Tips for framing trans and LGBTQ+ stories in 2024
Trans people and DEIB programs are in the crosshairs of state leaders, legislatures, policy makers, and school boards in 2024. Journalists must be prepared to responsibly report and share the impact of these efforts.
Here are a few of the many reporting tips shared by journalists covering these issues during a webinar produced by the National Press Club Journalism Institute with support from the Trans Journalists Association.
- Include multiple viewpoints in your reporting and stories; there are more than two sides of the story when it comes to covering trans and LGBTQ+ topics.
- If you are covering policy, such as health, sports, or other legislation, find out what instigated the legislation and who the lawmaker worked with to draft the bill. Who funded it? Include the many different voices of people who have been directly impacted by that legislative effort. Ask yourself: What question hasn’t been asked or what story the media is missing on the topic.
- To find voices for your stories, look to social media groups and organizations that support trans and LGBTQ+ individuals. If you are looking to interview people under the age of 18: Many news organizations will require you to get parental consent, so look for parental groups that support trans and LGBTQ+ kids.
- If you are reporting on parents who don’t support trans and LGBTQ+ kids, also include the voices of parents and kids that support them in your story. If you are reporting on people involved in sports who are opposed to trans athletes, make sure to include those cis voices who do support trans athletes.
- When you are sourcing trans and LGBTQ+ stories, explain your reporting process to help build trust. Give sources the room to not answer questions they aren’t comfortable with. Allow them to bring a parent, lawyer, or guardian to the interview, if it makes them comfortable. Let them know the risks of facing harassment for talking with you. (Teen Vogue and ESPN have at times, depending upon the situation, given sources a pseudonym or offered anonymity if the source’s safety might be at risk.)
Additional resources
- Trans Journalists Association / Trans Journalists Association’s stylebook and coverage guide for reporters
- The complexities and nuances of transgender coverage (Columbia Journalism Review)
- Essay: Anti-trans myths (Pulitzer Center)
- The anti-trans hate machine: A plot against equality (TransLash)
- Push to restrict LGBTQ+ rights hits a snag in state legislatures (Washington Post)
- Wisconsin’s transgender bill hearings were full of misinformation. Here are the facts. (Wisconsin Watch)
- Young transgender athletes caught in middle of states’ debates (ESPN)
About the speakers
Katie Barnes (they/them) covers the intersection of sports and gender. Their work has appeared across multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN.com, SportsCenter, Outside the Lines, and the ESPN Daily podcast. In addition to writing about athletes, Barnes covers legislation and policy affecting transgender athletes.
Gina Chua is the executive editor at the global news website Semafor. Before joining Semafor, she was executive editor at Reuters overseeing newsroom operations, logistics, budgets, safety and security. She also worked with technology teams to develop newsroom tools, among other responsibilities. Gina transitioned in late 2020, making her one of the most senior transgender journalists in the industry.
Lex McMenamin is the news and politics editor at Teen Vogue. They are also a freelance writer covering politics, identity, activist movements, and pop culture. They have been published by BBC, them, i-D, and elsewhere.
Phoebe Petrovic is an investigative reporter on a two-year fellowship with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. She previously covered disinformation and democracy at Wisconsin Watch and was a 2022-2023 Law & Justice Journalism Project fellow. As a Report for America Corps member from 2019 to 2022, Petrovic reported, produced, and hosted “Open and Shut,” a podcast series co-published with Wisconsin Public Radio examining the power of prosecutors.
About the National Press Club Journalism Institute
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