Media have a duty of care when it comes to minors. This means media organisations must ensure that all their coverage relating to children is fair, balanced, sensitive and protects the child’s privacy where necessary. Most media professionals, as well as families, GPs, school professionals and the general public, have even less knowledge and understanding about trans children than they do about trans adults and trans issues more generally. This lack of knowledge is dangerous. When a writer or editor is ignorant about the very basics of trans children experiences, they might produce content that harms a particularly vulnerable group of children. The Facts (about trans kids) provides fundamental knowledge about trans children and busts harmful myths. In particular, it dispels one common trope that defines transphobia in the media – the ‘fact’ that 80% of trans children choose to de-transition later in life.
This resource is also available in video form and comes recommended by Mermaids UK, a national charity that works around the clock to provide all the necessary support (from counselling to housing) to trans children in Britain.
Once you have learnt the basics, Trans Children | Briefing Sheet by All About Trans provides useful verified facts and statists to help journalists writing about trans children.
For a comprehensive overview of educational resources designed specifically to help media actors to report about trans and non-binary issues, read ‘Resources for the Media’ by All About Trans.
