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The New York Post is a conservative American media organization that publishes consistently anti-transgender content.

Background

The New York Evening Post was founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton.

In 1939, Dorothy Schiff bought control of the New York Post and installed spouse George Backer as publisher and president. The paper switched to a tabloid format in the 1940s under Backer. Schiff installed Ted Thackrey as editor, then married Thackrey after divorcing Backer. The paper was generally liberal through the 1940s. Thackrey and Schiff divorced following disagreements about whom to endorse for President in the 1948 election.

Schiff sold the Post to Rupert Murdoch in 1976, and the paper shifted to conservative coverage. Murdoch was forced to sell the paper in 1988 to comply with regulations about cross-ownership of media. After a series of owners who tried various changes in format and levels of sensationalism, the Post was repurchased in 1993 by Murdoch’s News Corporation after the FCC dave Murdoch a permanent waiver regarding cross-ownership.

The Post operates NYPost.com, gossip site PageSix.com (launched in print in 1977 and online in 2000), and entertainment site Decider.com (launched 2014). Due to extensive promotion of Donald Trump starting in the 1980s, the paper is reportedly Trump’s preferred newspaper.

The Post’s virulently homophobic coverage of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s led to the formation of GLAAD in 1985.

Contributors

Contributors who have published anti-trans content include Suzy Weiss, ex-trans activist “Chloe Cole” and conservative Meghan McCain. The Editorial Board has published dozens of anti-trans standalone pieces as well as many more mentions in opinion round-ups, drastically increasing their frequency starting in 2023.

References

Out History (December 1, 1985). GLAAD Holds First Rally Outside New York Post. https://outhistory.org/items/show/3519

Storey, Kate (Feb 12, 2020). The Secret History of Page Six. Esquire https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a30709872/page-six-gossip-history-new-york-post/

Moore, Jack (January 24, 2017). What We Can Learn From What Donald Trump Reads. GQ https://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-reading-list

Selected anti-trans writing

Editorial board (April 7, 2025). ‘Trans’ inclusion = all-male finals, the hands-off hypocrite left and other commentary. New York Post https://nypost.com/2025/04/07/opinion/trans-inclusion-all-male-finals-the-hands-off-hypocrite-left-and-other-commentary/

Editorial board (March 8, 2025). California Gov. Gavin Newsom drops woke — and wakes up to political reality. New York Post https://nypost.com/2025/03/08/opinion/gavin-newsom-drops-woke-and-wakes-up-to-political-reality/

Editorial board (March 4, 2025). Dems prove they’re still radicals by killing bill to protect women’s sports. New York Post https://nypost.com/2025/03/04/opinion/dems-kill-bill-to-protect-womens-sports/

Editorial board (Feb. 4, 2025). Tish James has some nerve threatening hospitals that won’t defy Trump’s sex-change order. New York Post https://nypost.com/2025/02/04/opinion/tish-james-has-some-nerve-warning-hospitals-to-defy-trump-on-trans-gender-treatment/

Editorial board (Nov. 29, 2024). Bravo to the brave women athletes who are standing up to trans madness. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/11/29/opinion/bravo-to-the-brave-boise-state-athletes-who-are-standing-up-to-trans-madness/

Editorial board (Dec. 30, 2024). Get biological men out of women’s prisons — NOW! New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/12/30/opinion/get-biological-men-out-of-womens-prisons-now/

Editorial board (Dec. 5, 2024). The awful unreality of the case for transitioning kids exposed. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/12/05/opinion/the-awful-unreality-of-the-case-for-transitioning-kids-exposed/

Editorial board (Nov. 20, 2024). Mike Johnson settles the House trans-bathroom kerfuffle with a simple truth. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/11/20/opinion/mike-johnson-settles-the-house-trans-bathroom-kerfuffle-with-a-simple-truth/

Editorial board (Nov. 14, 2024). Boys in girls’ sports — what will it take for Democrats to wake up? New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/11/14/opinion/boys-in-girls-sports-what-will-it-take-for-democrats-to-wake-up/

Editorial board (Nov. 5, 2024). How can dubious ‘misgendering’ claims threaten to destroy this law student’s life? New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/11/05/opinion/how-can-dubious-misgendering-claims-threaten-to-destroy-this-law-students-life/

Editorial board (Oct. 26, 2024). Gender extremist doctor hides data showing puberty blockers do NOTHING to help kids. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/10/26/opinion/extremist-doctor-hides-data-that-show-puberty-blockers-do-nothing-to-help-kids/

Editorial board (Aug. 11, 2024). Prop 1 would mandate extreme ‘trans rights’ in New York — and that’s not even the worst of it. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/08/11/opinion/prop-1-would-mandate-extreme-trans-rights-in-new-york-and-thats-not-even-the-worst-of-it/

Editorial board (Aug. 1, 2024). That Olympics boxing match offered a scary taste of possible harm when males compete against females. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/08/01/opinion/that-olympics-boxing-match-offered-a-scary-taste-of-possible-harm-when-males-compete-against-females/

Editorial board (July 23, 2024). Elon Musk’s anti-woke ‘awakening’ has a tragic backstory. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/07/23/opinion/elon-musks-anti-woke-awakening-has-a-tragic-backstory/

Editorial board (June 29, 2024). Rachel Levine proves YET AGAIN she’s America’s No. 1 gender extremist. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/06/29/opinion/rachel-levine-proves-again-shes-the-no-1-gender-extremist/

Editorial board (June 24, 2024). Texas Children’s Hospital whistleblower shines light on gender madness. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/06/24/opinion/texas-childrens-hospital-whistleblower-shines-light-on-gender-madness/

Editorial board (June 21, 2024). Schools Chancellor David Banks rewards bullying by ousting Maud Maron. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/06/21/opinion/why-is-nyc-schools-chancellor-david-banks-backing-trans-bullies/

Editorial board (May 10, 2024). NYS Board of Regents joins the woke battle to force biological boys into girls’ sports. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/05/10/opinion/state-board-of-regents-joins-woke-crackdown-on-trans-sports-dissent/

Editorial board (May 4, 2024). West Virginia girls stand up against trans sports madness — they’re braver than the president. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/05/04/opinion/west-virginia-girls-stand-up-against-trans-sports-madness-theyre-braver-than-the-president/

Editorial board (April 15, 2024). More proof ‘gender-affirming care’ is a monstrous lie — save the children NOW. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/04/15/opinion/cass-report-proves-gender-affirming-surgery-is-a-monstrous-lie/

Editorial board (April 5, 2024). Protect kids: Break the grip of transgender extremism. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/04/05/opinion/protect-kids-break-the-grip-of-transgender-extremism/

