Covering Elliot Page
By: Lee Crowell
Tags: Transgender, Elliot Page, Nonbinary, News Media, News Coverage

First of all, I want to congratulate Elliot Page on coming out. Welcome to the big trans family. Please note that Elliot uses both he and they pronouns so I’ll be switching between those where appropriate.

Over the course of the day, I’ve been so happy to see so many news outlets responding positively to their coming out post. It seems that, generally, they have gotten a kind response from the masses and that does a lot to warm up my cynical, nonbinary heart.

However, I have noticed a glaring problem in most of the coverage: they keep dead naming him. For those of you who don’t know, dead naming someone is referring to a transgender person who has chosen a new name by their old name. I’ve also spent no small amount of time on social media today pointing out where it occurs, only to be met by a chorus of cisgender voices saying things to the effect of, “But it’s for informational purposes!” “But he’s in the public eye, it’s to be expected!” “How else would we know who the article is about?”

The first and third complaint can be addressed together. There are other ways to communicate the necessary information. First: every one of the articles I’ve seen has included a photograph of him. For folks that can’t see photographs as well, we’re fortunate that Elliot is a well-known actor who has played a number of high-profile roles, so we can list those roles to communicate to whom we are referring.

To the second: how high-profile must someone be before we’re allowed to blatantly disrespect them? Because that’s what dead naming is. Disrespectful. Actors and people in the public eye are just that: people. The choice of a new name, particularly for transgender people, is incredibly personal and empowering and to consistently have that decision be undermined is nothing short of rude.

I understand if folks haven’t personally interacted with a transgender person who has changed their name, or if they don’t necessarily get how impactful the decision is, but honestly that’s no excuse in this case. This coverage is coming from high profile sources like Today, People, IndieWire, CNN, NBC, the Gaily Grind, and more, all of whom have the resources to do their due diligence on the subject.

A simple Google search will show GLAAD (an organization dedicated to improving LGBTQ+ representation in media) has put out a style guide specifically for covering the story. To recap one of the salient points from the guide (definitely have a look at it for the rest): “DO refer to them as Elliot Page. DON’T refer to them by their former name. He has changed it, and should be accorded the same respect received by anyone who has changed their name.”

The second point I’d like to make is also well-illustrated by that short excerpt from the style guide: Elliot uses two pronoun sets. Use both. I know it can be difficult to adapt to using multiple sets for a single person, but they have decided that that is the correct way to refer to them and the right thing to do is follow that. As you’ll notice in the quote above, this doesn’t mean alternating between his pronouns every time you would use a pronoun- that would just be confusing! Rather, separate use by sentences instead. For example, use he/him in sentences one and two, then they/them in the third sentence. This is the appropriate way to show that you both understand and respect that how he defines himself.

The news sources listed above do not do this. They choose either he or they and continue with those pronouns throughout the piece. While this is isn’t blatantly misgendering them (and I’m so thankful we’ve come far enough to at least avoid that) it still isn’t quite acknowledging the full picture of Elliot’s identity. It’s often easier for cisgender people to default to the more familiar pronoun when given multiple to work with (in this case he/him) and, again, I understand the impulse. This stuff is hard to master.

But to be a good ally and create a society where transgender and nonbinary people of all flavors feel welcomed and affirmed, it is necessary to do the hard work. It means practicing. It means listening when a transgender or nonbinary person speaks up and tells you that something you’re doing is incorrect.

I think it’s incredibly brave for someone who is in the spotlight like Elliot to come out. It really does make it easier for those who come after us. But in order to make the most of this moment, we need to make sure we’re having conversations about how to do better when talking about it.

To be clear, this isn’t a call out to any of the news organizations I mentioned. Rather, it’s a call in. I see the incredible progress that has been made in covering stories about transgender and nonbinary people, but I think it’s safe to say we haven’t reached the point where we’re good at it yet. If I can be one more voice yelling into the void of the internet about how we can do better, then I’ll be able to go to bed knowing that I helped contribute to positive change. Please don’t send hate anybody’s way, but take this opportunity to think about how you’ve been talking about this story to your friends. Every little bit makes this world a bit safer and I think that’s a goal we can all get on board with.