Toronto, ON, August 2, 2022: Together with 2 Spirit, queer, and trans communities, The 519 is thrilled to present a brand-new digital Media Reference Guide, a practical and actionable resource for inclusive storytelling.

Co-created by The 519 – Canada’s most prominent 2SLGBTQ+ community centre and service provider – along with community activists and leaders, the guide is informed by community conversations and is a living document that will support anyone who wants to produce better journalism, champion inclusion in their newsroom or organization, and expand their personal learning and allyship.

75,000+ people in Canada identify as trans or non-binary. 2 Spirit, queer, and trans people exist every day and everywhere, but it isn’t uncommon for them to feel left out, misrepresented, or have negative experiences while interacting with journalists, reporters, and media players.  This includes their voices being excluded from regular everyday stories that impact them just as much, being misgendered, being quoted out of context, or being sensationalized.

Recognizing the importance of a sustained and active relationship between community and the media, this guide is about how we can do better — together. Journalists can learn first-hand from a community lens what it means to create inclusive spaces through reporting. This can in turn help them foster mutually-beneficial relationships — where they can tell impactful stories, and our communities can have a share of voice in the media to highlight key issues.

Dedicated to providing current best practices to create respective, inclusive, and intersectional storytelling, the guide includes tips and resources related to: pronouns; reporting about 2 Spirit and gender-diverse people; covering queer and trans healthcare; reporting with dignity about crime, violence, and the law; consent in interviewing and photography; and learning and allyship in the media.

In addition, the guide invites media consumers (i.e. the audience) to connect with The 519 to ask questions, book education and training workshops, or flag an article that needs to do better in its coverage.

Through this guide, we hope to be able to create spaces — including digital ones — where everyone feels respected, represented, and welcome.

Questions? Write to Community@The519.org

Media requests? Contact Dean Lobo (he/him) at DLobo@The519.org

The 519 Media Reference Guide is a project by The 519, a City of Toronto agency and registered charity formed by local and 2SLGBTQ+ communities as a space where people come together to celebrate, organize, and create community. 

Get our newsletter and special updates