Editorial board (March 31, 2024). Are Biden & Co. trolling us all with ‘Trans Day’ on Easter, or just that clueless? New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/03/31/opinion/are-biden-amp-co-trolling-us-all-with-trans-day-on-easter-or-just-that-clueless/

Editorial board (March 21, 2024). Potential transgender sports ban in ultra-woke Manhattan would be a big win for athletes — and sanity. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/03/21/opinion/hurrah-for-sanity-on-a-trans-athlete-ban-in-ultra-woke-manhattan/

Editorial board (March 16, 2024). Britain bans puberty blockers for transgender teens while voodoo ‘science’ still rules US. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/03/16/opinion/britain-bans-puberty-blockers-for-transgender-teens-while-voodoo-science-still-rules-us/

Editorial board (Feb. 8, 2024). Trans volleyball insanity is a spike to the face for women in sports. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/02/08/opinion/trans-volleyball-insanity-is-a-spike-to-the-face-for-women-in-sports/

Editorial board (Dec. 21, 2023). UK rules on kid transition proves parents can beat the woke mob. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/12/21/opinion/uk-fights-trans-madness-with-school-rules-on-sports-bathrooms/

Editorial board (Sep. 15, 2023). Luka Hein lawsuit proves it: Don’t let kids transition. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/09/15/luka-hein-lawsuit-proves-it-dont-let-kids-transition/

Editorial board (Aug. 24, 2023). NY Times vindicates trans-clinic whistleblower Jamie Reed — Keep up the scrutiny. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/08/24/ny-times-vindicates-trans-clinic-whistleblower-jamie-reed-keep-up-the-scrutiny/

Editorial board (Aug. 21, 2023). From Virginia to Jersey, ‘trans rights’ can’t trump parents’ duty. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/08/21/stop-woke-maniacs-from-harming-kids-in-va-and-nj/

Editorial board ( Aug. 16, 2023). Make schools lie to parents about their kids: Phil Murphy’s vast arrogance. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/08/16/phil-murphys-vast-arrogance-in-making-school-lie-to-parents-about-gender-transitions/

Editorial board (July 12, 2023). Dylan Mulvaney and Bud Light live in a woke distorted reality. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/07/12/dylan-mulvaney-and-bud-light-live-in-woke-distorted-reality/

Editorial board (June 25, 2023). Save kids from trans-crazy doctors or expect more tragedies. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/06/25/save-kids-from-trans-crazy-doctors-or-expect-more-tragedies/

Editorial board (June 24, 2023). Trans extremists refuse to face facts: Men are stronger than women. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/06/24/serena-williams-proved-it-men-are-stronger-than-womentrans-extremists-refuse-to-face-facts-men-are-stronger-than-women/

Editorial board (June 13, 2023). Mayor Adams bends the knee on trans madness. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/06/13/eric-adams-give-in-to-trans-extremists/

Editorial board (May 7, 2023). The trans bubble’s bursting, troops won’t end border madness and other commentary. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/05/07/the-trans-bubbles-bursting-troops-wont-end-border-madness-and-other-commentary/

Editorial board (April 23, 2023). Forcing girls to compete against trans athletes is also DANGEROUS. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/04/23/forcing-girls-to-compete-against-trans-athletes-is-also-dangerous/

Editorial board (April 6, 2023). Tish James’ woke trans crusade is a money-wasting overreach. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/04/06/tish-james-woke-trans-crusade-is-a-money-wasting-overreach/

Editorial board (March 29, 2023). Audrey Hale’s identity is no reason to cover up her ‘manifesto.’ New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/03/29/audrey-hales-identity-no-reason-to-cover-up-her-manifesto/

Editorial board (March 17, 2023). Transing tweens: Team Biden’s gender extremism knows no bounds. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/03/17/transing-tweens-team-bidens-gender-extremism-knows-no-bounds/

Editorial board (Feb. 16, 2023). Don’t bet on The New York Times to resist trans extremists. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/02/16/dont-bet-on-the-new-york-times-to-resist-trans-extremists/

Editorial board (Jan. 23, 2023). Even the New York Times sees the madness of keeping parents in the dark as kids transition. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/01/23/even-new-york-times-sees-madness-of-keeping-parents-in-the-dark-as-kids-transition/

Editorial board (Nov. 24, 2022). Suddenly, the Times is publishing some news that doesn’t fit the left-wing line. New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/11/24/new-york-times-is-publishing-some-news-that-doesnt-fit-the-left-wing-line/

Editorial board (Sep. 21, 2022). Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivers utter sanity in new school rules on trans kids. New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/09/21/glenn-youngkin-delivers-sanity-in-new-school-rules-on-trans-kids/

Editorial board (May 23, 2022). Questioning trans claims isn’t bigotry and other commentary. New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/05/23/questioning-trans-claims-isnt-bigotry-and-other-commentary/

Editorial board (May 20, 2022). Trans athletes having their own division is step in the right direction. New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/05/20/trans-athletes-having-their-own-division-is-step-in-the-right-direction/

Editorial board (Dec. 7, 2021). Dominating in women’s sports as a trans athlete is fundamentally selfish. New York Post https://nypost.com/2021/12/07/dominating-in-womens-sports-as-a-trans-athlete-is-selfish/

Editorial board (Oct. 11, 2021). Dave Chappelle is right on trans and other commentary. New York Post https://nypost.com/2021/10/11/dave-chappelle-is-right-on-trans-and-other-commentary/

Editorial board (Feb. 28, 2021). Amazon turns from book-seller to censor by dropping transgenderism book. New York Post https://nypost.com/2021/02/28/amazon-turns-from-book-seller-to-censor-by-dropping-transgenderism-book/

Editorial board (Jan. 21, 2021). Biden’s executive order unlevels the playing field for girls. New York Post https://nypost.com/2021/01/21/bidens-exec-order-unlevels-the-playing-field-for-girls/

Editorial board (March 13, 2019). Cuomo’s petty trans-rights authoritarian play. New York Post https://nypost.com/2019/03/13/cuomos-petty-trans-rights-authoritarian-play/

Editorial board (Feb. 20, 2019). The insane gay backlash against Martina Navratilova. New York Post https://nypost.com/2019/02/20/the-insane-gay-backlash-against-martina-navratilova/

Editorial board ( Aug. 27, 2016). Team Obama’s new low in the name of ‘trans rights.’ New York Post https://nypost.com/2016/08/27/forcing-doctors-to-operate-team-obamas-new-low-in-the-name-of-trans-rights/

Editorial board (June 2, 2016). A principled progressive slams the ACLU’s trans-privileging. New York Post https://nypost.com/2016/06/02/a-principled-progressive-slams-the-aclus-trans-privileging/

Resources

The New York Post (nypost.com)

AllSides (allsides.com)

Media Bias/Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

The Washington Post is an American media organization. It is considered a paper of record for the United States, along with The New York Times.

