The Associated Press announced today a reversal of guidance that was issued last week suggesting the words “husband” and “wife” only be used for people in opposite-sex marriages. According to the new entry that will be printed in the journalism stylebook, “husband” and “wife” will apply to any legally recognized marriage, “regardless of sexual orientation:

The following entry was added today to the AP Stylebook Online and also will appear in the new print edition and Stylebook Mobile, published in the spring:

husband, wife Regardless of sexual orientation, husband or wife is acceptable in all references to individuals in any legally recognized marriage. Spouse or partner may be used if requested.

“The AP has never had a Stylebook entry on the question of the usage of husband and wife,” said AP Senior Managing Editor for U.S. News Mike Oreskes. “All the previous conversation was in the absence of such a formal entry. This lays down clear and simple usage. After reviewing existing practice, we are formalizing ‘husband, wife’ as an entry.”

Just last week, AP was defending its stance, arguing that it was good enough that “husband” and “wife” were optional choices for reporters to use for same-sex couples, even if they weren’t “generally” recommended. Of course, such options violate the very purpose of standards the stylebook is meant to maintain.

There could remain an inherent conflict in this new standard. Many same-sex couples have gotten married through their religion or through a nondenominational celebration and identify each other as spouses, but they live in a state that does not recognize their marriage. Given the entry’s caveat that the language applies to “legally recognized marriage,” there is still a potential that this language could disrespect gays and lesbians. Still, it is a vast improvement over the previous guidance that relegated same-sex couples to second-class rhetoric.

Earlier this week, the Associated Press issued new guidance about what language to use when referring to married same-sex couples, suggesting “couples” or “partners” is “generally” is appropriate instead of “husbands” and “wives” like for opposite-sex spouses. This codified factual inaccuracy has caused a much-deserved uproar, including among AP reporters like David Crary who refuse to use the second-class vocabulary. The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association objected to the AP Stylebook editor for imposing a “double standard,” but it seems the AP isn’t budging, according to spokesman Paul Colford:

COLFORD: This week’s style guidance reaffirmed AP’s existing practice. We’ve used husband and wife in the past for same-sex married couples and have made clear that reporters can continue to do so going forward.

Blogger John Aravosis thinks this is a lose-lose position for AP. AP Style is an industry standard for professional journalists, and the whole point of such a standard is consistency. In this case, the stated rule is simply wrong — or at best, antiquated — because AP would never suggest using “partners” for opposite-sex couples. Apparently, reporters have a choice, which really means there’s no standard at all. This begs the question of why AP issued the guidance this week to begin with; if the Stylebook is fine with calling husbands “husbands” and wives “wives,” there is no logic in a rule suggesting they ‘generally” should be called something else.

AP has clearly just gotten this wrong. As is the expected practice for professional journalists, it should print a retraction for the inaccurate guidance and correct the mistake.

David Crary

Earlier this week, the Associated Press released new style guidance that individuals in same-sex marriages should generally not be referred to as “husbands” or “wives,” but instead of “partners” or “couples.” No explanation has been offered as to why the AP decided that same-sex marriages just didn’t deserve the same language as opposite-sex marriages, but one reporter isn’t tolerating it. New York-based reporter David Crary has said he will happily violate the new rule:

The AP style guidance will have no effect on how I write about legally married same-sex couples. I will continue to depict them on equal terms, linguistically and otherwise, with heterosexual married couples, with no hesitation about using husband and wife in the cases where that’s the appropriate term.

It’s unclear if his editors will follow suit, unfortunately. The guidance presents a tough choice: Should reporters follow the rule or write what is factually correct? A man who is married is his spouse’s husband, and a woman who is married is her spouse’s wife, and nothing AP can say will change that.

The Associated Press stylebook guides most mainstream journalists’ practices, so the announcement of a new, changed, or even clarified rule has significant consequences. On Monday, an AP “memo for internal guidance” provided the following problematic suggestion for how to refer to married same-sex couples:

SAME-SEX COUPLES: We were asked how to report about same-sex couples who call themselves “husband” and “wife.” Our view is that such terms may be used in AP stories with attribution. Generally AP uses couples or partners to describe people in civil unions or same-sex marriages.

Shortly thereafter, the guidance was subtly revised:

SAME-SEX COUPLES: We were asked how to report about same-sex couples who call themselves “husband” and “wife.” Our view is that such terms may be used in AP content if those involved have regularly used those terms (“Smith is survived by his husband, John Jones”) or in quotes attributed to them. Generally AP uses couples or partners to describe people in civil unions or same-sex marriages.

The revision did not correct the problem with this style rule. The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association condemned the arbitrary decision to give same-sex marriages less recognition than other marriages:

I can see the distinction from an AP viewpoint when, for example, a man in a domestic partnership or civil union calls the other man in that legally recognized relationship “husband” that technically that person is not his husband, because “husband” is reserved for marriage.

But when two men in a legally recognized marriage call themselves husbands, it makes no sense to me that AP should make a distinction because that marriage is not yet federally recognized.

Marriages are marriages, so husbands should be husbands and wives should be wives. Arguably, “husband” and “wife” should even be used in civil unions and in states where same-sex marriage is not recognized, because many couples have nevertheless married in their faith tradition or otherwise held a commitment ceremony. Obviously, applying some context is important, but if a couple is married, there is no legitimate reason to discount that label except to placate those in society who refuse to recognize those unions.

Last November, AP issued a similarly controversial rule eliminating the use of the word “homophobia” along with other social “-phobia” words.