Respecting Prefered Gender Pronouns in Journalism

Writing is a string of choices. As journalists, every quote, fact and bit of information that we weave together requires a conscious decision to do so. This inclusionary process shapes Free Press articles into their final product. In our March 2014 issue, two articles — “Battle of the Bathrooms” and “Facebook Expands Gender Options” — have made the decision to abide by our source’s prefered gender pronouns (PGPs), most notably the they/them identifiers. Yet, it was brought to our attention that this choice is not supported by any style guide or grammatical rule.

While GLAAD, a media monitoring organization that promotes LGBT stories which foster support and equality, has issued a reference guide for pronoun usage in its “Transgender Glossary of Terms,” suggesting to use one’s PGPs at all times — there is no Associated Press standard for referring to individuals who wish to use pronouns outside of the he/his and she/hers binary.

In the two articles mentioned above, the Free Press uses the prefered gender pronouns (they/them) of the cited sources. We believe that it is an ethical imperative to respect one’s identity and gender expression, despite the grammatical and political implications. We will also make it a common practice to ask for the PGPs of individuals while conducting interviews.

When there are no specific rules or guides to support these decisions, we are called to pause and reflect on the implications of our journalistic work. By being transparent about this decision, we at the Free Press hope that our publication matches the progressive spirit of our university.