Saying that this topic is incredibly personal to me would be an understatement. Around the same time as the possibility of pursuing a Communication degree in college really cemented itself into my life, another important thing happened: I realized that the feelings around my gender are incredibly valid and that I was nonbinary. Finding a place for myself in the world of news and informative media remains incredibly important both to me and to the entire queer community at large, whatever their identities are.
However, it’s especially key to the nonbinary community (as well as the trans+ community at large, who intersect with the nonbinary community in many ways) that journalism’s coverage of them, their coming outs, and their experiences are accurate and respectful.
Most importantly, the community wants to see our pronouns respected and used– the bare minimum, arguably –and for some news sources, there is room to learn and grow from others. Using guidance from past examples and advice from trans+ and nonbinary journalists, print news will hold the checklist needed to properly utilize, respect, and uplift nonbinary people in news.
Let’s start with the topic at hand. They has always been a singular pronoun. With the earliest examples going back to the 14th century, the use of they operated in cases of “of how to refer to an individual human subject or object with a pronoun if the gender identity of that human
individual is unknown or irrelevant” (Matsubara). It wasn’t until a few centuries later that a group of scholars found that when they made their own rules around grammar, especially rules around pronouns, that they/them ended up breaking those rules, and thus ended up on the chopping block very quickly. Still, many creative writers maintained their use of they/them pronouns, in contrast to the journalism world following the rules of the prominent class.
It remained strict as such until the past decade, after enough calls for inclusivity from the trans+ and nonbinary community led to organizations like APA and MLA to make the change to all rulebooks, and fostering important change in many other places in the literary world.
This then begs the question: what has the AP stylebook done?
The foundational text of print journalism, the Associated Press (or AP) Stylebook contains all the rules for how, when, and why you use certain words and phrases in one’s new stories. The book’s word is law in the journalism world, and so when there was an update announced in 2017 concerning the use of they/them pronouns in journalism, the whole world heard, “They/them/their is acceptable in limited cases as a singular and-or gender-neutral pronoun, when alternative wording is overly awkward or clumsy”. This act was pretty big both then and now, seemingly cementing the existence of singular they/them pronouns into journalism forever. However, not all was set in stone, and worse, the AP quickly included the exception: a
claim that if rewording was possible, they should do so. The simple second sentence has led to the many troubles of reporting on nonbinary people moving forward.
So where do we see this rule both in– and unfortunately, out –of practice in media? Unless the story is distinctly about queer and/or nonbinary experiences, stories or events, a broader audience will most likely see nonbinary people in one major way: celebrities, especially when they come out. In April 2022, artist Janelle Monáe was a guest on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk, and told the public, “I’m non-binary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely” (Daw). They then followed by confirming that they used they/she pronouns.
Even from a simple Google search, the resulting coverage of Monáe’s coming outing can seemingly only be described as wishy-washy. Billboard Magazine – the article I quoted above
– don’t hesitate to utilize Monáe’s updated pronouns, and do so with respect and a brief yet clear explanation of their coming out journey to that point. Other magazines like Rolling Stone and People often fall short, using primarily she/her pronouns, with little to no use of they/them despite the entire article being about Monáe’s coming out. Even worse is the LA Times’ coverage, made very prominent with a headline like “Janelle Monáe is nonbinary – with rather unique pronouns” (a title which makes me uncomfortable just reading it). True, the headlinecame from a political and creative statement by Monáe that ended up taken literally, leaving the entire coming out seemingly written like it was a joke, rather than something deeply meaningful.
After their unjustifiable misstep in 2017, the Associated Press made a new update nearly a year ago, in May 2022, stating that they/them pronouns must be used in all cases where such “accurately [describes] and [represents] a person who uses those pronouns for themself” (Pappas).
Thus, with Monáe’s coming out being a month before this change, can we see any differences in coverage post-update? Emma D’Arcy, known for her role as Rhaenyra Targaryen, came out as nonbinary unceremoniously during a press tour, and more importantly when they were nominated for a Best Actress Emmy earlier this year despite being openly nonbinary. During the journalistic coverage of the Emmys, D’Arcy commented that the nomination felt ironic; “When I was starting out, I really felt that I had to present as a woman in order to find success,” They stated, “I stopped pretending. And weirdly at that point, I got nominated for Best Actress for the Golden Globes”.
In this Pink News coverage – and it is important to point out that Pink News is a queer community-focused and run news organization –D’arcy’s pronouns are simply treated as fact. In comparison, NBC News Today Show presents the facts on a side note: “They’re already giving a performance worthy of a dragon’s roar. (D’Arcy is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns)”. Simply put, the simple act of inclusion by the Associated Press remains a perfect
first step, a foundation of sorts; however, we need broader rules for journalists to follow to ensure that the good examples I listed become the norm.
Firstly, I believe it’s important to note that the need for full representation of any community isn’t a new idea for journalists. In the Society of Print Journalists’ Code of Ethics, journalists are to “take responsibility for the accuracy of their work” and “boldly tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience” (“SPJ”). From the start, journalists have the responsibility to be respectful and supportive in their telling of nonbinary peoples’ stories, and that includes respecting their coming outs, their pronouns, and more.
Even further than this foundation already in existence, there’s even more guidance that the queer community itself has provided journalists. The Trans Journalist Association has created its own Style Guide, focused on the discussion and inclusion of trans* and nonbinary people in journalism at large. TJA first points out a common act that NBC utilized in their coverage of D’Arcy’s nomination; “If we don’t emphasize cis people’s pronouns, we shouldn’t need to explain trans people’s pronouns … the media has been reporting regularly on singular they/them pronouns in relation to trans people for at least a decade, and these pronouns are in the dictionary”. It is then noted that in cases where the individual uses less-common pronouns, like ze/hir, a side note would be deemed necessary. Furthermore, TJA notes that making a big deal out of the person’s gender identity may also be unnecessary for the same reason; “Unless
the source’s individual experience with gender is integral to understanding the story, there’s no need to even mention it … The public is aware that non-binary people exist, and this level of explanation is no longer necessary”.
Lastly, for the sake of this essay’s particular discussion, journalists are asked to always ask for the subject’s pronouns during interviews, in order to properly use them (and never assume them) in the story. At the same time, a subject should not be outed by said story, so journalists must confirm that they are using the name and/or pronouns that make the subject feel safest.
These steps and rules aren’t earth-shattering or new; they’re little, important, life-saving changes. This will both allow nonbinary people to have their voices uplifted and respected in the news, and also provide the young kids still figuring out their gender identity coverage to look at, ponder over, adore, read a hundred times, and most importantly, take to their loved ones and say, ‘they’re like me’. They’re like me.
- Making Pronouns Unsurprising – by Lake Best - April 6, 2024