Words Matter

I read a couple articles on NPR the other day about transgender issues. The articles attempted to strike an open tone, not taking a particular stance on questions of transgender rights and transition decisions for children. Yet, in a small but important choice of words, the authors revealed that they had not really understood what it means to be transgender.

In this article about a novel inspired in part by the novelist’s own transgender child, the article’s author writes “Her own child was born a boy and now identifies as a girl.” In another article (and radio story) from December the author uses similar language, describing the child in question as “who was born a boy but – with her parents’ encouragement – has long hair, wears pink and lives as a girl.” In their choice of language both authors misrepresent the fundamental nature of gender identity by stating that the child in question was born as gender X but now identifies as gender Y.  It would be more accurate to say that the children were assigned male gender at birth based on superficial anatomical characteristics, but now recognize that they are female and live in accordance with their identity.

The difference may seem minor, but it affects the entire perception of transgender people. Language that implies that a person is born as one gender but now lives as another represents being transgender as a choice, rather than something internally inherent in the individual. And if it is a choice, as some believe, then by definition one can choose not to be as well. This reduces transgender identity to a simple choice, much as some still insist that one’s sexual orientation is a choice. This view also opens the door to hurtful “therapy” for those who view the “choice” to be transgender as inherently abnormal, sinful or unacceptable.

As I have written before, being transgender is not a matter of choice. The choice is whether one embraces it and chooses to live in accord with that identity. Many transgender people do not, for various reasons, but often because the negative views of society make it impossible for them to safely come out openly. I’d like to think that an organization like NPR would attempt to recognize this rather than hewing to a line that allows the continued propagation of an inaccurate understanding of transgender identity. The awkward but useful terms “assigned male at birth” (AMAB) and “assigned female at birth” (AFAB) represent a fuller and more helpful understanding of transgender identity. Words do matter. Sometimes the very lives of individuals depend on them.