Sometimes
words
can
hurt,
especially
when
they
are
used
by
thousands
of
journalists
reaching
millions
of
readers
worldwide.
That’s
why
gay
and
transgender
activists
are
applauding
recent
changes
to
the
Associated
Press
Stylebook
&
Libel
Manual
that
they
say
update
terms
to
more
accurately
identify
gay,
lesbian
and
transgender
individuals.
Among
the
changes,
the
AP
now
tells
reporters
not
to
use
the
phrase
"sexual
preference,"
which
activists
say
suggests
that
being
gay
is
a
choice.
"The
Stylebook
is
an
ongoing
institution,"
said
Kristin
Gazlay,
AP’s
deputy
managing
editor
for
national
news.
"As
times
change,
terminology
changes."
The
Associated
Press,
the
self-described
"oldest
and
largest
news
organization
in
the
world,"
is
a
nonprofit
cooperative
owned
by
its
1,500
newspaper
members.
Often
dubbed
the
"journalist’s
bible,"
the
AP
Stylebook
dates
back
to
1953
and
is
widely
used
by
media
professionals.
For
the
2006
edition,
the
Stylebook
offers
updated
entries
for
the
terms
"gay,"
"lesbian
and
lesbianism,"
"sex
change,"
"transgender"
and
"transsexual."
The
changes
are
currently
available
online
and
will
be
included
in
the
2006
print
edition.
"For
the
AP
Stylebook
to
update
these
entries
is
a
significant
milestone,"
said
Neil
Giuliano,
president
of
the
Gay
&
Lesbian
Alliance
Against
Defamation,
a
gay
media
watchdog
group.
GLAAD
leaders
met
last
year
with
AP’s
senior
editors
in
a
series
of
discussions
about
the
proposed
terminology
updates.
"Given
the
fundamental
inaccuracy
of
terms
like
‘sexual
preference’
and
the
pejorative
connotations
of
words
like
‘homosexual,’
the
AP’s
style
guidelines
have
been
updated
to
reflect
contemporary
usage
that’s
more
fair,
more
accurate
and
more
inclusive,"
Giuliano
said.
THE
TERM
"GAY"
first
appeared
in
the
AP
Stylebook
in
1977.
At
the
time,
it
was
considered
acceptable
to
use
as
an
adjective,
such
as
in
"gay
lifestyle."
But
the
2000
edition
discouraged
that
phrase.
In
the
2006
edition,
the
entry
for
"gay"
reads:
"Used
to
describe
men
and
women
attracted
to
the
same
sex,
though
lesbian
is
the
more
common
term
for
women.
Preferred
over
homosexual
except
in
clinical
contexts
or
references
to
sexual
activity."
The
new
edition
also
tells
users
to
"include
sexual
orientation
only
when
it
is
pertinent
to
a
story,
and
avoid
references
to
‘sexual
preference’
or
to
a
gay
or
alternative
‘lifestyle.’"
The
entry
for
"lesbian
and
lesbianism,"
which
had
been
unchanged
since
being
introduced
in
1977,
has
been
deleted.
THE
NEW
AP
Stylebook
also
changes
references
for
terminology
related
to
transgender
people.
Previously,
the
entry
for
"sex
changes"
told
reporters
to
use
the
pronoun
"preferred
by
the
individuals
who
have
acquired
the
physical
characteristics
(by
hormone
therapy,
body
modification
or
surgery)
of
the
opposite
sex."
If
that
was
not
known,
they
were
told
to
refer
to
the
individual
based
on
how
the
person
lived
publicly.
Entries
for
"sex
changes"
and
"transsexuals"
in
the
new
style
manual
now
send
readers
to
the
entry
for
the
term
"transgender,"
where
journalists
receive
instructions
to
essentially
follow
the
transgender
person’s
pronoun
preference,
without
reference
to
how
they
may
have
changed
their
bodies.
Officials
with
the
National
Center
for
Transgender
Equality
also
participated
in
meetings
with
AP
editors.
Mara
Keisling,
the
group’s
executive
director,
praised
the
style
changes,
especially
deleting
the
focus
on
surgery
or
hormones.
"That’s
just
a
small
part
of
who
I
am,"
Keisling
said.
"Most
transgender
people
don’t
ever
have
[gender-reassignment]
surgery."
Eric
Hegedus,
president
of
the
National
Lesbian
&
Gay
Journalists
Association,
said
terminology
is
always
evolving
and
a
guide
such
as
the
Stylebook
has
to
be
updated.
"We
totally
welcome
it,"
Hegedus
said.
"We
see
it
as
definite
progress."
