We’re all familiar with the aphorism “write what you know” and the endless debates on who should be allowed to write what.
Multiple studies have shown that our perceptions are shaped by the media we consume, from the books we read as children to the evening news we watch as adults. When those media rely on stereotypes, those stereotypes translate to reality. We create narratives that influence the way we treat and perceive people.
Into this gap between perception and reality, between the writer from one background and the reader from another, steps the sensitivity reader.
What sensitivity reading is
Sensitivity reading is the analysis of a text to ensure the accuracy of a specific point of view and the minimization of harm to a community.
Imagine someone who’s never lived on your street writing a story set there. Think of all the details that never make it onto Google Maps or into history books. The nicknames of the place, the disputed parking spots, the history between those two families that have been there forever.
Sensitivity readers pick up on factual inconsistencies that risk pulling a reader out of a piece of writing — or even rendering the narrative completely ineffective. But instead of looking at the details of a street, they’re looking at the details of a human experience.
A sensitivity reader is typically a member of the community that’s being written about. They enter the project with an awareness of the emotional labour they’ll need to perform, and so are ready to encounter any issues, bearing the burden of problematic language and portrayal so the reader doesn’t have to.
What sensitivity reading isn’t
Sensitivity reading is not about censorship.
It’s about ensuring authenticity in the portrayal of an experience that’s not the writer’s own. This is especially important when the writer is approaching that experience from a position of relative privilege. When many communities are under attack due to the simple fact of their identities, the way they’re portrayed in media matters.
As with all stages of editing, sensitivity readers are advisors sharing their expertise. It’s a service that the author is paying for, and, like with all services, the advice can be refused.
No community is a monolith
One person’s view is never going to be the only view. There are microidentities within microidentities, and even people who share similar identities and backgrounds aren’t always going to agree.
I’m transmasc, but I have a very specific set of experiences surrounding my trans identity. I transitioned as an adult while living in a large, liberally minded city, with access to health care, a government and family that supported my choice, and the ability to pass as a straight, white, nonthreatening man. Overall, my experience has been comfortable and uneventful.
Do I share points of commonality with other members of the trans community? Yes, of course. There’s the internalized doubt, the constant coming out, the problem of public bathrooms, the question of pronouns and the unending evaluation of safe versus not-safe. But where there are vital differences, I’m not going to be the best choice to read for certain experiences in the trans community.
Sensitivity reading and editing
Do you need to have editorial training to be a sensitivity reader? Not necessarily, but it helps.
Editors are trained to look at a piece of writing from a wider perspective, identifying the role certain elements are playing. That makes it easier to spot when intervention is necessary. For example, if outdated, offensive words are being used in a historical context, is the risk of harm worth the historical accuracy, or would another, less fraught word do just as well?
The sensitivity reader’s ability to communicate with the author can affect the likelihood of the author making an important change. Editors are aware of the power of a well-worded query.
And, of course, there’s the core editorial principle to do no harm. The entire point of sensitivity reading is to avoid harm — to the text, to the author, to the reader and to the broader community that’s being represented.
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Lawrence Groening
Lawrence Groening (he/they) is an editor and writer living in Toronto, Ontario. He spends his days “doing word stuff” and petting all the neighbourhood dogs at the pet store he helps manage. His passion is queer romance and murder mysteries (preferably at once), as well as buying things for his cats that he knows they’ll never use.