Washington Post has covered trans issues with several important initiatives, including the 2023 KFF/The Washington Post Trans Survey.

In December 2024, the Post signaled a significant shift from objectivity that reflected relentless laundering of anti-trans extremism into mainstream media. The Editorial Board presented gender-affirming care for minors as a controversy where “the medical questions have not been properly resolved,” citing “scientists’ failure to study these treatments slowly and systematically.”

Leadership

  • Sally Buzbee, Executive Editor
  • Krissah Thompson, Managing Editor
  • Justin Bank, Managing Editor
  • Barbara Vobejda, Managing Editor
  • Monica Norton, Deputy Managing Editor
  • Mark W. Smith, Deputy Managing Editor
  • Scott Vance, Deputy Managing Editor
  • Liz Seymour, Deputy Managing Editor (Newsroom operations, standards and planning)
  • Ann Gerhart, Senior Visual Enterprise Editor
  • Erika Allen, Head of Audience Strategy and Growth
  • Coleen O’Lear, Head of Curation and Platforms
  • Carla Broyles, Senior Career Development Editor
  • Sommer Mathis, Senior Recruiting Editor
  • Terrell Mizell, Senior Recruiting Consultant
  • Matea Gold, National Editor
  • Phil Rucker, Deputy National Editor
  • Douglas Jehl, Foreign Editor
  • Jennifer Amur, Deputy Foreign Editor
  • Mike Semel, Local Editor
  • Maria Glod, Deputy Local Editor
  • Ben Williams, Features Editor
  • Hank Stuever, Deputy Features Editor
  • Tara Parker-Pope, Wellness Editor
  • Anjuman Ali, Deputy Wellness Editor
  • Lori Montgomery, Business Editor
  • Damian Paletta, Deputy Business Editor
  • Christina Passariello, Deputy Business Editor
  • Jeff Leen, Investigations Editor
  • David Fallis, Deputy Investigations Editor
  • Eric Rich, Deputy Investigations Editor
  • Jason Murray, Sports Editor
  • Matthew Rennie, Deputy Sports Editor
  • Zachary Goldfarb, Climate and Environment Editor
  • Juliet Eilperin, Deputy Climate and Environment Editor
  • Meghan Hoyer, Data Reporting Director
  • Anu Narayanswamy, Deputy Data Editor
  • Micah Gelman, Director of Editorial Video
  • David Bruns, Executive Producer
  • Lauren Saks, Executive Producer
  • MaryAnne Golon, Photography Director
  • Robert Miller, Deputy Photography Director
  • Dudley Brooks, Deputy Photography Director
  • Sandra Stevenson, Deputy Photography Director
  • Courtney Rukan, Multiplatform Editing Chief
  • Brian Cleveland, Deputy Multiplatform Editor
  • Nora Simon, Deputy News Service Editor
  • Kenisha Malcolm, Curation Desk Editor
  • Anne Bartlett, Live Editing Chief
  • Charity Brown, Deputy Newsroom Product Director
  • Keith McMillan, General Assignment Editor
  • Herman Wong, Deputy General Assignment Editor

Assessments

Statista

“The Washington Post’s credibility fared relatively well in 2022, with a survey revealing that 48 percent of respondents believed the publication to be very or somewhat credible. The Washington Post’s credibility rating was slightly lower than that of The New York Times, and the paper also lost out to The Wall Street Journal in this regard.”

Ad Fontes Media (adfontesmedia.com)

Ad Fontes Media rates Washington Post in the Skews Left category of bias and as Generally Reliable/Analysis OR Other Issues in terms of reliability. 

  • https://adfontesmedia.com/washington-post-bias-and-reliability/
  • Reliability: 38.15
  • Bias: -8.75

NewsGuard (newsguardtech.com)

  • Standards met:
  • Standards failed:
  • as of 1 January 2020

Contributors

The following people have had writing published in the Washington Post.

Letters of note

  • Rachel Cornwell and Liz Matthews

2024 editorial critical of youth gender medicine

In December 2024, the Post signaled a significant shift that reflected relentless laundering of anti-trans extremism into mainstream media.

Without citing any recent research finding low regret rates or citing any countries that have reaffirmed the benefits of gender affirming care for minors, the editorial notes “at least some patients who transitioned later experience regret and suffer the fate the treatments were supposed to avoid: a body that doesn’t match their gender identity.”

Signaling their desire to have a politically-appointed non-expert review similar to the UK’s disastrous Cass Review, the Post urged a US non-expert review “overseen by scientists who are not gender medicine practitioners.”

They cited the following:

  • the British Cass Review by anti-trans pediatrician Hilary Cass and the subsequent ban of puberty blockers for trans minors (but not cis minors)
  • the report by the Norwegian Healthcare Investigation Board (UKOM) criticizing gender affirming care as “experimental”
  • the report by Swedish anti-trans activist Mikael Landén et al criticizing gender affirming care as “experimental”
  • a paper by Carmichael et al, ignoring that overall patient experience was positive, focusing instead on psychological function, which The Post characterized as “lackluster results”
  • anti-trans activist Jesse Singal’s blog post critical of a New England Journal of Medicine paper on psychosocial functioning, in which The Post claimed NEJM “massaged the results”
  • an Economist piece attacking WPATH
  • a Boston Globe piece about psychologist Amy Tishelman’s lawsuit against Boston Children’s Hospital
  • a New York Times piece by anti-trans activist Azeen Ghorayshi attacking pediatrician Johanna Olson-Kennedy

Anti-trans activists lauded the editorial, including Leor Sapir, Jesse Singal, Benjamin Ryan, Lisa Selin Davis, and Partners for Ethical Care. The editorial was praised by consistently anti-trans conservative platforms, including National Review, Catholic Vote, Ovarit, and X.

