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Deadnaming is the act of calling atransgender ornon-binary person by theirbirth name or other formerforename (their 'deadname') after they have chosen a new name.[1] Many transgender people change names as part ofgender transition, and wish for their former name to be kept private.
It also refers to the practice of families of origin renaming deceased trans people improperly.
Deadnaming is considered offensive and potentially harmful,[2][3][4] as itmisgenders its subject and mayout them as transgender.[5] This can be done to intentionally deny or invalidate a person'sgender identity.[5][6] In other cases, a speaker who is still adjusting to a new name may do so accidentally.[5]
Trans people often face legal and bureaucratic obstacles in changing their names. Published authors and media figures who have later transitioned may be troubled by the appearance of their former name inmetadata records, which can be difficult to change. Some organizations have implemented policies to standardize the use ofpreferred names instead of legal names, or formally ban the practice of deadnaming.
In many cultures,given names are considered either masculine (e.g.John), feminine (e.g.Jane), orunisex (e.g.Jamie), and chosen according to an infant'sassigned sex at birth. Transgender people have agender identity which differs from their assigned sex, and thus, may choose to go by a different name. In the 2010s,transgender activists popularized the termdeadname to refer to such a former name. TheOxford English Dictionary attests the use ofdeadname onTwitter in 2010, anddeadnaming in 2013.[7] The term generally carries a negative connotation, with the implication that referring to a transgender person by their former name is unacceptable.[2][3][4]
Likemisgendering, deadnaming can be a form of overt aggression or amicroaggression, indicating that the target is not fully accepted as a member of society.[8] Transgender activists consider the deadnaming of homicide victims and high-profile celebrities by news media to be a violation of privacy, and a contributing factor totransphobia.[9] Deadnaming may also be done accidentally by people who are otherwisesupportive of trans individuals, such as supportive family members or friends who have not yet become accustomed to using a trans person's new name. Repeated failures to avoid deadnaming, however, can be considered disrespectful.[10]
Journalisticstyle guides, health-practitioner manuals, and LGBTQ advocacy groups advise adopting transgender people's names and pronouns, even when referring to them in the past, prior to transitioning.[11][12][13] A 2021 survey byThe Trevor Project showed that trans and nonbinary youth who had their name or gender marker changed on legal documents, such as birth certificates and driver's licenses, attempted suicide at lower rates.[14]
Queer scholar Lucas Crawford has theorized that some transgender people insist on preventing deadnaming in part as a strategy of prospective self-assertion: "by insisting on the primacy of the present, by seeking to erase the past, or even by emotionally locating their 'real self' in the future, that elusive place where access (to transition, health care, housing, a livable wage, and so on) and social viability tend to appear more abundant."[15] Correcting deadnaming by third parties is cited as a way to support trans people.[16]
Trans people who wish to avoid being deadnamed can sometimes face significant bureaucratic and administrative obstacles.Legally changing names requires time, money, and effort. Changing corresponding information, e.g. names, emails, and class schedules for schools and/or employers can also be difficult.[10]
For creatives,metadata containing a deadname (such as afilm credit, abyline on a news article, or a published book with anISBN), can be difficult or impossible to change. Some academic publishers and scientific journal publishers have taken up policies which allow trans authors to fix their metadata.[17] Oftentimes trans authors may resort torepublishing their work as new editions while attempting to remove the previous ones from circulation. Some web platforms may still portray their deadname as the primary author and edition.
Journalist andUniversity of California researcher Theresa Tanenbaum reported frustration with attempting to update the 83 publications attributed to her deadname, with many publishers ignoring or refusing her request.[18] In 2021,Berkeley Lab led an effort to simplify name changes for published researchers, which saw agreement from many national laboratories and scientific publishers.[19]
In 2019,IMDb faced criticism fromSAG-AFTRA, theNational LGBTQ Task Force andGLAAD over its refusal to remove actors' birth names.[20] In response, the site changed its policy to allow removing a name "if [it] is not broadly publicly known"[21]—on films where they are credited, their previous name is displayed in parentheses next to their current name. GLAAD spokesperson Nick Adams called the change a "step in the right direction" but "imperfect", and that trans people with credits under their deadname "will still be affected by IMDb's determination to publish outdated information".[21]
On December 1, 2020, the same day actorElliot Page came out as atrans man,Netflix began updating metadata for films Page previously appeared in to credit him by his chosen name.[22]PopSugar writer Grayson Gilcrease noted that this was the first time Netflix had made such a change, and speculated that it was due to Page's popularity inThe Umbrella Academy; she contrasted this with trans actressJosie Totah, who at the time was still credited under her deadname for her role inChampions.[23]
Some web platforms such asFacebook,YouTube, andGmail allow a certain number of name changes peruser profile, allowing for any number of reasons for a name to be changed.
In 2013, theEnglish Wikipedia elicited media coverage over its response toChelsea Manning's public transition. The article about Manning was initially quickly renamed, but a protracted dispute ensued; the matter was ultimately taken up by the site'sArbitration Committee, which imposed sanctions on editors espousing transphobia, but also on those making accusations of transphobia.[24][25]Wikimedia Foundation executiveSue Gardner expressed disappointment over the handling of Wikipedia's response.[26]
On March 12, 2021, theNorth Carolina Department of Public Instruction announced that itsstudent information system would display each student's "preferred name" rather than birth name, which would eliminate deadnaming on state reports, student report cards, and teacher grade books.[27]
In late June 2021, the websiteFandom announced newLGBT guidelines across its websites in addition to the existingterms of use policy that prohibits deadnaming transgender people across their websites. The guidelines include links to queer-inclusive and trans support resources, and further guidelines were released in September 2021, related to addressing gender identity.[28]
In November 2022, following itsacquisition by Elon Musk, Twitter reinstated the account ofJordan Peterson, who Twitter had previously suspended for a tweet deadnamingElliot Page, andThe Babylon Bee, which was suspended for a tweet misgendering U.S.Assistant Secretary for HealthRachel Levine.[29] In April 2023, Twitter removed deadnaming from its hateful content guidelines.[30]
"Had I known this law existed, I likely would have bit the bullet and put my deadname next to my legal name," she said, using a term for a transgender person's birth name.
Originating in the trans community, the term "deadnaming" describes calling a trans person by their birth name after they have adopted a new name. The act of deadnaming has the effect of "outing," or making public, a trans person's identity. Deadnaming is sometimes accidental, as when a friend or family member is still adjusting to a trans person's new name and unintentionally calls them by their birth name. However, there are also many times when trans people are addressed by their birth name as a way to aggressively dismiss and reject their gender identity and new name.
Such microaggressions consist in more than simply using the wrong name; rather, they cut to the core of and question the recipient's identity and self-understanding.
Use whatever name and gender pronoun the person prefers
Use the pronoun that matches the person's gender identity
listen to your clients – what terms do they use to describe themselves
