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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.

Letter

JK Rowling has been subjected to an onslaught of abuse that highlights an insidious, authoritarian and misogynistic trend in social media.

Rowling has consistently shown herself to be an honourable and compassionate person, and the appalling hashtag #RIPJKRowling is just the latest example of hate speech directed against her and other women that Twitter and other platforms enable and implicitly endorse.

We are signing this letter in the hope that, if more people stand up against the targeting of women online, we might at least make it less acceptable to engage in it or profit from it.

We wish JK Rowling well and stand in solidarity with her.

Signatories

  • Alexander Armstrong, actor
  • Trezza Azzopardi, writer
  • Grace Carley, producer
  • Maureen Chadwick, writer
  • Malcolm Clark, television producer-director
  • Nick Cohen, journalist
  • Amanda Craig, writer
  • 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
  • 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/

Source letter

58 signatories (September 27, 2020). [Letter]: We stant with JK against hate. The Sunday Times https://www.thetimes.com/comment/article/letters-to-the-editor-banish-empire-and-make-us-all-proud-5tl06tt6h

Fox News is a conservative American media organization that publishes consistently anti-transgender content. 2025 analysis revealed that Fox News covered anti-trans executive orders from the Trump Administration twice as much as other outlets.

On-air personalities

A number of former and current on-air personalities at Fox News are noted to anti-transgender activism, including:

References

Adamczeski, Ryan (March 12 2025 ). Fox News covers transgender issues almost twice as much as other major networks. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/fox-news-transgender-coverage

McNeill, Zane (March 12, 2025). Trump’s Anti-Trans Orders Get Most Airtime on Fox News, Report Finds. Truthout https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-anti-trans-orders-get-most-airtime-on-fox-news-report-finds/

Baragona, Justin (11 March 2025 ). New analysis reveals the extent of Fox News’ obsession with Trump’s anti-trans orders. The independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-transgender-executive-orders-fox-news-cnn-b2712988.html

Tirrell, Alyssa [with Harrison Ray & Rob Savillo] (March 11, 2025). Fox News outstripped CNN and MSNBC in first month covering Trump’s anti-trans executive orders. Median Matters https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-news-outstripped-cnn-and-msnbc-first-month-covering-trumps-anti-trans-executive-orders

Resources

Fox News (foxnews.com)

  • Transgender
  • foxnews.com/search-results/search#q=transgender

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

The Washington Free Beacon is a conservative American group blog. It publishes consistently anti-transgender content. Notable anti-trans contributors include Stanley Goldfarb, Charles Fain Lehman, Aaron Sibarium, Robert VerBruggen, and Matt Walsh.

Background

The Free Beacon was founded in 2012 by Michael Goldfarb (child of anti-trans activist Stanley Goldfarb of Do No Harm), Aaron Harrison, and Matthew Continetti (who is married to one of Bill Kristol’s children and was founding editor until 2019). Funding for the site originally came from billionaire Republican donors, which has drawn scrutiny and discussion regarding potential influence on editorial direction.

The site covers a wide range of topics, including federal government activities, congressional politics, elections, foreign policy, and national security. Its reporting has sometimes attracted attention for publishing stories critical of Democratic politicians, though it also occasionally covers controversies involving Republicans.

Over time, the outlet has expanded its staff and increased its coverage scope, including investigative journalism into lobbying, campaign finance, and policy decisions. While its content includes original reporting, it also features opinion columns from conservative commentators.

People

Founders

Masthead (2025)

  • Eliana Johnson Editor in Chief (since 2019)
  • Collin Anderson Executive Editor
  • Vic Matus Arts & Culture Editor
  • Peter Hasson Editor
  • Ethan Barton Editor
  • Zach Kessel Politics Editor
  • Karl Salzmann News Editor
  • Jameson Mitrovich Assistant Editor
  • Alex Welz Assistant Editor
  • Edwin Carlson Assistant Editor
  • Adam Kredo Senior Writer
  • Andrew Stiles Senior Writer
  • Alana Goodman Senior Investigative Reporter
  • Andrew Kerr Senior Investigative Reporter
  • Chuck Ross Senior Investigative Reporter
  • Jon Levine Political Reporter
  • Aaron Sibarium Staff Writer
  • Meghan Blonder Staff Writer
  • Jessica Costescu Staff Writer
  • Thomas Catenacci Staff Writer
  • Jessica Schwalb Staff Writer
  • Matthew Xiao Breaking News Writer
  • Thaleigha Rampersad Multimedia Manager
  • Matthew Continetti Founding Editor (2012–2019)

Contributors who have written about trans issues include:

References

Borchers, Callum (October 27, 2017). Analysis | Washington Free Beacon reported ‘an unknown GOP client’ funded Fusion GPS. It was the Beacon. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/10/27/the-washington-free-beacon-reported-an-unknown-gop-client-funded-fusion-gps-it-was-the-washington-free-beacon/

Selected writing

Sibarium, Aaron (November 3, 2025). ‘Citation Diversity Statement’: A Renowned Chemist Sounds Off On Her Boycott of a Premier Scientific Journal. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/america/citation-diversity-statement-a-renowned-chemist-sounds-off-on-her-boycott-of-a-premier-scientific-journal/

Sibarium, Aaron (October 13, 2025). The Problem With Conversion Therapy Bans. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/america/the-problem-with-conversion-therapy-bans/

Sibarium, Aaron (September 15, 2025). EXCLUSIVE: FBI Investigating Social Media Accounts That Appeared To Indicate Foreknowledge of Kirk Assassination. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/politics/exclusive-fbi-investigating-social-media-accounts-that-appeared-to-indicate-foreknowledge-of-kirk-assassination/

