Pride Month recently came to a close, and as conversations about LGBTQ issues continually shape headlines, AllSides took a closer look at how news sources across the political spectrum emphasize different terms, and by extension, different narratives when covering LGBTQ topics.
AllSides conducted a word choice analysis of major outlets across the political spectrum, reviewing over 1,000 articles from 10 news sources published between January and June 2025. We examined how often specific terms related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender transition treatments appeared in each outlet’s LGBTQ-related coverage.
Overall, AllSides found that left-leaning outlets use LGBTQ acronyms more frequently and are more likely to use expansive versions like “LGBTQ+.” Meanwhile, right-leaning outlets used LGBTQ acronyms far less.
Use of the term “non-binary” was markedly higher among left-leaning outlets; they were also more likely to refer to gender transition treatments as “gender-affirming care.” Right-leaning outlets frequenty included biological framing in coverage of transgender issues, i.e. “biological sex,” “biological male,” “biological female,” and rarely used the term “gender-affirming care.”
Gender Transition Treatments
The most pronounced differences between Left, Center, and Right outlets appeared in the language used to describe gender transition treatments. While terminology varied widely across articles, a few notable patterns still emerged.
Left-leaning outlets were considerably more likely to use terms like “gender-affirming care” or “gender-affirming medical care,” often framing these treatments as essential components of compassionate healthcare. Coverage from these outlets frequently expressed support for access to such treatments and was critical of legislative efforts aimed at limiting it.
RELATED: “Gender-Affirming Care” or “Medical Procedures”? Both Sides of Transgender Terminology
In contrast, right-leaning outlets rarely used “gender-affirming care.” Instead, they favored phrases like “transgender procedures” or “sex change,” often framing transition treatments in more clinical or skeptical terms. While some outlets expressed strong and consistent opposition to such treatments, others conveyed disagreement more subtly through selective coverage.
Center-rated outlets showed more variation in both terminology and framing. BBC (Center) and Straight Arrow News (Center) were more likely to refer to specific medical treatments, rather than using umbrella terms. In many cases, their transition-related coverage relied heavily on quoted material from external sources rather than descriptions authored by the outlet itself (quotes were excluded from our analysis).
For example, broader terms like “gender-transition treatments” or “transgender healthcare,” appeared more sparingly in BBC’s transition-related coverage. Instead, coverage often focused on specific medical treatments such as “cross-sex hormones” or “puberty blockers.”
While Straight Arrow News used “gender-affirming care” more often than BBC, its coverage also featured a variety of terms, including “gender transition surgeries” and “gender-related treatments.”
Which LGBTQ Acronyms Do Media Outlets Use Most Often?
Even subtle language choices, like which acronyms an outlet uses, can offer insight into how it approaches LGBTQ-related issues. While “LGBTQ” is common across the spectrum, some outlets favor broader or more specific variations, which can reflect differences in framing.
AllSides analysis shows that left-leaning outlets use LGBTQ acronyms more frequently overall and tend to opt for expansive variations like “LGBTQ+.” These acronyms appeared in over 60% of LGBTQ-related coverage from PinkNews (Left), The Guardian (Left), NBC (Lean Left), and CNN (Lean Left). Similarly, BBC (Center) included LGBTQ acronyms in 63% of its relevant coverage.
In contrast, right-leaning outlets used LGBTQ acronyms far less frequently. Such terms appeared in fewer than 40% of LGBTQ-related articles from Newsmax (Right), Daily Caller (Right), and New York Post (Lean Right).
Washington Examiner (Lean Right) and Straight Arrow News (Center) were modest outliers, with LGBTQ acronyms appearing in just under half of their relevant coverage.
Sexual Orientation Terminology
AllSides also analyzed how frequently outlets used sexual orientation-specific terms, including “gay,” “lesbian,” “bisexual,” “queer,” and “homosexual.”
- Left-leaning outlets were more likely to use these terms overall.
- PinkNews (Left) used the term “queer” in a much higher share of articles compared to any other outlet. This makes sense given the outlet’s dedicated focus on LGBTQ issues.
- SAN (Center), Newsmax (Right), Daily Caller (Right), New York Post (Lean Right), and Washington Examiner (Lean Right) rarely used sexual orientation-specific terms beyond “gay.”
- The term “homosexual” appeared in at least one article from every outlet except Newsmax (Right).
Gender Identity Terminology
Next, AllSides analyzed the use of gender identity-specific terminology. Terms such as "biological sex,” “biological female,” and “biological male” were also tracked to assess which outlets included biological framing in their gender identity-related coverage.
- “Transgender” and “trans” appeared frequently in coverage across the spectrum, likely due to ongoing policy debates around sports participation and transition treatments for minors.
- More nuanced terms like “non-binary” were used more frequently by left-leaning outlets. However, New York Post (Lean Right) was an outlier, with “non-binary” appearing in 20% of its LGBTQ-related articles.
Right-leaning outlets were more likely to include biological framing, using terms like “biological sex” or “biological male.” These terms appeared in 49% of Washington Examiner (Lean Right) articles. However, Newsmax (Right) was the right-leaning outlier — biological framing appeared in just 10% of its relevant coverage.
Gender identity-related terminology appeared much more frequently in right-leaning LGBTQ coverage than sexuality-specific references or LGBTQ acronyms. These patterns suggest that right-leaning coverage of LGBTQ topics tends to focus more narrowly on gender identity, while left-leaning outlets take a broader approach, including coverage of other LGBTQ topics.
Methodology
AllSides analyzed over 1,000 articles published between January and June 2025 from the following outlets:
- PinkNews (Left)
- The Guardian (Left)
- NBC (Lean Left)
- CNN (Lean Left)
- BBC (Center)
- Straight Arrow News (Center)
- Washington Examiner (Lean Right)
- New York Post (Lean Right)
- Daily Caller (Right)
- Newsmax (Right)
Sample size was affected by the volume of LGBTQ-related articles each source published, but the average number of articles analyzed was 163 per outlet (ranging from 111 to 255).
To make the analysis manageable, AllSides narrowed a wide array of LGBTQ-related terminology to a list of 57 more commonly used terms and variations. Quoted material from external sources was excluded, as its language reflects outside perspectives rather than the outlet’s own framing.
The data presented reflect the dominant trends across outlets, showing the percentage of each outlet’s LGBTQ-related articles in which the most frequently used terms appeared.
Olivia Geno is a Research & Growth Strategist for AllSides. She has a Lean Right Bias.
Andrew Weinzierl, Bias Research Manager and Data Journalist (Lean Left bias), contributed to this piece.
Reviewed and edited by Emily Allen, News Editor & Bias Analyst (Left Bias); Evan Wagner, Product Manager (Lean Left bias); Henry A. Brechter, Editor-in-chief (Center bias); and Julie Mastrine, Director of Marketing and Media Bias Ratings (Lean Right bias).
