Recently, there have been a great number of articles in tabloids, magazines and blogs about Chastity Bono’s decision to transition but as I’ve come across them, one thing continually irks me. A number of articles boast headlines like:

“Cher backs Chastity’s gender swap” (NBC)

“Cher’s daughter starts sex swap” (WENN Blog)

“Cher’s girl to have a sex swap” (Daily Record UK)

Other articles that don’t have the phrase ‘sex swap’ in the headline use the phrase in the body of the article [i.e: “The gender swap process began shortly after…” (NY Daily News)]

I don’t know how other people feel about this, but I find it really disturbing. The choice to use the word ‘swap’ is not only belittling but also ignorant. According to Merriam-Webster, the etymology of the word is from the Middle English swappen to strike; from the practice of striking hands in closing a business deal. Nowadays, the word means to exchange, barter or trade, as in: “He swapped his wrist watch for the radio” (Dictionary.com). It’s a colloquial word, something that implies simplicity.

Transitioning isn’t like swapping. It’s not like walking into a pawn shop, dropping your pair on the table and casually strolling out of the joint with a new set. It’s a huge process with a lot of emotional weight. In using the word swap, the press is undermining the entire process of transitioning. And, what’s more, the media is having a hard time (yet-again), discerning between gender and sex. I know it’s not possible to tackle all these misinformations at once but hopefully and gradually we will see a change in wording but moreover in thought and understanding.