In 2001 Trans Media Watch with the support
of the community (including transgenderzone.com) approached broadcasters in
the UK to demand better reperesntation of transgender people in the media.
At the time of writing this on Channel 4 had actually signed this document.
MOU
Introduction
Trans Media
Watch and its partners in the broadcast and print media recognise the need
for ongoing communication and co-operation in securing improved
representation of transgender people across all media outlets. We
acknowledge that fair treatment of transgender people and issues by and
within the media is essential to wider social equality.
Purpose
The purpose
of this document is to outline the shared aims of the signatories with
regard to the representation of transgender people in the media; to
establish a set of standards to be applied internally within signatory
organisations; and to establish standards for interaction between those
organisations and transgender members of the public, their families, friends
and colleagues. Signatories agree to give due weight to the aims herein
agreed when planning and developing media content.
Definitions
For the purposes of this document, the term transgender shall
apply to all gender variant persons, including but not exclusive to
transsexual people, cross-dressing people, and people who do not identify as
having either a male or a female gender. The term transsexual shall include
all persons who intend to undergo, are undergoing, or have undergone a
process of transition to live permanently in a gender role other than the
one assigned to them at birth; however, it should be noted that not all
persons who have undergone such a transition continue to personally identify
as transsexual. This process of transition may include hormonal treatment or
surgical procedures but shall not be considered to apply exclusively to
situations in which such procedures are involved.
Standards agreed with regard to transgender persons shall
also apply in circumstances where an individual is alleged to be transgender
but where no personal confirmation of this has been provided.
Further to this, the term transgender may apply to issues
relating to persons as described above, even where no specific individuals
are identified. It may also apply to issues concerning intersex persons
where those persons are, actually or potentially, on the receiving end of
transphobic prejudice or discrimination.
For the
purposes of this document, the terms transphobia and transphobic shall apply to any actions or expressions
which injure, threaten, humiliate or otherwise distress transgender persons
in direct relation to their (real or perceived) transgender status, where
these actions are motivated by prejudice or fail to show due diligence in
regard to the safety and well being of transgender persons. These terms may
also be applied to such acts where they target persons closely associated
with a transgender person because of the person's transgender status; for
instance when a celebrity is subjected to ridicule because that celebrity is
in a relationship with a transgender person.
Agreement
Signatories to this document hereby agree to work toward the
following aims:
•
Eliminating transphobia in
the media.
•
Ending the provision of
misinformation about transgender issues in the media.
•
Increasing positive,
well-informed representations of transgender people in the media.
•
Ensuring that transgender
people working in or with the media are treated with the same respect as
non-transgender people in equivalent positions.
Signatories
further agree to undertake an annual process of review resulting in an
annual report on their progress in respect of these aims.
No part of this agreement
shall supercede or override any statutory obligation that any signatory may
have in respect of regulatory bodies.
Eliminating Transphobia in the Media
Trans Media Watch's research suggests that transphobic media
content can directly affect how transgender people are treated in real life.
Signatories to this document aim to practice and support the following:
•
Avoid the use of language
which is widely considered to be offensive to transgender people.
•
Avoid gratuitous
descriptions, comments and references that subject transgender people to
ridicule.
•
Avoid sensationalist
reference to transgender persons or issues, especially where their gender
history has no direct bearing on the subject of a media item.
•
Avoid references to the
medical histories of transgender persons except where they are directly
relevant to the subject of a media item.
•
Avoid using pronouns and
gendered descriptors that conflict with the personal identities of
individual transgender people.
•
In accordance with the
Gender Recognition Act, avoid revealing the previous names of transsexual
persons except where explicit permission is given to do so.
Ending the Provision of Misinformation about Transgender
People in the Media
Because transgender people are a minority group and many
members of the public are not aware of knowing any transgender people
personally, they are particularly vulnerable to misrepresentation.
Accordingly, the signatories to this document aim to practice
and support the following:
•
Ensure that any statistics
in relation to transgender people come from reputable, contemporary sources.
•
Ensure that statistics and
theories referenced in relation to transgender people are up to date, except
where they are clearly placed in a historical context.
•
Consult with transgender
people themselves when developing major pieces of work that analyse or
reflect on the transgender experience.
•
Ensure that staff have
adequate training in relation to transgender issues, especially where those
staff are dealing with news content on short deadlines.
•
Ensure that content bought
in from other companies, individuals and agencies is consistent with these
standards.
Increasing Positive, WellInformed Representations of
Transgender People in the Media
Conservative estimates of the size of the transgender
population in the UK put it at about 1% to 2% of the general population.
Although transgender people frequently appear in the media as stigmatised
stereotypes, such as sex workers, there are disproportionately few
portrayals of ordinary transgender people getting on with their lives.
Similarly, whilst it is not uncommon to see items focusing on the tragic
struggles and losses faced by some transgender people, there is a
disproportionate shortage of positive items reflecting happy and successful
transgender lives.
The signatories to this document aim to practice and support
the following:
•
Plan and develop media
items that represent transgender people in a positive manner.
•
Increase visibility of
transgender people and transgender issues in wider contexts.
•
Provide positive role
models for young transgender people.
Ensuring
that Transgender People Working in or with the Media are Treated with the
Same Respect as NonTransgender People in Equivalent Positions
Improving the treatment of transgender people in the media
starts with developing positive and open environments for transgender people
within media organisations themselves. It also means that transgender
individuals working with those organisations should be assured of
respectful, fair treatment.
With this in mind, the signatories to this document agree to
practice and support the following:
•
Provide adequate training
to employees to prevent transphobic harassment in the workplace.
•
Ensure the presence of
adequate channels through which staff experiencing transphobic harassment in
the workplace may seek assistance.
•
Refrain from placing undue
pressure on transgender members of the public, their families, friends and
colleagues, to talk about their transgender histories.
Citation: Trans Media
Watch 2011.