Last week, the Gay & Lesbian Times published “Born in a bind: treating transgender children,” a feature story on treatment for transgender children. The Village Voice, the San Francisco Chronicle and The New York Times have also written stories about transgender children. The New York Times and The Associated Press even crafted guidelines for staff members who write about transgender people.

We received a number of complaints Thursday when the article was published. The primary complaint was this: The reporter, Celene Adams, referred to the child in the story, an 11-year-old transgender girl, as Daniel, a pseudonym. The male pseudonym was used to reflect the child’s biological sex, which is male. A male pronoun was used in reference to the child throughout the story.

There was a fundamental misunderstanding when Adams, the news and features editor for the GLT, spoke with the family. She read the opening paragraphs of the story to the child’s mother, who approved the use of the male pronoun in the first two paragraphs. However, neither party clarified which pronoun would be used throughout the rest of the story. The child approved the name “Daniel.”

The misunderstanding led to an error on our part. Adams did not know of the Associated Press policy on pronoun usage; nor did the GLT have a written policy in place. We have since reviewed the media policies on transgender issues of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA), the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), The New York Times and The Associated Press. We have also talked with Kim Pearson, the executive director of TransYouth Family Advocates (TYFA), and Shannon Garcia, president of TYFA.

Pearson and Garcia were very helpful, and directed us to many of the media resources we have consulted.

The Gay & Lesbian Times takes pride in its coverage of the GLBT community, and each of the sectors of the community. We will adopt the following policies for stories pertaining to transgender people from this point on. In the past, the guidelines have been followed, but there was no written policy in our house style manual, so, no concrete precedent was set for transgender coverage. Some of these policies are recognized by the NLGJA, GLAAD or other respected news organizations.

1. When writing about a transgender person, we will use the name and personal pronouns that are consistent with the way the individual lives publicly.

2. We will use a transgender person’s chosen name. We will use a pronoun that reflects a transgender person’s biological gender pre-transition, and a pronoun that reflects their gender identity post-transition. We will never use quotation marks around the transgender person’s chosen name or the pronoun reflecting gender identity.

3. We will use the term transgender as an adjective (i.e. transgender person, transgender people) not a noun (i.e. transgenders).

Further, we will continue to dialogue with Pearson and Garcia on stories that relate to the transgender community. They have been very constructive in their criticism, and have been important to affecting this change. We will continue to work with all organizations and individuals that are constructive, professional and aim to find resolution when an error or issue appears.

Publisher Michael Portantino, editor Joseph Peña, and the Gay & Lesbian Times staff value accuracy and strive to meet ethical standards, and apologize for any pain the error caused the child or family.

The story appears online in its original form, with an editor’s note indicating the new policy.

The GLBT community has rallied to support individuals and families displaced by the San Diego wildfires (see story, page 10).

Monday, The Center emailed community members and encouraged them to make donations to the American Red Cross. It also provided links for community members to volunteer at evacuation centers.

Tuesday, The Rubber Rose announced it would be a central drop point for donations. The owners of The Rubber Rose are working with Border Angels to organize drop off and pick up times for all of the items donated. The donations will be taken to evacuation centers that need them most throughout the county. The owners also asked community members to volunteer.

The Center and The Rubber Rose are just two organizations that should be recognized and commended for their commitment to all of San Diego County’s residents – not just the GLBT community.