The authors were:

  • David Shipley, Opinion Editor 
  • Charles Lane, Deputy Opinion Editor 
  • Stephen Stromberg, Deputy Opinion Editor 
  • Mary Duenwald
  • James Hohmann
  • Eduardo Porter
  • Keith B. Richburg

References

Wilchins, Riki (December 20, 2024). The Anti-Care Playbook. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/washington-post-anti-care-playbook

Lazine, Mira (December 16, 2024). Opinion: Washington Post Editorial Board Misleadingly Attacks Care Of Trans Youth. Erin in the Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/opinion-washington-post-editorial

Schorr, Isaac (December 16, 2024). Washington Post Editorial Board Declares There Is ‘Reason to Worry’ About Transgender Treatments for Kids. Mediaite https://www.mediaite.com/news/washington-post-editorial-board-declares-there-is-reason-to-worry-about-transgender-treatments-for-kids/

Berry, Susan (December 18, 2024). Washington Post admits subjecting children to ‘transgender medicine’ not based on ‘science.’ Catholic Vote https://catholicvote.org/washington-post-admits-subjecting-children-to-transgender-medicine-not-based-on-science/

Butler, Jack (December 17, 2024). Transgender Skepticism from . . . the Washington Post? National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/transgender-skepticism-from-the-washington-post/

Selected anti-trans publications

Editorial board (December 15, 2024). Look to science, not law, for real answers on youth gender medicine. Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/12/15/skrmetti-case-youth-transition-trans-supreme-court/ alt title: Opinion | Skrmetti court case won’t settle questions about youth gender medicine.

Resources

The Washington Post (washingtonpost.com)

Britannica (britannica.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

WorldCat (worldcat.org)

In 2020, supporters of J.K. Rowling published an open letter in the Sunday Times in response to criticism of the author.

Rowling’s book Troubled Blood included a male serial killer who dresses as a woman in order to lure his female victims, a common transphobic trope.

Signatories include many key figures in anti-transgender extremism.

Signatories

  • Alexander Armstrong, actor
  • Trezza Azzopardi, writer
  • Grace Carley, producer
  • Maureen Chadwick, writer
  • Malcolm Clark, television producer-director
  • Nick Cohen, journalist
  • Amanda Craig, writer
  • Andrew Davies, writer
  • Jess de Wahls, textile artist
  • Charlotte Delaney, writer
  • James Dreyfus, actor
  • Simon Fanshawe, writer
  • Nehanda Ferguson, musician
  • Aminatta Forna, writer
  • Eileen Gallagher, writer & producer
  • Magi Gibson, writer
  • Kath Gotts, composer & lyricist
  • Manick Govinda, arts consultant
  • Jane Harris, writer
  • Debbie Hayton, journalist
  • Philip Hensher, writer
  • Justin Hill, writer
  • Susan Hill, writer
  • Tatsuya Ishida, cartoonist
  • Griff Rhys Jones, actor
  • Russell Celyn Jones, writer
  • Lisa Marchiano, author
  • Arthur Matthews, writer
  • Ian McEwan, author
  • Ann McManus, writer
  • Ben Miller, actor
  • Jimmy Mulville, producer
  • Mez Packer, writer
  • Nina Paley, animator
  • Gillian Philip, author
  • Rachel Rooney, author
  • Lizzie Roper, actress
  • Birdy Rose, artist
  • Jane Thynne, writer
  • Frances Welch, writer
  • Francis Wheen, writer
  • Victoria Whitworth, writer
  • Shirley Wishart, musician
  • Zuby, musician and author

References

O’Connor, Roisin (September 28, 2020). JK Rowling: Ian McEwan and Graham Linehan among literary figures to support author amid transphobia row. The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/jk-rowling-transgender-views-support-ian-mcewan-sunday-times-b666932.html

Diamond, Jonny (September 30, 2020) Our terrible year of open letters continues: JK Rowling edition. LitHub https://lithub.com/our-terrible-year-of-open-letters-continues-jk-rowling-edition/

The Sunday Times is a conservative British publication.

In 2022, they published a letter to the editor by conservative and anti-trans activists who oppose medical consensus for trans youth healthcare. It was titled “Press pause on Conversion Therapy Bill.” The bill would make non-affirming models of care illegal.

Signatories

Additional signers

  • Shahrar Ali, former deputy leader, Green Party
  • Martin Daubney, Deputy Leader of the Reclaim Party
  • Belinda de Lucy, commentator
  • Paola Diana, entrepreneur
  • Laura Dodsworth, writer
  • Kathleen Dooley
  • Jessica Fishburn, parent advocate
  • Laurence Fox, Leader of the Reclaim Party
  • Mary Garner, counsellor
  • Dr Az Hakeem, consultant psychiatrist and medical psychotherapist
  • Milli Hill, author
  • Dr Zoe Hollowood, Chair, Liberal Voice for Women
  • Jude Hunter, Genspect representative
  • Alison Jenner, Vice Chair, Liberal Voice for Women
  • Christina Jordan, former MEP
  • Dennis Noel Kavanagh, legal commentator
  • Aaron Kimberly, registered nurse
  • Richard Kirker, human rights campaigner
  • The Earl of Leicester
  • Juliet Line, mother
  • Graham Linehan, writer
  • Claire Lonergan, parent
  • Julia Mason, paediatrician
  • Lucy Masoud, barrister
  • Dr Julie Maxwell, community paediatrician
  • Maggie Mellon, founding member, Evidence Based Social Work Alliance
  • Harry Miller, ‘Fair Cop’
  • Professor Michele Moore
  • Baroness Morris of Yardley
  • Cheryl Lavinia Mulholland, psychotherapist
  • Dame Jenni Murray, broadcast journalist
  • Simon Myerson QC
  • Terry Patterson, psychodynamic counsellor
  • Alexandra Phillips, GB News presenter
  • Timothy Pitt-Payne QC
  • Calvin Robinson, commentator
  • Nigel Scott, secretary, Liberal Voice for Women
  • Maggie Siviter, social worker, children’s safeguarding
  • Dr Jacci Stoyle, former prison teacher
  • Evelyn Strasburger, parent
  • Lachlan Stuart, policy manager
  • Anna Telford, parent
  • Dr Val Thomas, psychotherapist, writer and co-founder of Critical Therapy Antidote
  • Leonore Tiefer, retired NYS licensed clinical psychologist
  • Gawain Towler, political consultant
  • Lisa Townsend, Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey
  • Iris Walker, Councillor for Westhill and District
  • Lord Wasserman
  • Sinéad Watson, Genspect advisor
  • James Wells, former MEP
  • Robert Withers, Jungian psychoanalyst
  • Susan Zamecnik, registered nurse

References

Signatories (April 10, 2022) Press pause on Conversion Therapy Bill. The Sunday Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/press-pause-on-conversion-therapy-bill-g7vbtvc7h

The Stranger is an alternative newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. The publication is generally progressive politically, with some issues around anti-trans coverage by Dan Savage, Alice Dreger, and Katie Herzog.

