Abstract

News stylebooks are the “bibles” of media usage and writing style. This chapter examines how stylebooks have evolved in their guidance to journalists regarding terms and representations for LGBTQ populations and how LGBTQ communities have advocated for, and influenced, these changes. Changes include an evolving use of terms such as homosexual, gay, queer, transgender, non-binary, and queer in mainstream media representation. To explore these changes, we examine a sampling of stylebook references from the Associated Press and The Canadian Press news services. We contextualize these changes through interviews with both stylebook editors and LGBTQ organizations. Together the interviews help paint a picture of the considerations at play for media organizations in their guidance to journalists and the public, and of how organizations that represent LGBTQ communities have worked to bring about more equitable and accurate representations.