Goldfarb, Stanley (June 8, 2025). REVIEW: ‘The Age of Diagnosis: How Our Obsession with Medical Labels Is Making Us Sicker’ by Suzanne O’Sullivan. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/culture/the-diagnosis-dilemma/

Sibarium, Aaron (January 16, 2025). Penn Professor’s Fight for Free Speech Heads to Federal Court. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/campus/penn-professors-fight-for-free-speech-heads-to-federal-court/

Sibarium, Aaron (December 4, 2024). What Went Down at the Supreme Court Hearing on Tennessee’s Ban on Pediatric Gender Medicine. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/courts/what-went-down-at-the-supreme-court-hearing-on-tennessees-ban-on-pediatric-gender-medicine/

Goldfarb, Stanley (November 24, 2024). In Search of a Second Opinion. REVIEW: ‘Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health’ by Marty Makary. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/culture/in-search-of-a-second-opinion/

Sibarium, Aaron (July 23, 2024). Top Transgender Health Group Said Hormones, Surgeries Were ‘Medically Necessary’ So That Insurance Would Cover Them, Documents Show. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/courts/top-transgender-health-group-said-hormones-surgeries-were-medically-necessary-so-that-insurance-would-cover-them-documents-show/

Sibarium, Aaron (October 4, 2023). Planned Parenthood is Helping Teenagers Transition After a 30 Minute Consult. Parents and Doctors are Sounding the Alarm. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/planned-parenthood-is-helping-teenagers-transition-after-a-30-minute-consult-parents-and-doctors-are-sounding-the-alarm/

Sibarium, Aaron (August 11, 2023). They Support Sex Changes for Children, With Safeguards. A Top Child Psychiatry Group Won’t Let Them Speak at Its Annual Conference. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/campus/they-support-sex-changes-for-children-with-safeguards-a-top-child-psychiatry-group-wont-let-them-speak-at-its-annual-conference/

Sibarium, Aaron (May 15, 2023). How A Left-Wing Activist Group Teamed Up With Big Pharma To Push Radical Gender Ideology on American Hospitals. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/how-left-wing-activist-group-teamed-up-with-big-pharma-to-push-radical-gender-ideology-on-american-hospitals/

Sibarium, Aaron (March 3, 2023). Yale Law School Invites Drag Queen To Read Ibram X. Kendi Out Loud to Students. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/campus/yale-law-school-invites-drag-queen-to-read-ibram-x-kendi-out-loud-to-students/

Sibarium, Aaron (February 17, 2023). Is Your Baby ‘Nonbinary’? Social Workers in Pennsylvania Are Now Required To Say. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/is-your-baby-nonbinary-social-workers-in-pennsylvania-are-now-required-to-say/

Sibarium, Aaron (December 7, 2022). The Hijacking of Pediatric Medicine. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/the-hijacking-of-pediatric-medicine/

Sibarium, Aaron (June 28, 2022). A Gay Activist Group Gave Free Bus Tickets to Minorities and Trans People. It Likely Violated Civil Rights Law. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/culture/a-gay-activist-group-gave-free-bus-tickets-to-minorities-and-trans-people-it-likely-violated-civil-rights-law/

Walsh, Matt (June 18, 2022). How Transgenderism Moved From Sideshow to the Main Stage: An excerpt from Matt Walsh’s new book, ‘What Is a Woman?’ Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/culture/how-transgenderism-moved-from-sideshow-to-the-main-stage/

Sibarium, Aaron (June 29, 2021). In the UK, Resistance to Transgender Activism Is Fueled by Socialized Medicine and Feminist Wine Moms. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/culture/in-the-uk-resistance-to-transgender-activism-is-fueled-by-socialized-medicine-and-feminist-wine-moms/

Continetti, Matthew; Goldfarb, Michael (October 27, 2017). Fusion GPS and the Washington Free Beacon: A note to our readers. Washington Free Beacon https://freebeacon.com/uncategorized/fusion-gps-washington-free-beacon/

Resources

The Washington Free Beacon (freebeacon.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

X/Twitter (x.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Ad Fontes (adfontesmedia.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

AllSides (allsides.com)

Muck Rack (muckrack.com)

PolitiFact (politifact.com)

Fortune is an American media organization. Its coverage of trans issues is generally fair and accurate.

In 2024 Fortune published its first Global LGBTQ+ Leaders list, which included Coty CEO Sue Nabi and United Therapeutics CEO Martine Rothblatt.

Resources

Fortune (fortune.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Facebook (facebook.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

LinledIn (linkedin.com)

  • Fortune
  • linkedin.com/company/fortune

The New Yorker is an American media organization. Its coverage of trans topics has been generally nuanced and balanced.

Background

The New Yorker was founded in 1925. It primarily covers culture and profiles figures in the news.

Trans and gender diverse coverage

Trans and gender diverse people they have covered or who have bylines include:

  • Jane Schoenbrun
  • Lucy Sante
  • Paul B. Preciado
  • Masha Gessen
  • MĂłnica Taboada-Tapia
  • Greek Lankton
  • Elliot Page
  • Imogen Binnie
  • Lia Thomas
  • Maia Kobabe
  • Caitlyn Jenner
  • Candy Darling
  • Judith Butler
  • Torrey Peters
  • Joey Soloway
  • Christine Hallquist
  • Peppermint
  • T Cooper
  • Janet Mock
  • Michelle Ainsworth and Jennifer Lee
  • Gavin Grimm
  • Jordy Rosenberg

The magazine has also profiled people who work closely with trans and gender diverse people, including photographers Ethan James Green and Melody Melamed, and plastic surgeon Jordan Deschamps-Braly.