Background

Founded in 1991 as a weekly print publication supported by coupon ads, it switched to a biweekly magazine format in 2017. It suspended print operations in 2020, then resumed them in 2023. In 2024, the paper was sold to Noisy Creek.

Transgender coverage

Since its founding, The Stranger has published a sex column by Dan Savage called Savage Love. Over the years, Savage has published a number of columns about trans and gender diverse people that have been criticized. In addition to work like the It Gets Better project that has helped some in the community, Savage has a long history of supporting and defending sexologists and journalists who have also been accused of bias.

In 2011, The Queer Issue edited by Christopher Frizzelle and Savage included a piece by Alice Dreger, who has long voiced opposition to the affirmative model of care for trans and gender diverse youth, especially any kind of medical options:

The great majority of young children who declare they are a gender that doesn’t match their birth sex grow out of the mismatch. […]

But somehow if we wrap these major interventions around gender identity, we’re supposed to believe they are not that big a deal in terms of planning for a child’s future? And the clinician who tries to get a gender dysphoric kid to learn to like her or his innate body really is a Nazi? Not buying it. […]

I am also sick and tired of trans-rights advocates acting like a certain current-day endocrinologist is ever-so-progressive because he essentially starts prepping genderqueer kids for surgery the moment they are presented by their distraught parents. Reminds me a little too much of Iran, you know?

The Stranger also employed Katie Herzog, whose article on “detransition” was sourced from a group of anti-transgender people associated with the “ex-trans movement.” The Stranger never updated that article to note that major source Ky Schevers has disavowed the views made in the piece.

References

Hiruko, Ashley (July 29, 2024). The Stranger newspaper sold to former state legislator Brady Walkinshaw. KUOW https://www.kuow.org/stories/the-stranger-newspaper-sold-to-former-state-legislator-brady-walkinshaw

Schevers, Ky (June 24, 2024). The Reality Behind the Story I Told The Stranger. The Stranger https://www.thestranger.com/queer-issue-2024/2024/06/05/79545098/the-reality-behind-the-story-i-told-the-stranger

Wood, Natalie (June 20, 2018). What Happens After the Person You Married Tells You They’re Transgender. The Stranger https://www.thestranger.com/queer-issue-2018/2018/06/20/27820946/what-happens-after-the-person-you-married-tells-you-theyre-transgender

Herzog, Katie (July 3, 2017). A Response to the Uproar Over My Piece, “The Detransitioners.” The Stranger https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/07/03/25262759/a-response-to-the-uproar-over-my-piece-the-detransitioners

Herzog, Katie (June 28, 2017). The Detransitioners: They Were Transgender, Until They Weren’t. The Stranger. https://www.thestranger.com/features/2017/06/28/25252342/the-detransitioners-they-were-transgender-until-they-werent

Savage, Dan (June 7, 2014). About That Hate Crime I Committed at University of Chicago. The Stranger https://www.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2014/06/07/about-that-hate-crime-i-committed-at-university-of-chicago

Dreger, Alice (2011). Trans Advocates (At Least Where Genderqueer Kids Are Concerned). The Stranger https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/trans-advocates/Content?oid=8743338

Savage, Dan (August 12, 2010). Golden Oldie. https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=4642012

Savage, Dan (August 12, 2010). Bad Tranny. https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=13054

Savage, Dan (March 26, 2009). Deep Thought. https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=1192438

Resources

The Stranger (thestranger.com)

Wikipedfia (en.wikipedia.org)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

X/Twiiter (x.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Bluesky (bsky.app)

The Guardian is a British media organization. Their transgender coverage has been criticized for anti-trans bias.

Background

The Guardian published an anti-trans piece by Julie Bindel in 2004. Over the following years, the paper became increasingly anti-trans in its stance. A 2018 letter to the editor by anti-trans activist Kathleen Stock and others led to complaints and protests. In 2020, anti-trans contributor Suzanne Moore left following an incendiary piece attacking social constructionist views about sex. More than 200 politicians, journalists, and activists signed a letter denouncing the piece. Moore later said many other comments had been removed because of “denial of female biology.” In 2021, The Guardian censored a comment by Judith Butler:

The Terfs (trans exclusionary radical feminists) and the so-called gender critical writers have also rejected the important work in feminist philosophy of science showing how culture and nature interact (such as Karen Barad, Donna Haraway, EM Hammonds or Anne Fausto-Sterling) in favor of a regressive and spurious form of biological essentialism. So they will not be part of the coalition that seeks to fight the anti-gender movement. The anti-gender ideology is one of the dominant strains of fascism in our times. So the Terfs will not be part of the contemporary struggle against fascism, one that requires a coalition guided by struggles against racism, nationalism, xenophobia and carceral violence, one that is mindful of the high rates of femicide throughout the world, which include high rates of attacks on trans and genderqueer people.

The anti-gender movement circulates a spectre of “gender” as a force of destruction, but they never actually read any works in gender studies. Quick and fearful conclusions take the place of considered judgments. Yes, some work on gender is difficult and not everyone can read it, so we have to do better in reaching a broader public. As important as it is, however, to make complex concepts available to a popular audience, it is equally important to encourage intellectual inquiry as part of public life. Unfortunately, we are living in anti-intellectual times, and neo-fascism is becoming more normalized.

2018 open letter

In 2018 an open letter by critics of the Gender Recognition Act included many key anti-transgender extremists. They are reordered alphabetically by surname below.

