Blog

“A sensitivity read [or sensitivity edit] is a review of a book, script or game before it is published to help avoid portraying marginalised people and cultures inaccurately, including unintentionally using stereotypes or causing upset. When an author or other creator is not from the group being represented in their work, they might decide to engage a member of that particular community to read it and offer feedback. A novel featuring a transgender Indigenous character would ideally be read by a transgender Indigenous person, and so on.” Source: (Why sensitivity reads matter).

Why I call this role “sensitivity editor” – not “sensitivity reader”

Whilst in the publishing industry “sensitivity editing” is often labelled as “sensitivity reading”, as an editor I am loathe to label the role of a “sensitivity editor” as merely that of a “sensitivity reader” – because the latter term underplays what is actually required when doing a sensitivity edit.

A sensitivity editor does not have to be a qualified editor, but to do a good sensitivity edit they have to have certain skills that are akin to an editor’s skills when doing a manuscript assessment or structural edit. They need the ability to read and comprehend the text and story not only at a superficial level, but at a deeper level, checking the “truth” of the content. Then they need to apply their own personal and cultural knowledge and their knowledge of contemporary acceptable word usage in relation to this, in evaluating the content. They need to evaluate and respond to particular words and phrases that fall into this category, and to the manuscript as a whole.

The sensitivity editor  need to write a report addressing any issues that fall into the topic of their sensitivity edit, and in doing so they need to be cognisant of the writer who will be reading their sensitivity report, so need to write in a style that will get their message across to that reader. In the report, they need to offer some suggestions or solutions for the writer, whether that be to simply delete this word or that scene, or whether some things could be changed so they are no longer offensive.

Given the level of knowledge, insight and skill required to conduct a sensitivity edit, and the specific writing and evaluation skills needed, I always refer to the person filling this type of role as a  “sensitivity editor”.

Sensitivity editors – what content are they able to comment on?

A person does not have to be a qualified editor to conduct a sensitivity edit but they do need to have good writing or editing skills to review the manuscript and write a report of their feedback to the writer. They also need direct knowledge and lived experience about the topic/issue/type of character. 

The sensitivity editor is a “subject matter expert”. They can only provide feedback and suggestions about the topics they are experts in, due to their lived experience and knowledge. For example, people can speak about the following, but onlyi as far as their knowledge allows:

• First Nations people can speak about their particular Country.
• First Nations people whose heritage includes a number of Countries can, if they have the cultural authority to do so, speak about those Countries.
• Culturally and Linguistic Diverse (CALD) people can speak about their specific community or country, but not about other people’s communities or countries.
• People of Colour (POC) can speak about the issues that affect POC in general in a particular region or state, but cannot speak for/about First Nations or other more specific communities, or about issues for POC living in other areas.
• LGBTQI+ people can speak about their particular identity within that broader spectrum. For example, a transgender person may be experts about the transgender community or transgender issues and can speak about those issues and the broader LGBTQI+ issues – but they cannot speak about lesbian community/issues, unless they also identify as lesbian.
• Neurodivergent people can speak about their specific condition, identity or community; for example, an autistic person can speak about autism. But neurodivergence is a broad spectrum. A neurodivergent sensitivity editor can only provide feedback on neurodivergent issues they re experts in – that is, that they have lived experience and knowledge about.
• Disabled people may have the expertise to provide a sensitivity edit about issues that affect the disabled community broadly, or people with their specific disability. For example, a person who is Deaf can speak about issues around being Deaf or the Deaf community, but not about other disabilities.
• Someone who has lived in a particular place in a particular time can be an expert in that setting. For example, a white cis hospitality worker who lived in Kings Cross in the 1970s can speak about what that place was like for a white cis hospitality worker to live there at that time. A white person who lived in Kings Cross in the 2000s could not speak to that particular place or time.

Some of the issues a sensitivity editor may highlight

A sensitivity editor may ask first and foremost: why has the writer written a story that involves people outside the writer’s own culture/identity? Why has the writer created a character who is trans, gender fluid, First Nations Australian, Timorese, autistic, or legally blind? They may ask the writer this directly, prior to completing the sensitivity edit.

The sensitivity editor’s role is to honestly report on anything offensive or inappropriate in the manuscript, which may include:

• offensive or discriminatory language against a person/group – and whether the reason for using the offensive language (for example, historical accuracy) is a sufficiently good reason, in this case
• appropriation: who owns this story, or these anecdotes or this knowledge, and is the writer morally justified in writing about this topic
• cultural bias (within the plot/scenes/story) against a person/group
• cliches or myths about a person/group
• tokenism, or lack of credibility in content about a person/group
• voice: for example, does the narrator’s voice, or this or that character’s voice,  sound authentic? Is it authentic – and if not, how can this be rectified?

Writers: how to approach someone to do a sensitivity edit

Hiring and working with sensitivity editors has taught me a lot, but the main thing it has taught me is to be aware and conscious that when you ask a sensitivity editor to read a manuscript that may contain offensive content, you are asking them to open up their heart so you can prod them to see if it hurts, and you may be asking them to risk traumatising or retraumatising themselves. You are asking someone who lives in a world where they often face discrimination from people who look like you, to help you be less discriminatory. Even for people who are pretty tough, it is a big ask.

So take care and be aware of what you are asking and the context of where you and they live and of the working relationship, and professional trust, that will need to be established between you and them for the edit to be useful.

I am currently writing another article related to how writers who have written about topics outside their direct experience can work effectively with sensitivity editors who have lived experience of those topics. Once it’s been sensivity edited, I’ll link it to this one, so you can read it.

Image: (C) Sally-Anne Watson Kane. Easter Procession, Bendigo.