What Is a Woman? (2014)

In 2014, The New Yorker tackled the conflict between “radical feminism vs. transgenderism” on their podcast, discussing a piece by Michelle Goldberg that sympathetically profiled gender critical activists. The full title of Goldberg’s piece is “What is a Woman? The dispute between radical feminism and transgenderism.”

Goldberg outlines the 1973 controversy around attacks on trans singer Beth Elliott at the West Coast Lesbian Conference, as well as the attacks on artist Sandy Stone in the late 1970s.

Goldberg interviews Lierre Keith at a Radfems Respond event in Portland, Oregon, and name-drops several others:

Goldberg also interviewed biologist Julia Serano for the piece. Serano wrote several critical responses, sharing all email correspondence with Goldberg. Serano was concerned about how Sheila Jeffreys misused passages from Serano’s autobiography to claim Serano was “autogynephilic.” Although Goldberg removed some of the passages in the draft after Serano objected, Serano wrote that Goldberg “casually mentions that Jeffreys (who is depicted as a sympathetic, if eccentric, character in the article) considers me to be an ‘autogynephile’ without mentioning any of my arguments against the theory and Jeffreys’s hypocritical appropriation of it.”

In Columbia Journalism Review, Jos Truitt sharply criticized Goldberg’s framing:

To any observer aware of the conflict, the article reads like a push piece for Jeffreys’ book: It accepts her framing on a number of issues, and the only trans woman voices, included at the end of the article, are women trans-exclusionary radical feminists have attempted to discredit, quoted using trans-exclusionary feminists’ framing. Goldberg establishes that trans identities should be up for debate by first quoting a trans-exclusionary radical feminist using male pronouns to refer to trans women, and then using male pronouns herself.

A Club for the Cancelled (2023)

Emma Green’s profile of the “Gathering of Thought Criminals” gives a glimpse into one reactionary network that was part of the burgeoning anti-trans movement. People mentioned include:

Is It Possible to Be Both Moderate and Anti-Woke? (2023)

Emma Green’s profile of “anti-woke nonprofits” chronicles how Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism was founded and mismanaged. People mentioned include many leading lights in anti-transgender activism:

Christopher Rufo profile (2023)

Emma Green’s brief profile of anti-trans extremist Christopher Rufo’s 2023 book tour for America’s Cultural Revolution mentions Manhattan Institute president Reihan Salam and Rufo’s chief of staff Armen Tooloee:

As the waitstaff packed up the booze, Rufo reminisced with Armen Tooloee, his chief of staff. “We got surrounded by a mob of angry non-binaries in Florida,” Rufo said. Tooloee “walks in with the biggest smile on his face, like yea-a-ah. There’s cops everywhere. And Armen is in a state of bliss. He’s like a Buddha!” Tooloee, who has a groomed beard, said that he’d had a lot of practice dealing with progressive protesters as an undergraduate, when he ran a College Republicans’ “affirmative-action bake sale.” (Black students got cheaper cookies than white students, for example.)

Selected articles

Thomas, Louisa (January 19, 2025). What’s Really Behind the House Bill to Ban Transgender Athletes from School Sports? The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/whats-really-behind-the-house-bill-to-ban-transgender-athletes-from-school-sports

Seidlitz, Holden (June 10, 2024). Jane Schoenbrun Finds Horror Close to Home. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/jane-schoenbrun-finds-horror-close-to-home

Brody, Richard (May 3, 2024). “I Saw the TV Glow” Is a Profound Vision of the Trans Experience. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/i-saw-the-tv-glow-is-a-profound-vision-of-the-trans-experience

Witt, Emily (March 21, 2024). How Lucy Sante Became the Person She Feared. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/how-lucy-sante-became-the-person-she-feared

Brody, Richard (November 10, 2023). A Philosopher-Filmmaker’s Polyphonic Perspective on Trans Experience. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/a-philosopher-filmmakers-polyphonic-perspective-on-trans-experience

Green, Emma (August 14, 2023). Conservative Pirates Take Park Avenue. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/21/conservative-pirates-take-the-mondrian-hotel [later retitled Counterprogramming]

Green, Emma (June 5, 2023). Is It Possible to Be Both Moderate and Anti-Woke? The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-activism/is-it-possible-to-be-both-moderate-and-anti-woke

Remmick, David (March 11, 2023). What We Talk About When We Talk About Trans Rights. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-new-yorker-interview/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-trans-rights

Mackey, Danielle (December 21, 2022). Isolation and Belonging in “Two-Spirit.” The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/isolation-and-belonging-in-two-spirit

Fateman, Johanna (November 28, 2022). Greer Lankton’s Lonely Dolls. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/greer-lanktons-lonely-dolls

Long, Crispin (July 12, 2022). Elliot Page Brings His Misfit Characters to Life. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/elliot-page-brings-his-misfit-characters-to-life

Burt, Stephanie (June 20, 2022). The Invention of the Trans Novel. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/06/27/the-invention-of-the-trans-novel-imogen-binnie-nevada

Gessen, Masha (June 14, 2022). How Kyiv’s L.G.B.T.Q. Community Found Shelter from the Russian Invasion. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/how-kyivs-lgbtq-community-found-shelter-from-the-russian-invasion

Thomas, Louisa (March 17, 2022). How One Swimmer Became the Focus of a Debate About Trans Athletes. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/how-one-swimmer-became-the-focus-of-a-debate-about-trans-athletes

Long, Crispin (January 31, 2021). The Insider Insights of “Detransition, Baby.” The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-insider-insights-of-detransition-baby

Kobabe, Maia (December 18, 2020). The Best Gifts I Received Before Top Surgery. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/best-gifts-i-received-before-top-surgery

Editors (June 9, 2019). Sunday Reading: Pride & the Fiftieth Anniversary of Stonewall. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/books/double-take/sunday-reading-pride-and-the-fiftieth-anniversary-of-stonewall