  • Sophie Allen, Lecturer in Philosophy, Keele University
  • Rosalind Barber, English & Comparative Literature, Goldsmiths, University of London
  • Chetan Bhatt, Professor of Human Rights, Sociology, London School of Economics
  • Michael Biggs, Associate Professor in Sociology and Fellow of St Cross College, University of Oxford
  • Diane Brewster (Retired. ex University of Sussex and Open University)
  • Heather Brunskell-Evans, Academic, Writer and Political Commentator
  • Catherine Butler, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Bath
  • Richard Byng, Professor in Primary Care Research, University of Plymouth
  • Alex Byrne, Head of Linguistics and Philosophy Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • W Burlette Carter, Professor of Law Emeritus, The George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC
  • Jackie Cassell, Head of the Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Brighton and Sussex Medical School
  • Clare Chambers, Reader in Philosophy, University of Cambridge
  • John Collins, Philosophy, University of East Anglia
  • Sophia Connell, Philosophy, Birkbeck College London
  • Stephen Cowden, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Coventry University
  • Rosie Dias, Associate Professor, History of Art, University of Warwick
  • Debbie Epstein, Professor of Cultural Studies in Education, School of Education, University of Roehampton, London
  • Rosa Freedman PhD, LLM, LLB, Professor of Law Conflict and Global Development, Director Global Development Division, Co-Director United Nations and Global Order Research Programme, University of Reading
  • John Gardner FBA, Professor of Law and Philosophy, All Souls College, Oxford
  • Richard Garside, Director, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Senior Visiting Research Fellow, Open University
  • Leslie Green, Philosophy of Law, Balliol College, Oxford
  • Liz Guy, School of Computing, Engineering & Mathematics, University of Brighton
  • Mike Hannis, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Humanities (Ethics and Sustainability), Bath Spa University
  • PM Higgins, Honorary Research Fellow, Royal Holloway University of London; former Professor of Music, University of Nottingham; former Käthe-Leichter Visiting Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies, University of Vienna
  • Emma Hilton, University of Manchester (honorary)
  • Sian Hindle, Senior Lecturer, School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University
  • Sheila Jeffreys, Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne
  • Robert Jensen, School of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin [emeritus]
  • Jane Clare Jones, independent scholar
  • Julia Jordan, Department of English Language and Literature, UCL
  • Holly Lawford-Smith, Senior Lecturer in Political Philosophy, University of Melbourne
  • Mary Leng, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of York
  • H. Susana Marinho, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, University of Lisbon
  • Susan Matthews, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Department of English and Creative Writing, University of Roehampton
  • Ruth McGinity, Lecturer in Educational Leadership and Policy, Institue of Education, UCL
  • Laura McGrath, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of East London
  • Michele Moore, Patient Safety Academy, University of Oxford
  • Maureen O’Hara, Senior Lecturer in Law, Solicitor, Coventry University
  • Kathryn Oliver, Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Jo Phoenix, Chair in Criminology, The Open University
  • David Pilgrim, Honorary Professor of Health and Social Policy, University of Liverpool
  • Eva Poen, Lecturer in Economics, University of Exeter
  • Rupert Read, Reader in Philosopher at UEA, and Chair of Green House
  • Kathleen Richardson, Professor of Ethics and Culture of Robots and AI, Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility, De Montfort University
  • Paul Sagar, Lecturer in Political Theory, Department of Political Economy, King’s College London
  • Sophie Scott, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL
  • Lesley Semmens, Senior Lecturer (retired), School of Computing, Leeds Beckett University
  • Holly Smith, UCL Institute of Education
  • Kathleen Stock, Philosophy, University of Sussex
  • Judith Suissa, UCL Institute of Education
  • Alice Sullivan, Sociology, University College London
  • Sian Sullivan, Centre for Environmental Humanities, Bath Spa University
  • Georgia Testa, Teaching Fellow, School of Philosophy, Religion, and History of Science, University of Leeds
  • Patrick Turner, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Bath Spa University
  • Jo Waugh, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, York St John University

References

Hurley, Lee (May 30, 2023). Exclusive: Guardian writers and editor set up group to make Guardian more transphobic. TransWrites https://transwrites.world/guardian-writers-and-editor-set-up-group-to-make-guardian-more-transphobic/

Tani, Max (April 3, 2023). Inside the Guardian’s civil war over trans coverage. Semafor https://www.semafor.com/article/04/02/2023/inside-the-guardians-civil-war-over-trans-coverage

Wareham, Jamie (Jun 11, 2022). The Guardian faces boycott from LGBTQIA+ journalists. QueerAF https://www.wearequeeraf.com/the-guardian-faces-boycott-from-lgbtqia-journalists/

Akrivos D (2022). Transgender reporting in the British press: editorial standards and discursive harms in the post-Leveson era. Journal of Media Law Volume 14, 2022 – Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1080/17577632.2022.2153216

Stone, Gemma (June 7, 2021). The Guardian is Transphobic. Medium https://medium.com/@notCursedE/the-guardian-is-transphobic-eebd0d5ea63a

Gleeson, Jules (September 7 2021 ). Judith Butler: ‘We need to rethink the category of woman.’ The Guardian https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/sep/07/judith-butler-interview-gender pre-censored version: archive

Higgins, Eoin (November 5, 2021). The Guardian Tries To Intimidate Me Into Retracting My Article About Transphobia in Their Newsroom. The Flashpoint https://eoinhiggins.substack.com/p/the-guardian-tries-to-intimidate

Higgins, Eoin (September 9, 2021). The Guardian’s Censoring of Judith Butler Part of a Pattern, Current and Former Staffers Say. The Flashpoint https://eoinhiggins.substack.com/p/the-guardians-censoring-of-judith

Higgins, Eoin (September 7, 2021). Guardian Pulls Judith Butler’s Comments On “Gender-Critical” Anti-Trans Movement. The Flashpoint https://eoinhiggins.substack.com/p/guardian-pulls-judith-butlers-comments

Kearns, Madeleine (January 3, 2022). The Guardian’s Trans Problem. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-guardians-trans-problem/

Tobitt, Charlotte (November 17, 2020). Suzanne Moore leaves Guardian months after staff send letter of revolt over ‘transphobic content.’ Press Gazette https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/suzanne-moore-leaves-guardian-months-after-staff-send-letter-of-revolt-over-transphobic-content/

Powys Maurice, Emma (March 3 2020). Yet another trans person dramatically quits The Guardian amid bitter transphobia row. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/03/03/the-guardian-another-trans-person-quits-transphobia-coverage-row/

Moore, Suzanne (November 25, 2020). Why I had to leave The Guardian. UnHerd. https://unherd.com/2020/11/why-i-had-to-leave-the-guardian/

Moore, Suzanne (March 2, 2020). Women must have the right to organise. We will not be silenced. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/commentisfree/2020/mar/02/women-must-have-the-right-to-organise-we-will-not-be-silenced

Editors (March 4, 2020). Letters: Differing perspectives on transgender rights. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/mar/04/differing-perspectives-on-transgender-rights

Strudwick, Patrick (August 15, 2019). The Guardian Newspaper Has Lost Two Trans Employees Over Its Reporting On Trans Issues. Buzzfeed https://www.buzzfeed.com/patrickstrudwick/two-transgender-employees-quit-guardian-transphobia

Sam Levin, Mona Chalabi and Sabrina Siddiqui (November 2, 2018). Why we take issue with the Guardian’s stance on trans rights in the UK. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/02/guardian-editorial-response-transgender-rights-uk

Gleeson, Jules Joanne (October 21, 2018). On The Guardian’s Transphobic Centrism. New Socialist https://newsocialist.org.uk/on-the-guardians-transphobic-centrism/

Open letter (October 16, 2018). Aademics are being harassed over their research into transgender issues. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/16/academics-are-being-harassed-over-their-research-into-transgender-issues

Moore, Suzanne (January 9, 2013). I don’t care if you were born a woman or became one. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/09/dont-care-if-born-woman

Bindel, Julie (January 30, 2004). Gender benders, beware. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jan/31/gender.weekend7

Resources

The Guardian (theguardian.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

The Daily Signal is a conservative American media organization. By 2025, they had published over 2,500 anti-trans posts.

