The following is a draft working towards a proposal for adoption as a Wikipedia policy, guideline, or process. The proposal must not be taken to represent consensus, but is still in development and under discussion, and has not yet reached the process of gathering consensus for adoption. Thus references or links to this page should not describe it as policy, guideline, nor yet even as a proposal.
Below are some best practices for how to write about trans subjects respectfully and accurately. (Note: these recommendations might not be thoroughly vetted by the community):
When chosing how to refer to a trans subject, consider the use-mention distinction. Before using a trans person's former or legal name, consider merely mentioning it instead. And before mentioning it, consider not including it at all.
The Switched-On Bach article mentions but doesn't use Wendy Carlos's former name: ...studio album by the American composer Wendy Carlos, released under her birth name...
Before including a trans subject's former name inline, consider including it as a footnote instead.
The Matrix article credits the writers/directors as the Wachowskis with a footnote adding that they were originally credited as The Wachowski Brothers.
If a trans subject's former or legal name is not well known or widely reported, don't include it, even if it appears in a handful of published sources.
Avoid using an out-of-date, pre-coming-out photo of a trans subject as a lead image. If no other photos are available, it is generally better to have no lead image at all. In general, avoid using pre-coming-out photos unless the subject's old appearance is especially well-known and notable.
The Wachowskis article is better without any pre-coming-out photos since the way they looked is not well known as they shied away from public appearances.
The Caitlyn Jenner article does contain some photos from before her transition, but not in the lead. This is because she was a well known Olympic athlete, so her appearance at the time is relevant to the article.
If an agreement can't be reached over which pronouns to use for a subject, rewriting to avoid pronouns altogether may be considered. However, this is generally an awkward solution and should only be done as a last resort.
A central table of community discussions on gender identity from throughout Wikipedia. For anyone interested in discussing or changing our gender identity guidelines, it's helpful to become familiar with prior discussions on the topic. (Requests for Comment and Requested Moves are in bold.)
The use of pronouns on the article Patrick Califia was discussed, but not concluded. The main propositions were to use only masculine pronouns or feminine pronouns when referring to time before Patrick's transition and masculine after. Discussion was primarily about clarity for the reader e.g.: alignment with Patrick's presentation and the (then) recency of his transition. Patrick's identity was also discussed in terms of how it might make Patrick feel (who was contacted but didn't seem to reply) and respect for his current identity.
First instance of gender identity guidance. Original wording: Where known, use terminology that subjects use for themselves (self identification). This can mean calling an individual the term they use, or calling a group the term most widely used by that group. This includes referring to transgender individuals according to the name and pronoun they use to identify themselves.
Chelsea Manning's page was moved from her former to her current name about a month and a half after she came out. The debate over the move received some outside media coverage. (See: the media section at the top of Talk:Chelsea Manning.)
It was decided that in the 1976 Summer Olympics article, Caitlyn Jenner should be referred to as male rather than female. This was a partial rejection of the Manual of Style's gender identity guidelines, which, at the time, were unequivocal: Wikipedia favors self-designation [of gender identity], even when usage by reliable sources indicates otherwise. Any person whose gender might be questioned should be referred to by the pronouns, possessive adjectives, and gendered nouns (for example "man/woman", "waiter/waitress", "chairman/chairwoman") that reflect that person's latest expressed gender self-identification. This applies in references to any phase of that person's life, unless the subject has indicated a preference otherwise.
It was decided that that Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography § Names should be updated to say that a trans or non-binary person's former name should only be mentioned in the lead if they were notable under that name.
A few months after Caitlyn Jenner came out, the scope of the MoS's gender identity guidance was essentially narrowed to main biographical articles. For those, editors were still advised to use the person's latest expressed gender self-identification for any phase of that person's life. But for articles where a trans person was just mentioned in passing, the MoS now offered little guidance except that editors should use context to determine how to refer to them.
Albert Cashier was a Union soldier who was assigned female at birth and lived as a man for over 50 years. In 2016 it was decided that the article could refer to Cashier with female pronouns. But in 2018 it was decided that the article should be rewritten to avoid pronouns entirely.
It was unanimously decided that, for the The Wachowskis article, it was better to not have a lead image than to have an old photo where one of the two sisters was not out.
It was decided that Lana and Lilly Wachowski should be credited as The Wachowskis in the leads and infoboxes of articles about films they made before they came out as women, with footnotes detailing how they were originally credited.
It was decided that the article on human rights lawyer Sonia Burgess should use her female name as the title, regardless of the fact that she was still presenting as male at work when she died.