Als, Hilton (March 24, 2019). “To Live in the World, and Not to Hide”: An Interview with Janet Mock. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/to-live-in-the-world-and-not-to-hide-an-interview-with-janet-mock

Schulman, Michael (March 12, 2019). A Counterculture Portraitist’s Chronicle of New York’s Youth. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/a-counterculture-portraitists-chronicle-of-new-yorks-youth

Lipstein, Ray (November 26, 2018). “Man Made,” a Film About Transgender Bodybuilders, Upends the Traditional Documentary Gaze. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/man-made-a-film-about-transgender-bodybuilders-upends-the-traditional-documentary-gaze

Solowat, [Joey] (October 7, 2018), [Joey] Soloway Tells the Personal Story Behind “Transparent.” The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/are-you-sitting-down

Gessen, Masha (August 16, 2018). Christine Hallquist’s Vermont Win and the Emergence of Transgender Politicians. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/christine-hallquists-vermont-win-and-the-emergence-of-transgender-politicians

Schulman, Michael (July 27, 2018). “Head Over Heels,” Reviewed: A Trans-Positive Spin on a Sixteenth-Century Romance, with Help from the Go-Go’s. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/head-over-heels-reviewed-a-trans-positive-spin-on-a-sixteenth-century-romance-with-help-from-the-go-gos

Waldman, Katy (June 27, 2018). “Confessions of the Fox” Is a Cunning Metafiction of Vulpine Versatility. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/confessions-of-the-fox-is-a-cunning-metafiction-of-vulpine-versatility

Mead, Rebecca (March 12, 2018). The Story of a Trans Woman’s Face. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/19/the-story-of-a-trans-womans-face

Goetsch, Diana (March 6, 2018). Teaching William Zinsser to Write Poetry. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/teaching-william-zinsser-to-write-poetry

Hart, Michelle (July 16, 2017). Portrait of a Couple in Love and in Transition. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/a-portrait-of-a-middle-aged-couple-in-transition

Bridy, Richard (April 7, 2017). A Film Series Explores the Crossing of Gender Lines. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/17/a-film-series-explores-the-crossing-of-gender-lines

Gersen, Jeannie Suk (December 6, 2016). Gavin Grimm’s Transgender-Rights Case and the Problem with Informal Executive Action. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/gavin-grimms-transgender-rights-case-and-the-problem-with-informal-executive-action

Seliger, Mark (July 25, 2016). The Trans Community of Christopher Street. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/the-trans-community-of-christopher-street

Alford, Henry (June 13, 2016). North Carolina Police Blotter. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/06/20/north-carolina-police-blotter-by-henry-alford

Socarides, Richard (March 28, 2016). North Carolina and the Gay-Rights Backlash. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/north-carolina-and-the-gay-rights-backlash

Dunham, Cyrus Grace (February 8, 2016). The Forgotten Ones: Queer and Trans Lives in the Prison System. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-forgotten-ones-queer-and-trans-lives-in-the-prison-system

Gersen, Jeannie Suk (January 25, 2016). Who’s Afraid of Gender-Neutral Bathrooms? The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/whos-afraid-of-same-sex-bathrooms

Dunham, Cyrus Grace (November 19, 2015). Stuck in Stonewall. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stuck-in-stonewall

Weinstein, Michael M. (November 17, 2015). Transgender Portraits and the Things a Body Won’t Tell. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/transgender-portraits-and-the-things-a-body-wont-tell

Burt, Stephanie (July 27, 2015). Kim, Caitlyn, and the People We Want to See. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/kim-caitlyn-and-the-people-we-want-to-see

Mead, Rebecca (June 2, 2015). Caitlyn Jenner’s Big DĂ©but. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/caitlyn-jenners-big-debut

Scott, Andrea K. (May 8, 2015). Zanele Muholi. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/18/out-look

La Force, Thessaly (April 26, 2015). Bruce Jenner and the Modern American Family. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/bruce-jenner-and-the-modern-american-family

Goldberg, Michelle (July 28, 2014). What Is a Woman? The dispute between radical feminism and transgenderism. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/04/woman-2

Editors (July 28, 2014). Out Loud: Radical Feminism Vs. Transgenderism. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/loud-radical-feminism-vs-transgenderism

Als, Hilton (April 18, 2011). Self-Made Woman. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/04/25/self-made-woman

Levy, Ariel (November 19, 2009). Either/Or. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/11/30/caster-semenya-profile-either-or

Als, Hilton (July 13, 2009). Diva Deconstructed. The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/07/20/diva-deconstructed

Media

(May 31, 2024). The Trans Athletes Who Changed the Olympics—in 1936 https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/the-trans-athletes-who-changed-the-olympics-in-1936

(March 15, 2024). Judith Butler Can’t “Take Credit or Blame” for Gender Furor. https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/judith-butler-cant-take-credit-or-blame-for-gender-furor

(June 9, 2023). At an Embattled Moment, the New York Times’ Publisher Makes a Stand https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/at-an-embattled-moment-the-new-york-timess-publisher-makes-a-stand

(March 13, 2023). Masha Gessen on the War Against Trans Rights https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/masha-gessen-on-the-war-against-trans-rights

(November 4, 2022). Confronting Harassment in “Night Ride” https://www.newyorker.com/culture/screening-room/confronting-harassment-in-night-ride

(June 1, 2022). Rethinking Identity and Testosterone in “Imagine a Body” https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/rethinking-identity-and-testosterone-in-imagine-a-body

(May 20, 2022). The Attack on Gender-Affirming Medical Care https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/the-attack-on-gender-affirming-medical-care

(October 27, 2021). A Texan Housepainter’s Journey to Gender Confidence https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/a-texan-housepainters-journey-to-gender-confidence

Long, Crispin (June 24, 2020). “Raising Baby Grey” Explores the World of Gender-Neutral Parenting https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/raising-baby-grey-explores-the-world-of-gender-neutral-parenting

Als, Hilton (January 7, 2019). Janet Mock Finds Her Voice. https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/political-scene/janet-mock-finds-her-voice

Sasha Weiss, Margaret Talbot, and Michelle Goldberg (July 28, 2014). Out Loud: Radical Feminism Vs. Transgenderism. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/loud-radical-feminism-vs-transgenderism

Resources

The New Yorker (newyorker.com)

The Wall Street Journal is an American media organization that publishes consistently anti-trans content, especially on the Opinion page.