Background

The Heritage Foundation started a blog called The Foundry in 2008. In 2014, The Foundry was redirected to The Daily Signal (dailysignal.com) in June 2014. In June 2024, it became an independent publication.

Ad Fontes Media rates The Daily Signal in the Strong Right category of bias and as Unreliable, Problematic in terms of reliability. 

Resources

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

The Daily Signal (dailysignal.com)

  • Transgender
  • https://www.dailysignal.com/?s=transgender

Heritage Foundation (heritage.org)

  • The Foundry
  • blog.heritage.org (2008–2014 – archive]

X/Twitter (x.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Truth Social (truthsocial.com)

The New York Times is an American media organization. With some notable exceptions, their coverage of transgender issues has been neutral to negative. The Science, Opinion, and Books sections have been particularly biased on trans issues.

No transgender journalist has appeared on the New York Times masthead since its founding in 1851. Due to the hostile work environment, no transgender reporters work there as of 2023 according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.

Assessments

It is considered a paper of record for the United States, along with The Washington Post.

Ad Fontes Media (adfontesmedia.com)

  • New York Times
  • Reliability: 47.50 out of 64 (32+ is “generally good”)
  • Bias: -4.01 (9.5% left-leaning bias)

NewsGuard (as of January 2020)

  • Approximate score: 100
  • Standards failed: None

Anti-transgender coverage crisis

Decades of anti-transgender coverage culminated in a newsroom revolt in 2023:

According to Times sources, there used to be open Slack channels where staff could discuss any issues they had with coverage, and they freely voiced objections at all-hands meetings with the masthead editors. But now, with the advent of virtual meetings, management doesn’t pick the uncomfortable questions during Q&A.

And, that employee said, there are still no out trans reporters on staff at the paper. 

Ho (2023)

Key people

Current

Former

Contributors

Cisgender

Trans+

References

Wilkins, Riki (2024). Bad Ink: How The New York Times Sold Out Transgender Teens. Riverdale Avenue Books, ISBN 9781626016828

Urquhart, Evan (January 8, 2025). Bias at NYT: Trans Former Employee Speaks Out. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/former-editor-nyt-biased-on-trans-hiring

Bolies, Corbin (March 7, 2023). The New York Times’ Trans Coverage Debacle Was Years in the Making. The Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-new-york-times-trans-coverage-debacle-was-years-in-the-making

Ho, Soliel (August 31, 2023). Inside the New York Times’ trans coverage: ‘I wonder if people at the top fully believe in trans people’s humanity.’ San Francisco Chronicle https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/new-york-times-trans-18214925.php

Resources

New York Times (nytimes.com)

Britannica (britannica.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

WorldCat (worldcat.org)

Harper’s Magazine is an American publication founded in 1850. In the 21st century, amid the disruption of journalism and media, the magazine has had a revolving door of editors, leading to a number of questionable decisions that have affected the publication’s reputation.

No transgender journalist has ever appeared on their masthead since its founding in 1850.

“A Letter on Justice and Open Debate”

In 2020, Thomas Chatterton Williams led the effort to draft a letter decrying “illiberalism” with help from Robert Worth, George Packer, David Greenberg, and Mark Lilla. They then sought signatories without divulging who had signed. Because it “was passed among circles of activists and writers,” it is an excellent example of what The Transphobia Project hopes to reveal.

It’s one of the best recent examples of what Julia Serano calls “the Dregerian narrative” in which some elitists claim they are being persecuted or silenced by the minorities they exploit. The list featured an unusually large proportion of “gender critical” mainstays.

Signatories

Elliot Ackerman, Saladin Ambar, Martin Amis, Anne Applebaum, Marie Arana, Margaret Atwood, John Banville, Mia Bay, Louis Begley, Roger Berkowitz, Paul Berman, Sheri Berman, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Neil Blair, David W. Blight, Jennifer Finney Boylan, David Bromwich, David Brooks, Ian Buruma, Lea Carpenter, Noam Chomsky, Nicholas Christakis, Roger Cohen, Frances D. Cook, Drucilla Cornell, Kamel Daoud, Meghan Daum, Gerald Early, Jeffrey Eugenides, Dexter Filkins, Federico Finchelstein, Caitlin Flanagan, Richard T. Ford, Kmele Foster, David Frum, Francis Fukuyama, Atul Gawande, Todd Gitlin, Kim Ghattas, Malcolm Gladwell, Michelle Goldberg, Rebecca Goldstein, Anthony Grafton, David Greenberg, Linda Greenhouse, Kerri Greenidge, Rinne B. Groff, Sarah Haider, Jonathan Haidt, Roya Hakakian, Shadi Hamid, Jeet Heer, Katie Herzog, Susannah Heschel, Adam Hochschild, Arlie Russell Hochschild, Eva Hoffman, Coleman Hughes, Hussein Ibish, Michael Ignatieff, Zaid Jilani, Bill T. Jones, Wendy Kaminer, Matthew Karp, Garry Kasparov, Daniel Kehlmann, Randall Kennedy, Khaled Khalifa, Parag Khanna, Laura Kipnis, Frances Kissling, Enrique Krauze, Anthony Kronman, Joy Ladin, Nicholas Lemann, Mark Lilla, Susie Linfield, Damon Linker, Dahlia Lithwick, Steven Lukes, John R. MacArthur, Susan Madrak, Phoebe Maltz Bovy, Greil Marcus, Wynton Marsalis, Kati Marton, Debra Mashek, Deirdre McCloskey, John McWhorter, Uday Mehta, Andrew Moravcsik, Yascha Mounk, Samuel Moyn, Meera Nanda, Cary Nelson, Olivia Nuzzi, Mark Oppenheimer, Dael Orlandersmith, George Packer, Nell Irvin Painter, Greg Pardlo, Orlando Patterson, Steven Pinker, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Katha Pollitt, Claire Bond Potter, Taufiq Rahim, Zia Haider Rahman, Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, Jonathan Rauch, Neil Roberts, Melvin Rogers, Kat Rosenfield, Loretta J. Ross, J. K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie, Karim Sadjadpour, Daryl Michael Scott, Diana Senechal, Jennifer Senior, Judith Shulevitz, Jesse Singal, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Andrew Solomon, Deborah Solomon, Allison Stanger, Paul Starr, Wendell Steavenson, Gloria Steinem, Nadine Strossen, Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Kian Tajbakhsh, Zephyr Teachout, Cynthia Tucker, Adaner Usmani, Chloé Valdary, Lucía Martínez Valdivia, Helen Vendler, Judy B. Walzer, Michael Walzer, Eric K. Washington, Caroline Weber, Randi Weingarten, Bari Weiss, Sean Wilentz, Garry Wills, Thomas Chatterton Williams, Robert F. Worth, Molly Worthen, Matthew Yglesias, Emily Yoffe, Cathy Young, Fareed Zakaria

