The Journalists LGBTQ+ Toolkit is designed primarily to assist journalists who don’t normally cover the LGBTQ+ community.

The advice is drawn from outside media experts and our own members who are professional journalists for both mainstream media and the LGBTQ+ press. We also offer story ideas and new ways of thinking for reporters who are experienced in covering LGBTQ+ life.

“Is Sexuality Part of the Story?” offers tips for asking about orientation or gender.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Good storytelling requires descriptive language and informative detail about our subjects. Is the story about poor migrant farm workers or wealthy investment bankers? White single mothers or African-American married couples without children?

“These details are important cues for our readers/viewers. But even though labels can be instructive, they can also be detrimental — to the subject of your stories and to the notions of fairness and accuracy. Thus, reporters should be careful when identifying members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBTQ+) community.”

Click here to read the complete article.