Their journalism is considered center to center-right, and the editorial page is considered right-wing/conservative. The opinion section frequently promotes and platforms major anti-trans voices, including Ben Appel, Farr Curlin, Erin Friday, Roy Eappen, Gerald Posner, J. Michael Bailey, Abigail Shrier, Leor Sapir, and Colin Wright.

Contributors

In 2023, the WSJ significantly increased its anti-transgender coverage.

Leor Sapir and Colin Wright wrote a piece attacking academic publisher Springer after it retracted an unethical paper by J. Michael Bailey in 2023. The previous year, Wright had invoked the “tomboy erasure” conspiracy theory that claims gender diverse cisgender children are being forced to transition as a form of anti-LGB conversion therapy.

Abigail Shrier was allowed to complain about “The Transgender War on Women.”

Joe Barrett covered state recognition of trans identity documents. Jathon Sapsford and Stephanie Armour quoted anti-trans activist Leor Sapir, and Republican politicians Dan Crenshaw and Chris Christie, with rebuttal by Democrat Frank Pallone Jr. Stephanie Armour also covered Medicaid coverage of trans health services.

Laura Kusisto and Louise Radnofsky covered sex-segregated competitive sports. Ben Chapman and Laine Higgins also covered this.

Mariah Timms covered anti-trans developments in Missouri under AG Andrew Bailey.

Lindsay Wise, Simon J. Levien, and Isaac Yu covered Republican attempts to control the reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy of others.

Elizabeth Findell, Adolfo Flores and Peter Champelli covered the Texas ban on trans healthcare.

Mariah Timms and Laura Kusisto covered Tennessee’s ban on trans healthcare for minors.

Talal Ansari covered Zooey Zephyr’s removal from the Montana House floor.

The editorial board opined about “Transgender Patients vs. Religious Doctors: The Franciscan Alliance might be the new Little Sisters of the Poor.”

2023 Endocrine Society attacks

After Roy Eappen and Ian Kingsbury of anti-trans group Do No Harm attacked the Endocrine Society, President Stephen R. Hammes responded with an outline of the medical consensus behind the Endocrine Society’s guidelines.

Hammes was then attacked by a group of anti-trans clinicians in a subsequent letter. The signatories are:

FINLAND

UNITED KINGDOM

SWEDEN

  • Angela SĂ€mfjord, M.D. Senior consultant, Sahlgrenska University Hospital
  • Sven RomĂĄn, M.D. Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

NORWAY

  • Anne WĂŠhre, M.D., Ph.D. Senior consultant, Oslo University Hospital

BELGIUM

  • Em. Prof. Patrik Vankrunkelsven, M.D. Ph.D. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Honorary senator
  • Sophie DechĂȘne, M.R.C.Psych. Child and adolescent psychiatrist
  • Beryl Koener, M.D., Ph.D. Child and adolescent psychiatrist

FRANCE

  • Prof. Celine Masson, Ph.D. Picardy Jules Verne University Psychologist, Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants, Co-director, Observatory La Petite SirĂšne
  • Caroline Eliacheff, M.D. Child and adolescent psychiatrist, Co-director, Observatory La Petite SirĂšne
  • Em. Prof. Maurice Berger, M.D. Ph.D. Child psychiatrist

SWITZERLAND

  • Daniel HalpĂ©rin, M.D. Pediatrician

SOUTH AFRICA

  • Prof. Reitze Rodseth, Ph.D. University of Kwazulu-Natal
  • Janet Giddy, M.B.Ch.B., M.P.H. Family physician and public-health expert
  • Allan Donkin, M.B.Ch.B. Family physician

UNITED STATES

  • Clin. Prof. Stephen B. Levine, M.D. Case Western Reserve University
  • Clin. Prof. William Malone, M.D. Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine Director, Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine
  • Prof. Patrick K. Hunter, M.D. Florida State University Pediatrician and bioethicist

Hammes was also criticized by a group of parents that included Kathleen Dooley.

Anti-trans misinformation following Charlie Kirk shooting

In September 2025, during the search for the person who shot anti-trans activist Charlie Kirk, the Wall Street Journal published a live update under the headline “Ammunition in Kirk Shooting Engraved with Transgender, Antifascist Ideology, Sources Say.” The source was a leaked internal ATF bulletin first posted by anti-trans activist Steven Crowder. Crowder pinned the post on X, and it garnered over 29 million views.

After massive pushback about their irresponsible headline and reporting, WSJ edited the headline to read “Early Bulletin Said Ammunition in Kirk Shooting Engraved With Transgender, Antifascist Ideology; Some Sources Urge Caution.”

The term “transgender ideology” is an anti-trans conspiracy theory frequently invoked by right-wing activists. After it was confirmed that the engravings were references to memes used in toxic online communities like the Groyper Army fan base of anti-trans extremist Nick Fuentes, the WSJ added an editor’s note that did not retract the headline or their reporting about “transgender ideology,” writing:

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article detailed how an internal law enforcement bulletin said that ammunition recovered following the Charlie Kirk shooting was engraved with expressions of “transgender and anti-fascist ideology.” Justice Department officials later urged caution about the bulletin by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, saying it may not accurately reflect the messages on the ammunition, and the article was updated Thursday to reflect that. This editor’s note was appended on Friday, Sept. 12, after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the engravings included one that said “Hey fascist!” along with other messages and symbols. He gave no indication that the ammunition included any transgender references.

