Erik Wemple vs. transgender people

Erik Wemple is an American writer and anti-transgender activist. As media critic for the Washington Post, Wemple defended the New York Times during its anti-trans coverage crisis of the 2020s.

Background

Erik Boris Wemple was born August 18, 1964 in Niskayuna, New York and grew up in the Schenectady area. Wemple’s parent Marilyn Helen Greve Wemple (1930–2000) had three children: Mark, Kirk, and Erik (the youngest). Parent Clark Cullings Wemple (1927–1993) was a prominent local Republican politician and lawyer.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College in 1986, Wemple earned a master’s degree from Georgetown University in 1989. After covering and consulting on US export control policy, Wemple began covering local Washington, DC news, including freelancing at Washington City Paper starting in 1994. Wemple served one term on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in 1995, representing Dupont Circle.

From 1999 to 2000, Wemple was “Loose Lips” gossip columnist at Washington City Paper. Wemple left to work at inside.com for two years before returning to Washington City Paper as editor in 2002.

In 2006 Wemple worked for a few days as editor in chief of The Village Voice before backing out and returning to Washington City Paper until 2010. After working at TBD.com in 2010, Wemple joined the Washington Post in 2011.

Wemple’s spouse, Stephanie Mencimer (born September 1969), is also a writer. They live in Maryland and have two children, Sam (born ~2004) and Lucy (born ~2006).

New York Times anti-trans coverage crisis

Although Wemple claims the New York Times coverage of trans issues is unbiased, in 2022 Wemple at least acknowledged the controversy. Wemple confirmed that a Times employee had reportedly been accosted for their anti-trans coverage, as first reported by Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger. A Times spokesperson told Wemple: “Our employee was recognized in public. The person said something about ‘attempts to eliminate trans people’ and then spat on the employee.” The specific employee was not mentioned, and New York Times has too many anti-trans employees to make a guess.

In 2023, Jesse Singal, the anti-trans activist hired by Times anti-trans activist Pamela Paul to review a book by anti-trans activist Helen Joyce, naturally praised Wemple.

6/ The thoughtful responses carefully evaluating Eric Wemple's arguments and where they fall short began trickling in shortly after the piece went up:https://t.co/Rr8ND6Efk9
— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) June 15, 2023

Wemple did not bother to mention that Singal’s review was the cause of an earlier newsroom revolt over anti-trans activism.

References

Urquhart, Evan (June 15, 2023). Erik Wemple Doesn’t Think the New York Times is Biased. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/erik-wemple-doesnt-think-the-new-york-times-is-biased

Sulzberger, A.G. (April 4, 2022). 2022 State of The Times Remarks. New York Times Company https://www.nytco.com/press/2022-state-of-the-times-remarks/

Wemple, Erik (June 15, 2023 ) Opinion: A second look at the attacks on the New York Times’s trans coverage. Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/15/new-york-times-transgender-coverage-controversy/

Staff report (June 15, 2006). Breaking: New ‘Voice’ EIC Erik Wemple Quits Before He Starts. Gawker https://www.gawker.com/news/village-voice/breaking-new-voice-eic-erik-wemple-quits-before-he-starts-181133.php [archive]

Wemple, Erik (August 9, 2010). Letter from the editor: TBD is a little less TBD. TBD https://web.archive.org/web/20100815213043/http://www.tbd.com/articles/2010/08/letter-from-the-editor-tbd-is-a-little-less-tbd-790.html

Calderone, Michael (February 23, 2010). Wemple to edit Allbritton local site. Politico https://www.politico.com/story/2010/02/wemple-to-edit-allbritton-local-site-033365

Nycz-Conner, Jennifer (February 23, 2010). Erik Wemple leaves Washington City Paper, joins Allbritton Communications. Washington Business Journal https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/02/22/daily22.html

Farhi, Paul (February 24, 2010). City Paper’s Erik Wemple to edit local news Web site. Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/23/AR2010022304711.html

Beaujon, Andrew (February 23, 2010). Erik Wemple to Leave City Paper, Will Edit Startup Local News Site. Washington City Paper https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/474505/erik-wemple-to-leave-city-paper-will-edit-startup-local-news-site/

Wilkin, Jeff (November 3, 2014). On Election Day ’74, winners savored victories. https://dailygazette.com/2014/11/03/1103_scrapbook/

McGuire, Mark (September 21, 2014). Niskayuna native Erik Wemple now a D.C. fixture. The Daily Gazette https://dailygazette.com/2014/09/21/niskayuna-native-dc-fixture/

Staff report (May 31, 2006). Erik Wemple Hired to Lead the Village Voice. AAN News https://aan.org/aan/erik-wemple-hired-to-lead-the-village-voice/

Staff rpeort (February 23, 2010). Washington City Paper editor Erik Wemple is leaving the paper. AAN News https://aan.org/aan/washington-city-paper-editor-erik-wemple-is-leaving-the-paper/ [archive]

Beaujon, Andrew (January 6, 2023) A Chat With Erik Wemple, One of the Washington Post’s New Editorial Writers for DC Matters. Washingtonian https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/01/06/erik-wemple-washington-post-editorial-writer-dc-md-va/