"Issues of equality and acceptance of transgender and nonbinary people- along with challenges to their rights- have become a major topic in the headlines. These issues can involve words and ideas and identities that are new to some.

Proper use of gender identity terms, including pronouns, is a crucial way to signal courtesy and acceptance. Alex Schmider, associate director of transgender representation at GLADD, compares using someone's correct pronouns to pronouncing their name correctly- 'a way of respecting them and referring to them in a way that's consistent and true to who they are.'

This guide was created with the help from GLADD. We also referenced resources from the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Trans Journalists Association, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, Human Rights Campaign, InterAct and the American Psychological Association. This guide is not exhaustive, and is Western and U.S.-centric. Other cultures may use different labels and have other conceptions of gender."