Why not to use the word ‘transvestite’

The University of Colorado held a workshop Tuesday to highlight transgender issues, which is great. What wasn’t so great was the student newspaper, Colorado Daily, because its use of the word “transvestite.”

The paper uses the term in reference to a party — a “transvestite ball” — that a biological man who transitioned to being a woman went to. Why is this wrong? Here’s a style guide entry from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association:

transvestite: Avoid. The term has developed a negative connotation and is now seen as crude and old-fashioned, akin to “colored.” See cross-dresser.

Instead, NLGJA urges the use of “cross-dresser”:

cross-dresser: Preferred term for person who wears clothing most often associated with members of the opposite sex. Not necessarily connected to sexual orientation. See transvestite.

And the point of this isn’t to just rag on the Colorado Daily; besides the one slip-up, this was a fair and accurate article that provided an interesting look into transgender life on the CU campus.

For more from the NLGJA stylebook supplement, go here.