Other media outlets, including the Daily Beast, the New York Post, The Telegraph, and the Jerusalem Post uncritically repeated WSJ’s claims. None of those articles were immediately updated or retracted in light of accurate information.

References

Reberkenny, Joe (September 13, 2025). Wall Street Journal slammed for false link between trans community and Kirk shooter. The Blade https://www.washingtonblade.com/2025/09/13/wall-street-journal-charlie-kirk-claim-false-link-trans-community/

Prager, Stephen (September 12, 2025). WSJ, Media Outlets Slammed for Spreading Feds’ False Claim That Kirk Shooter Expressed ‘Transgender Ideology.’ Common Dreams https://www.commondreams.org/news/charlie-kirk-2673989947

Reed, Erin (September 12, 2025). Press Conference: No “Transgender” Or “LGBTQ” Symbols Found At Kirk’s Shooting. Erin In The Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/press-conference-no-transgender-or

Bryant, Jacob (September 12, 2025). WSJ Torched for False Report of ‘Trans Ideology’ on Charlie Kirk Shooter’s Bullets, Muted Retraction: ‘So Little Accountability.’ The Wrap https://www.thewrap.com/wsj-trans-ideology-charlie-kirk-bullets-false-report/

Migdon, Brooke (September 12, 2025). HRC demands WSJ retract report linking Kirk shooting to transgender community. The Hill https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/5501615-human-rights-campaign-wsj-retraction-kirk/

Wiggins, Christopher (September 12 2025). Wall Street Journal quietly walks back false claim Charlie Kirk shooter had pro-trans messages on his bullets. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/wall-street-journal-charlie-kirk

Lopatto, Elizabeth (September 12, 2025). The WSJ carelessly spread anti-trans misinformation. The Verge https://www.theverge.com/politics/777630/wsj-trans-misinformation-charlie-kirk

Serano, Julia (May 7, 2024). “Gender Ideology” Is a Conspiracy Theory. Switch Hitter https://juliaserano.substack.com/p/gender-ideology-is-a-conspiracy-theory

Selected anti-trans articles

Appel, Ben (June 30, 2025). Opinion: ‘Transgender’ Kids Usually Grow Up Gay. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/transgender-kids-usually-grow-up-gay-c71b3cd8

Freeman, James (June 26, 2025). Opinion: Liberal Professors Who Oppose Sex Changes on Kids. Wall Street Journal

Curlin, Farr (June 23, 2025). Opinion: Transgender Treatments Distort the Purpose of Medicine. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/transgender-treatments-distort-the-purpose-of-medicine-ccd6e513

Editorial Board (June 18, 2025). Good Supreme Court Sense on Trans Hormones. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/supreme-court-skrmetti-tennessee-transgender-hormone-treatments-e84d97f0

Steinmann, Jessica Hart; O’Neill, Leigh Ann (June 5, 2025). Opinon: Transgenderism Won’t Let Girls Say No. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/transgenderism-wont-let-girls-say-no-oregon-track-competition-bc03e205

Eappen, Roy (May 12, 2025). Letters: Trump Tells the Truth About ‘Trans’ Children. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-tells-the-truth-about-trans-children-hhs-report-c0841b6c

O’Toole, Tim (April 29, 2025). Letters: A Way Out of Colorado’s Transgender Tyranny. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/a-way-out-of-colorados-transgender-tyranny-elections-center-a4906af5

Friday, Erin; Lee, Erin (April 17, 2025). Opinion: Colorado’s Totalitarian Transgenderism Bill. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/colorados-totalitarian-transgenderism-bill-parental-rights-freedom-e841acd2

Editorial Board (February 28, 2025). Maine’s Transgender Madness. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/maines-transgender-madness-8dabbfbe

Wright, Colin; Shapiro, Ilya (February 3, 2025). Opinion: Trump Can Ban Transgender Birth Certificates. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-can-ban-transgender-birth-certificates-policy-protect-womens-spaces-d726a9fe

Editorial Board (December 13, 2024). The Trans Double-Mastectomy Lawsuit. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/clementine-breen-lawsuit-transgender-medicine-center-for-transyouth-health-us-v-skrmetti-e22382f3

Editorial Board (December 3, 2024). Transgender Minors at the Supreme Court. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/u-s-v-skrmetti-tennessee-law-transgender-minors-hormones-treatment-9be82071

Steve Marshall (December 2, 2024). Opinion: WPATH, ‘Transgender Healthcare’ and the Supreme Court. Wall Street Journal

Readers (July 26, 2023). Letters: Parents Need Answers on Pediatric Gender Medicine. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/parents-trans-gender-diverse-kids-medical-care-endocrine-1287c55

Swaim, Barton (November 14, 2024). Opinion: Markets Foiled Transgender Ideology. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/markets-foiled-trans-ideology-dei-rollback-target-budlight-social-conservatism-b8d470e4

Editorial Board (October 13, 2024). Transgender Sports Is a 2024 Sleeper Issue. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/transgender-sports-is-a-2024-sleeper-issue-ads-ohio-wisconsin-montana-2a8d044b

Wright, Colin (August 7, 2024). Opinion: Does Imane Khelif Belong in the Women’s Ring? Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/does-imane-khelif-belong-in-the-womens-ring-olympics-boxing-transgender-ideology-b227f2cd

