3B
Wednesday, February 15, 2017 // The Statement 

BY ASHLEY TJHUNG, MANAGING MICHIGAN IN COLOR EDITOR

ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA STILLMAN

A

t Michigan in Color, we pride ourselves on 
being a section by and for people of color, 
dedicating ourselves to producing inclusive 

content from all marginalized identities. Recently, in 
collaboration with The Statement, we published an 
article with contributions from several student leaders 
on campus. In the process, we accidentally published 
a contributor’s assigned birth name instead of her 
current name, Vidhya Aravind.

Unfortunately, I, in my role as co-managing editor, 

made a mistake. In doing so, I caused undeniable harm 
to her individually, in addition to the trans community 
at large.

A person’s chosen name is an important part of their 

identity and self. In assuming that Vidhya would keep 
her last name (which she did not), I unfairly took away 
that power by overlooking the complexity of names, 
and ignoring her Indian cultural heritage.

It would be false to say that my privilege as a 

cisgender woman did not play a role in this. When 
transcribing Vidhya’s interview, I realized she had not 
provided her last name. It crossed my mind if I should 
ask what last name she wanted used, but in the chaos 
of production, I let myself to think “good enough.” I 
wrote the last name used in her uniqname rather than 
asking her, like I should have.

That was both damaging and dangerous. Cis people 

often use dead names or improper pronouns when 
speaking with or about trans folx, creating discomfort 
and sometimes harm to the person’s mental health. 
Furthermore, news outlets often use dead names 
or improper pronouns for trans folx. High-profile 
examples of this include reporters continuing to use 
Caitlyn Jenner’s assigned birth name, rather than the 
name she chose for herself.

The media has a prominent voice in the issue, and 

with power comes responsibility. Using the birth 

names of trans folx in such a public sphere not only 
causes damage to their person, but can also put them in 
danger. Having information like birth-names publicly 
disclosed puts trans folx at a greater risk of being 
publicly outed or harassed.

On a legal level, trans folx face high levels of 

institutional discrimination, particularly in their 
attempts to change their names. Even when courts 
approve of such changes, administrative processes to 
have their name present on all forms of legal documents 
are both difficult and burdensome.

Besides names, trans folx often have little legal 

protection when it comes to workplace discrimination, 
or are forced to use facilities of their gender assigned 
at birth, rather than the one they identify with. This 
includes anything from bathrooms to prison cells.

After my mistake, I sat down with Vidhya to discuss 

what needed to happen next. She explained her careful 
process in choosing her name — the cultural reason for 
claiming a new last name, and the ways she and those 
close to her have been processing and reacting to seeing 
her birth name in print. During this conversation, I 
realized how little I knew about the issues, or even the 
jargon surrounding trans folx.

When researching for this article, I became 

frustrated with the lack of coverage on trans issues. 
While organizations such as the Human Rights 
Campaign and GLAAD, formerly the Gay and Lesbian 
Alliance Against Discrimination, attempt to educate 
and advocate for LGBTQ issues, few of the major news 
networks extensively cover everyday discrimination 
trans 
folx 
face. 
Coverage 
of 
discriminatory 

bathroom laws is plentiful, but information on trans 
discrimination in the workplace or the lack of trans 
representation in television and film are only available 
on advocacy sites and blogs.

As a member of a news outlet, I recognize I am 

part of the larger issue of misrepresenting trans 
folx and the issues they face. Beyond the individual 
mistakes behind misusing pronouns or birth names, 
we also need to do a better job of covering trans issues. 
According to a 2013 study by the National Coalition of 
Anti-Violence Programs, 72 percent of hate homicides 
violence crimes were against trans women, yet I find 
coverage of such violence minimal.

The media claims to take a neutral stance when 

relaying news to the public. However, not educating 
ourselves on the ways privilege can manifest itself in 
our work can reinforce dominant narratives of silencing 
and erasure of the trans community. Privilege is the 
ability to ignore aspects of violence or discrimination 
against trans individuals.

Some might argue that making an effort to cover 

specific situations of marginalized communities is 
working on a slant, but, in my opinion, not making 
more of an effort to cover these injustices is also 
showing bias. These issues are important to everyone 
— not just the trans community — and are necessary to 
fully understand the society we live in.

We 
must 
be 
respectful 
of 
marginalized 

communities, vigilant in accurately representing 
them and their experiences and work to create 
space for communities to represent themselves. 
The media has a duty to offer platforms to those 
facing discrimination and, for trans folx, we are 
consistently failing.

In context with society as a whole, we need to do 

better when it comes to being social justice advocates 
and allies to the trans community. My actions are 
just one in a stream of micro- and macro-aggressions 
Vidhya will face today. We must take it upon ourselves 
to continue our education, to acknowledge our own 
privileges and most of all, to understand when we 
cause harm and work to rectify it.

Changing How We Write About Trans Folx In Media

