How do we want the press to report on us?

[suzifrommd]

Imagine this:

A person is found dead. Maybe they're murdered, or maybe they die in a fire, a car crash, an industrial accident, or some other incident that will be reported in the press.

And suppose the person's name and gender of record doesn't match they're presentation. E.g. they are dressed and appear as a woman even though their records have a female name or gender.

How do we want the press to report it? Do we want the deceased to be called a man and referred to by the pronoun "he" or referred to as a woman, with "she"? Ideally we'd like a reporter to contact people who knew the person, but suppose his deadline or time constraints don't permit that, or he can't locate anyone. Or he asks some of the people in the dead person's life and gets conflicting responses.

How would we like the report to gender the victim?

[BunnyBee]

It's best to get the facts (i.e., how the person self-identified) before you report, but if you absolutely can't get that info, then neutral pronouns (they, them, etc.) would best imo, though def not ideal.

If I were the victim I would be horrified to be called them or they, let alone he.

[Devlyn]

I think the press is obligated to call you whatever your ID and documentation indicate. Anything else starts you down a slippery slope.

[EllieM]

I agree with BunnyBee. If there is some ambiguity, if there is some unanswered question, the press should not specify gender. Of course, the press, I'm sure, would only be too happy to report discrepancies between presentation and documentation because, to the general public, it is sensational and therefore promotes sales.

[BunnyBee]

Of course, the press, I'm sure, would only be too happy to report discrepancies between presentation and documentation because, to the general public, it is sensational and therefore promotes sales.

This is the sad reality.

[suzifrommd]

How would we feel about this?

"The victim's records listed him as a male but at the time of his death his presentation was female. It is not known at this time whether he was living as a man or a woman."