary considers themselves trans. Do not automatically identify a nonbinary person as trans unless they describe themself that way; identify them simply as nonbinary…”
— Politicized or Inaccurate Phrases → nonbinary (adj.)
- Pronouns Use
“When interviewing a trans source, ask what pronouns they want published. Some sources may request that you use different pronouns for publication than in person. … Avoid the phrase preferred pronouns. Someone's pronouns are not a preference, but rather the only appropriate way to refer to that person.”
— Pronouns → pronoun basics, preferred pronouns
- Refugees Use with care
“When writing about asylum seekers who are transgender or otherwise gender-expansive, make sure to ask about gendered language (whether pronouns or titles, etc.) as well as what term they use to describe themselves…”
— Reporting on asylum seekers or refugees
- Sex Change Avoid
“Outdated terms for gender-related surgery (typically genital surgery). *Sex change* is widely considered offensive and should not be used outside of direct quotes. … Refer instead to *transgender medical care* or more specific terms as needed.”
— "sex change, sex reassignment (n.)" entry (updated 2025-04-18)
- Trans Woman Use
“A woman who is trans. Trans woman is two words, with trans simply modifying the broader category of woman. The one-word compound transwoman is outdated but has recently been adopted by some anti-trans political groups; do not use it in news copy.”
— "trans woman (n.)" entry
- Transgender Use
“Someone whose gender is not exclusively the one they were assigned at birth. Used as an adjective, it is a neutral descriptive term, often abbreviated to trans. Do not use transgender as a noun.”
— Politicized or Inaccurate Phrases → transgender (adj.)
- Transgendered Avoid
“This is outdated and is now widely considered offensive. Do not use it in news copy. Refer instead to transgender identity, transness or simply being transgender.”
— Glossary entry: transgendered
- Transition Use
“The social, legal, and/or medical process of aligning one's life with one's gender… People may transition in a few of these ways, all of these ways, or none of these ways.”
— Glossary entry: transition (n., v.)
- Transsexual Use with care
“Once the dominant word to describe someone who wants or seeks transgender medical care, this is now a more niche and intracommunity term. Some consider it outdated or offensive. It may be appropriate to include the word if quoting historical materials, or if someone self-describes in this manner.”
— Politicized or Inaccurate Phrases → transsexual (n., adj.)
- Transvestite Avoid
“A medical term coined in the early 1900s to describe patients who dressed as another gender. Now widely considered offensive. See crossdresser…”
— Style guide, "transvestite (n.)" entry (updated 2023-08-25)
- Two Spirit Use with care
“A term used by some trans and queer people that broadly encompasses Indigenous identity and spirituality, always capitalized. … When an Indigenous person uses this label for themself, ask how they define it and include appropriate context about their tribal or national identity.”
— Definitions → Two-Spirit (adj.)