Transgender

“Always use a transgender person's chosen name. It is never appropriate to put quotation marks around either a transgender person's chosen name or the pronoun that reflects that person's gender identity.”

SumOfUs treats transgender as the preferred descriptor and emphasizes practical respect rules: use the person's chosen name, never put scare-quotes around it or their pronouns, and prefer present-day framing over retrospective gender narration. The guide's accepted-terms list pairs transgender (adj.) with transgender people and trans woman/trans man, and its avoided-terms list flags transgender (noun), transgendered (adj.), transgenders, and trans*.

“While some people can be born with intersex traits and also identify as transgender, the two are separate and should not be conflated.”

interACT's media guide names a specific precision rule: intersex and transgender are distinct categories even though individuals can hold both identities, and conflating the two in coverage erases both. The guide is intersex-focused but draws the boundary explicitly so journalists writing about either community treat them as separate concepts.

“transgender [not transgendered]”

SEIU's stylebook treats transgender as the standard form and explicitly rejects transgendered. The entry is brief — a one-line preferred/avoided pair consistent with SEIU's alphabetical reference-book format — and pairs with SEIU's LGBT acronym entry under L: lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT].

“Be careful not to out a source without their consent, and be conscious that some trans people may be out in certain areas of their lives and not others. … When writing about a trans person, don't describe them as 'identifying' with a specific gender. Just say 'is' instead.”

GCJT defines transgender as an umbrella term and pairs the definition with three trauma-informed practice rules: don't out a source, don't disclose deadnames without explicit consent, and don't use 'identifies as' framing — say 'is.' The entry defers to TJA's style guide for deeper terminology guidance.

“There are regional and cultural differences for using the terms 'trans' versus 'transgender.' It is always best to check with the person you are referring to before using either. The term 'transgendered' should be avoided.”

Sierra Club's rule centers self-identification: ask before defaulting to either 'trans' or 'transgender,' since the choice between them varies by region and culture. The guide explicitly avoids 'transgendered' and treats 'transsexual' as dated and potentially a slur unless used by the subject themselves. The accompanying guidance prefers 'cisgender' over 'non-trans' or 'non-transgender.'

“Refers to individuals whose gender identity and/or expression may not match their physical, sexual characteristics or sex assigned at birth. … Do not use transgendered. Offensive when used as a noun; use transgender people, transgender man or transgender woman.”

DSG treats transgender as an adjective only — never a noun — and operationalizes that with the constructions transgender people / transgender man / transgender woman. It directs writers to use the name and pronouns consistent with how the person lives publicly and to ask which term the source prefers. The guide accepts 'trans' as a shorthand adjective in tight spaces like headlines, points readers to NLGJA and GLAAD's deeper resources, and notes some intersex people and drag performers may also identify as transgender.

“An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation …”

HRC defines transgender as an umbrella term and draws the line between gender identity and sexual orientation explicitly: being transgender does not predict sexual orientation. The glossary's companion entry on transitioning (covering social, medical, and legal aspects) frames transition as something a transgender person 'may' undergo — not a requirement of the identity.

“A term describing a person's gender identity that does not necessarily match their assigned sex at birth. … 'Trans' is often considered more inclusive than transgender because it includes transgender, transsexual, transmasc, transfem, and those who simply use the word trans.”

RET frames transgender both as a specific identity and as an umbrella, and notes that 'trans' (without the suffix) has gained ground as the broader-inclusive option that also captures transsexual, transmasc, and transfem identities. The entry sources to PFLAG and treats transition as optional, not constitutive of the identity.

“In news coverage, identify people as transgender only when relevant to the subject matter and if they are widely known or describe themselves as such. Otherwise, refer to trans men as men and trans women as women.”

NLGJA's 2025 stylebook treats transgender as an adjective and operationalizes a strict relevance rule: identify a person as transgender in coverage only when it materially matters and they self-identify that way, and otherwise default to man/woman. The guide rejects transgendered, transgenderism, and transsexual as obsolete or offensive, and treats deadnaming and disclosing gender identity history without consent as ethical violations.

“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.”

TJA's definition is the tightest in the corpus: transgender is an adjective, abbreviated to trans, and is never a noun. The accompanying TJA guidance rejects 'identifies as' framing in favor of 'is,' treats deadnaming as a separate enforceable rule, and centers self-identification as paramount — coverage should reflect the gender the source has stated, full stop.