Morrell, Travis J. (July 26, 2024). Opinion: Ideology in Medical Schools Threatens Everyone’s Health. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ideology-in-medical-schools-threatens-everyones-health-f6887ae3

Conservative signatories (July 14, 2023). Youth Gender Transition Is Pushed Without Evidence. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/trans-gender-affirming-care-transition-hormone-surgery-evidence-c1961e27

Hammes, Stephen R. (July 4, 2023). Endocrine Society Responds on Gender-Affirming Care It improves the well-being of transgender and gender-diverse people. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/trans-gender-affirming-care-endocrine-society-evidence-fdb8562c

Sapsford, Jathon; Armour, Stephanie (June 19, 2023). U.S. Becomes Transgender-Care Outlier as More in Europe Urge Caution. Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/u-s-becomes-transgender-care-outlier-as-more-in-europe-urge-caution-6c70b5e0

Sapir, Leor; Wright, Colin (June 9, 2023). Opinion: Medical Journal’s False Consensus on ‘Gender-Affirming Care.’ Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/opinion/medical-journals-false-consensus-on-gender-affirming-care-sex-change-procedure-transgender-f10cd52b

Eappen, Roy; Kingsbury, Ian (June 28, 2023). The Endocrine Society’s Dangerous Transgender Politicization. Members we spoke with take exception to the group’s guidelines on ‘gender-affirming care.’ Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/the-endocrine-societys-dangerous-politicization-endocrinologists-gender-affirming-care-arkansas-dac768bd

Resources

The Wall Street Journal (wsj.com)

  • Transgender
  • wsj.com/search?query=transgender&mod=searchresults_viewallresults

X/Twitter (x.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.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 worked there according to a 2023 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)

The following media outlets have covered sex and gender minorities. See also the list of media monitoring and rating organizations.

#

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Journalism

  • Legacy media: Print/Audio/Video
  • Investigative
  • Photojournalism
  • Student
  • Community
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Curated
  • Tabloid
  • Blogs
  • Trade

In 2022, New York Times writers Megan Twohey and Christina Jewett co-wrote a scaremongering article on puberty blockers for gender diverse youth that culminated in a 2023 newsroom revolt against Times leadership.

The article promoted and popularized several anti-trans talking points about gender affirming care for minors, including “bone density” and “low quality evidence.”

The piece is part of a strategy by anti-trans hate groups like Genspect to get FUD propaganda (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) about gender affirming care into mainstream media. Focusing on uncommon side effects and unknown risks is a long-used pretense to restrict or ban similar healthcare like contraception and abortion, especially for minors.

Background

The story is about “emerging evidence of potential harm” and the “long-term physical effects and other consequences” of Lupron and other medications that can manage onset of puberty. Any drug carries a risk of side effects, which the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tracks via adverse event reports. FDA approved Lupron for central precocious puberty in 1993. It has since been used for trans and gender diverse youth experiencing unwanted puberty. Doctors have wide latitude to use approved drugs “off label,” including use to delay puberty for trans and gender diverse youth.

Several years earlier, Jewett began reporting on cisgender people who believe puberty blockers which they took as minors led to short- and long-term adverse side effects. Children whose puberty starts at 5 to 8 years old often face social problems, and those capable of pregnancy are at higher risk of sexual harassment and assault. Doctors work with parents to weigh the risks and benefits before getting informed consent. As with any medical treatment, some people will be harmed more than they were helped.

Headlines used for the story include:

  • They Paused Puberty, but Is There a Cost?
  • Puberty Blockers Can Help Transgender Youth. Is There a Cost?

Below are anti-trans talking points that were promoted and popularized via this article.

Bone density

Puberty involves a release of hormones that affect bone deposition throughout the body. Puberty blockers affect that process, so bone health is monitored in adolescent patients, usually with a baseline measurement before treatment followed by scheduled measurements.

One of the three young people profiled had to stop puberty blockade due to done density issues. While this is a well-known risk and uncommon side effect, it can usually be monitored and managed. Having to stop hormone blockade altogether due to bone density is rare.

Via USPATH/WPATH:

The anecdote provided of an adolescent who began, and then stopped pubertal suppression due to bone density loss lacks important details, including age and pubertal stage at initiation of puberty blockers, length of time on blockers, baseline bone density (“Z-score”), and whether the bone density comparison was made to identified gender or birth-assigned sex. Additional important information not provided includes calcium intake, and vitamin D intake and level, as well as level of physical activity, all of which play a substantial role in maintenance of bone mineral density.

“Low-quality evidence”

Jewett and Twohey also parrot the “low-quality evidence” claim put forth by anti-trans activists, based on a scale devised by Gordon Guyatt. Federal judge Sarah E. Geraghty rejected these claims in a 2023 Georgia case where anti-trans activists Paul Hruz, Michael Laidlaw, and James Cantor testified against Yale University professor of pediatrics Meredithe McNamara:

The undisputed record shows that clinical medical decision-making, including in pediatric or adolescent medicine, often is not guided by evidence that would qualify as “high quality” on the scales used by Defendants’ experts. 30 (Doc. 70-1, McNamara Decl. ¶¶ 23–28; Tr. 74:11–75:1 (McNamara Testimony); Tr. 133:614 (Hruz Testimony).) In fact, the record shows that less than 15 percent of medical treatments are supported by “high-quality evidence,” or in other words that 85 percent of evidence that guides clinical care, across all areas of medicine, would be classified as “low-quality” under the scale used by Defendants’ experts. (Doc. 70-1, McNamara Decl. ¶ 25; Tr. 74:11–75:1.) Defendants do not refute Dr. McNamara’s testimony on this point, and indeed they “concede” that “low-quality” evidence “can be considered.” 31

Geraghty (2023) [emphasis mine]

Geraghty also noted the obvious biases of Hruz, Laidlaw and Cantor:

Defendants’ experts’ insistence on a very high threshold of evidence in the context of claims about hormone therapy’s safety and benefits, and on the other hand their tolerance of a much lower threshold of evidence for claims about its risks, the likelihood of desistance and/or regret, and their notions about the ideological bias of a medical establishment that largely disagrees with them. That is cause for some concern about the weight to be assigned to their views, although the Court does not doubt that those they express are genuinely held.

