Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Gender identity

This is an explanatory essay about Wikipedia:Manual of Style.

This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community.

Shortcuts

This is a collection of information on Wikipedia's gender identity guidelines, including a table of community discussions and certain best practices for further discussion.

Current guideline

Best practices

Former name –
- Before including a transgender subject's former name inline, consider including it as a footnote instead. In the article about The Matrix the writers/directors are credited as the Wachowskis with a footnote adding that they were originally credited as The Wachowski Brothers.
- If a transgender subject's former or legal name is not well known or widely reported, don't include it, even if it appears in a few reliable sources.
Photo – Avoid using an out-of-date, pre-coming-out photo of a transgender subject as a lead image. If no other photos are available, it is generally better to have no lead image at all. In general, avoid using pre-coming-out photos unless the subject's pre-transition appearance is especially well-known and notable. The article about Laverne Cox, for example, is better without any pre-coming-out photos since the way she looked pre-transition is not well known. Conversely, the Caitlyn Jenner article does contain photos from before her transition because she was a well known Olympic athlete, so her appearance at the time is relevant to the article, though none are in the lead section.
Pronouns –
- If consensus cannot be reached over which pronouns to use for a subject, rewriting to avoid pronouns altogether may be considered. Writing without using pronouns requires extra time and care to ensure the text reads smoothly and to avoid awkwardness or confusion. See the link for examples.
- Some editors favor the use of singular they in cases where gender identity is in question and no pronoun preference has been declared by the biographical subject. Other editors do not. They/them pronouns are always acceptable in article space for subjects who have stated that they prefer them. Use of singular they may be more difficult for readers whose first language is not English, especially in articles where more than one person is mentioned.
Use vs. mention – When choosing how to refer to a transgender subject, consider the use–mention distinction.^[jargon] Before using a transgender person's former or legal name, consider only mentioning it instead. And before mentioning it, consider not including it at all.

Essays

Discussion timeline

Shortcut

WP:MOSGENCHRON

A central table of community discussions on gender identity from throughout Wikipedia. For anyone interested in discussing or changing our gender identity guidelines, it's helpful to become familiar with prior discussions on the topic. The Sitewide forum column indicates when a discussion was done via a sitewide-consensus forum. Either the forum's acronym is entered, or it is left blank when it is a local consensus.

Other style guides

The following are style guides and reference materials for writing about trans people created by other organizations. They provide useful guidance, explanations, and demonstrate best-practices. However they have not been thoroughly vetted by the Wikipedia community and their advice may not fully reflect community consensus.

The Radical Copyeditor's Style Guide for Writing About Transgender People
Media Reference Guide by GLAAD
Style Guide by the Trans Journalists Association
Stylebook on LGBTQ+ Terminology by NLGJA
Coverage Topical Guide (archive) from the AP Stylebook