The Radical Copyeditor’s Style Guide for Writing About Transgender People: Image Description

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Seven sentences that have been corrected, using red cross-outs and additions, in order to be more respectful of transgender people:

Sentence 1: Original sentence: Trump’s alleged ban on transgenders in the military is a political ploy. Corrected sentence: Trump’s alleged ban on transgender people in the military is a political ploy.

Sentence 2: Original sentence: Transgendered women and men are just as fit for services as normal people. Corrected sentence: Transgender people of all genders are just as fit for service as cisgender people.

Sentence 3: Original sentence: Private Sue McTrans was born Bill McTrans in Missouri in the mid-1980s. Corrected sentence: Private Sue McTrans was born in Missouri in the mid-1980s.

Sentence 4: Original sentence: As a young boy, he knew that he was really a girl. Corrected sentence: Despite being raised as a boy, she knew that she was really a girl.

Sentence 5: Original sentence: McTrans had a sex change at age 20 and enlisted two years later. Corrected sentence: McTrans transitioned at age 20 and enlisted two years later.

Sentence 6: Original sentence: The fact that she is biologically male shouldn’t matter. Corrected sentence: The fact that she was assigned male at birth shouldn’t matter.

Sentence 7: Original sentence: This discrimination against gender nonconforming people must be steadfastly opposed. Corrected sentence: This discrimination against trans and non-binary people must be steadfastly opposed.

At the bottom, it says: Writing about transgender people? Check out the radical copyeditor’s style guide for how to do it well.

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Note: Why does this page exist? Because folks who are blind and depend on screen readers can’t tell what’s in an image without a description, and an image like this one deserves a more thorough description than can be provided via alt text. You can learn more about web accessibility from WebAIM: Web Accessibility in Mind.