To whom it may concern,

I was stunned after reading Ben Moran’s opinion piece in the Iowa State Daily titled “Jenner’s transition warrants no awards.”

To transition in the way Caitlyn Jenner did, knowing that you will quickly become one of the most visible transgender women in the world, does take a great deal of bravery. Particularly when the world is, as Moran’s piece illustrates, a world that will challenge and question who you are.

To be frank, though, this letter is not about defending Jenner. Jenner needs no defending. Her identity remains her identity, regardless of who tries to question it.

This is about something more important. This is about treating people’s gender identity with respect, and how the Iowa State Daily and Ben Moran failed in this regard.

The New York Times and Associated Press style guides follow closely GLAAD’s media guide for writing about transgender individuals. The AP Style guide directs writers to:

“Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly.”

Abandoning this standard to delegitimize and make jokes about any transgender person’s identity is a terrible practice that sends a distressing message to the transgender students on campus, as well as their friends, allies and family.

Running this piece shows that the Iowa State Daily cannot be counted on to discuss issues surrounding the transgender community fairly, accurately or respectfully. This is not acceptable. The Iowa State Daily represents the ISU community and that must include community members who are transgender.