In editorial contexts, however, we wouldn’t mention someone’s gender identity in a caption or article unless it is relevant to the story.Īs you engage with these images, don’t make these editorial decisions alone. In this library, we included each model’s gender identification in the caption of each photo, in order to help editors avoid making assumptions when choosing images. Representing people who are transgender but have not medically transitioned helps reflect the diversity of the community. Not all transgender people medically transition using hormones and/or surgeries, and their identity is not less valid because of it. Don’t immediately assume you need to use a photograph of a trans woman to represent the trans community. Select photos that reflect this range of expressions.Īdditionally, transmasculine people often get left out of media representation. However, some transgender people are immediately perceived as transgender by others, while some transgender people are perceived to be cisgender. All transgender people look transgender because they are transgender. There is not one way to "look transgender", and no one model can represent the trans and non-binary community. If your usage of one of these photos could feed into a stereotype or negative stigma, you probably shouldn’t use it.Ĭhallenge your own implicit biases and assumptions about about how gender identity and gender expression correlates with other aspects of identity such as sex assigned at birth, race, age, sexuality, and class. Understanding the stereotypes and tropes that have accompanied transgender media representation-such as trans subjects being cast only as sex workers, portrayed soley in states of apparent victimhood or crisis, and being characterized as deceptive and mentally unstable-can help you to avoid them. When attaching a photo to an article, think critically about how the accompanying headline could reflect on the trans community.
Beyond these basic license stipulations, it is vital for anyone using this resource to make appropriate contextual decisions. Per the terms of the Creative Commons license, you may not create derivative work from the images or use the images for commercial purposes. Including transgender and non-binary people in stories not explicitly about gender identity paints a more accurate depiction of the world we live in today. Consider accessing these photos for stories on topics like beauty, work, education, relationships, or wellness. Images of trans and nonbinary people can be used to illustrate any topic, not just stories related directly to those communities.