A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate

A letter countering it appeared shortly after that discussed the original’s “gender critical” aims:

The letter reads as a caustic reaction to a diversifying industry — one that’s starting to challenge institutional norms that have protected bigotry. The writers of the letter use seductive but nebulous concepts and coded language to obscure the actual meaning behind their words, in what seems like an attempt to control and derail the ongoing debate about who gets to have a platform. 

In fact, a number of the signatories have made a point of punishing people who have spoken out against them, including Bari Weiss (who made a name for herself as a Columbia University undergrad by harassing and infringing upon the speech of professors she considered to be anti-Israel, and later attempted to shame multiple media outlets into firing freelance journalist Erin Biba for her tweets), Katha Pollitt (whose transphobic rhetoric has extended to trying to deny trans journalists access to professional networking tools), Emily Yoffe (who has spoken out against sexual-assault survivors expressing their free speech rights), Anne-Marie Slaughter (who terminated her Google-funded organization’s partnership with a Google critic), and Cary Nelson (whose support of free speech, apparently, does not extend to everyone) — just to name a few. What gives them the right to use their platforms to harass others into silence, especially writers with smaller platforms and less institutional support, while preaching that silencing writers is a problem? 

Rowling, one of the signers, has spouted transphobic and transmisogynist rhetoric, mocking the idea that trans men could exist, and likening transition-related medical care such as hormone replacement therapy to conversion therapy. She directly interacts with fans on Twitter, publishes letters littered with transphobic rhetoric, and gets away with platforming violent anti-trans speakers to her 14 million followers.

Jesse Singal, another signer, is a cis man infamous for advancing his career by writing derogatorily about trans issues. In 2018, Singal had a cover story in The Atlantic expressing skepticism about the benefits of gender-affirming care for trans youth. No trans writer has been afforded the same space. Singal often faces and dismisses criticism from trans people, but he has a much larger platform than any trans journalist. In fact, a 2018 Jezebel report found that Singal was part of a closed Google listserv of more than 400 left-leaning media elites who praised his work, with not a single out trans person in the group. He also has an antagonistic history with trans journalists, academics, and other writers, dedicating many Medium posts to attempting to refute or discredit their claims and reputations.

It’s also clear that the organizers of the letter did not communicate clearly and honestly with all the signatories. One invited professor, who did not sign the Harper’s letter, said that he was asked to sign a letter “arguing for bolder, more meaningful efforts at racial and gender inclusion in journalism, academia, and the arts.” The letter in its final form fails to make this argument at all. Another of the signers, author and professor Jennifer Finney Boylan, who is also a trans woman, said on Twitter that she did not know who else had signed it until it was published. Another signatory, Lucia Martinez Valdivia, said in a Medium post: “When I asked to know who the other signatories were, the names I was shown were those of people of color from all over the political spectrum, and not those of people who have taken gender-critical or trans-exclusionary positions.”

Under the guise of free speech and free exchange of ideas, the letter appears to be asking for unrestricted freedom to espouse their points of view free from consequence or criticism.

Other critics

Jeff Yang criticized the letter:

It’s hard not to see the letter as merely an elegantly written affirmation of elitism and privilege.

Each has also, in the face of resultant backlash, dismissed rebuttals and positioned themselves as beleaguered victims of the current culture, turning their support for open debate and free expression into an example of stark hypocrisy or sly gaslighting.

That’s because even if the letter were warranted — even if it weren’t an off-note, Olympian statement that reads as self-interested and elitist at best — it’s sure to be used by serial bad actors on the list as a shield against legitimate criticism.

References

[Signatories] (July 7, 2020). A Letter on Justice and Open Debate. Harper’s Magazine https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/

[Signatories] (July 10, 2020), A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate The Objective https://www.objectivejournalism.org/p/a-more-specific-letter-on-justice

Yang, Jeff (July 10, 2020). The problem with ‘the letter.’ CNN https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/opinions/the-letter-harpers-cancel-culture-open-debate-yang/index.html

Ellefson, Lindsey (July 9, 2020). Editor Who Led Harper’s Letter Says The Cancel Culture It Warns of Drove Backlash. The Wrap https://www.thewrap.com/harpers-letter-cancel-culture-backlash-thomas-williams/

McNamara, Mary (July 9, 2020). Column: ‘Cancel culture’ is not the problem. The Harper’s letter is. Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-07-09/cancel-culture-harpers-letter

Giorgis, Hannah (July 13, 2020). A Deeply Provincial View of Free Speech. The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/07/harpers-letter-free-speech/614080/

The Sunday Times is a conservative British publication. It has taken a consistently anti-transgender stance throughout its history.

Background

The publication was founded in 1821 as The New Observer. In 1822 it was renamed The Sunday Times

Open letters

The Sunday Times has published several anti-trans letters to the editor. Notable letters include.

We stand with JK against hate (2020)

Press pause on Conversion Therapy Bill (2022)

References

John, Tara (October 9, 2021). Anti-trans rhetoric is rife in the British media. Little is being done to extinguish the flames. CNN https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/09/uk/uk-trans-rights-gender-critical-media-intl-gbr-cmd/index.html

Signatories (September 27 2020). We stand with JK against hate. The Sunday Times [archive] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/letters-to-the-editor-banish-empire-and-make-us-all-proud-5tl06tt6h

Signatories (April 10, 2022) Press pause on Conversion Therapy Bill. The Sunday Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/press-pause-on-conversion-therapy-bill-g7vbtvc7h

Resources

The Sunday Times (thetimes.co.uk/?sunday)

  • thesundaytimes.co.uk (2010-2023) [archive]
  • thetim.es

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Twitter (twitter.com)

  • TransHatred (documented transphobic coverage from 2017-2020)
  • TheSundayTimes (deleted)
  • thetimes
  • https://twitter.com/timesonline
  • https://twitter.com/thetimeslive
  • https://twitter.com/ST_Newsroom