(“Dr. [Paul] Hruz fended and parried questions and generally testified as a deeply biased advocate, not as an expert sharing relevant evidence-based information and opinions. I do not credit his testimony.”); Eknes-Tucker v. Marshall, 603 F. Supp. 3d 1131, 1142–43 (M.D. Ala. 2022) (explaining that the court gave Dr. James Cantor’s “testimony regarding the treatment of gender dysphoria in minors very little weight”); C. P. by & through Pritchard v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, No. 3:20-CV-06145-RJB, 2022 WL 17092846, at *4 (W.D. Wash. Nov. 21, 2022) (noting that it was a “close question” as to whether Dr. Michael Laidlaw was qualified to testify about the medical necessity of gender-affirming care because he has treated only two patients with gender dysphoria and has done no original research on gender identity).

Geraghty (2023)

Mentioned

  • Emma Basques (gender diverse youth), Emma’s doctor, and parents Cherise and Arick
  • Jacy Chavira  (gender diverse youth)
  • [unnamed] (gender diverse youth and parent)
  • Norman Spack, endocrinologist
  • Sundeep Khosla, bone researcher
  • Hilary Cass, pediatrician
  • Catherine Gordon
    • We were surprised to see reference to a subjective statement from Dr. Catherine Gordon, MD regarding “getting behind” on bone density, and we question whether this comment was taken out of context. Dr. Gordon is a long-standing advocate for trans youth care, and in her June 2022 single-author commentary published in Pediatrics, she stated that, “The duration of pubertal suppression with gonadotropin hormone releasing hormone agonists varies, but can extend up to 4 years for younger patients who are not able to provide consent until age 16 for receipt of gender-affirming therapy. Puberty blockers represent an invaluable intervention for these children and adolescents, to reduce anxiety and ‘buy time’ until final decisions can be made about gender assignment.” A subsequent commentary co-authored by Dr. Gordon and published in November 2022 in JAMA Open Access stated, “Concerns about skeletal losses become less significant in an adolescent with active suicidal ideations. Although the significance of the risks may be unclear, there is strong evidence regarding the benefits of GnRHa in transgender youth: it can be a life-changing and lifesaving treatment for a vulnerable population who is at high risk for anxiety, depression, and suicide.”
  • Peggy Cohen-Kettenis, psychologist
  • WPATH
  • Walter Meyer, pediatric endocrinologist and psychiatrist
  • Jenn Burleton
  • American Academy of Pediatrics and the international Endocrine Society, which in 2017 had described the limited research on the effects of the drugs on trans youth as “low-quality.” 
  • more than 50 doctors and academic experts around the world
  • Models: Dutch, US, UK, Sweden, Finland

Supporters

Critics

  • WPATH and USPATH
  • GLAAD
  • Melissa Gira Grant of New Republic
  • Erin Reed of Erin in the Morning
  • Kate Sosin of 19th News
  • Molly Redden of HuffPost
  • Trans author Jennifer Finney Boylan
  • Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder in Slate
  • Kaiyti Duffy in Teen Vogue
  • Erin Rook in LGBTQ Nation
  • AJ Eckert in Science Based Medicine
  • Trans journalist Dawn Ennis
  • Child psychiatrist Jack Turban

References

WPATH / USPATH (November 22, 2022). USPATH and WPATH Respond to NY Times Article “They Paused Puberty, But Is There a Cost?” published on November 14, 2022. [PDF] https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/Public%20Policies/2022/USPATHWPATH%20Statement%20re%20Nov%2014%202022%20NYT%20Article%20Nov%2022%202022%20CORRECTION.pdf

GLAAD (February 14, 2023). 180+ journalists, New York Times contributors call out biased coverage of transgender people in joint letter as 100+ organizations and notables echo call, citing pattern of inaccurate, harmful trans coverage in the New York Times https://glaad.org/releases/new-york-times-contributors-call-out-biased-coverage-of-transgender-people-in-joint-letter/

2022 NYT story and links

Twohey, Megan; Jewett, Christina (November 14, 2022). They Paused Puberty, but Is There a Cost? New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/health/puberty-blockers-transgender.html [archive]

  • The Mental Health of Transgender Youth: Advances in Understanding Maureen D. Connolly, M.D. î„ź  ‱ Marcus J. Zervos, M.D. ‱ Charles J. Barone II, M.D. ‱ Christine C. Johnson, Ph.D. ‱ Christine L.M. Joseph, Ph.D. Published:August 18, 2016‱DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.012‱
  • Jody L. Herman Senior Scholar of Public Policy Andrew R. Flores Affiliated Scholar Kathryn K. O’Neill Policy Analyst How Many Adults and Youth Identify as Transgender in the United States? June 2022 https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/trans-adults-united-states/
  • Cass Review Interim report: Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People -https://cass.independent-review.uk/publications/interim-report/
  • Public consultation Interim service specification for specialist gender dysphoria services for children and young people 20 October 2022 -https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/specialised-commissioning/gender-dysphoria-services/supporting_documents/B1937iiInterimservicespecificationforspecialistgenderdysphoriaservicesforchildrenandyoungpeople22.pdf
  • Emily Bazelon https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/15/magazine/gender-therapy.html
  • Azeen Ghorayshi https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/04/health/florida-gender-care-minors-medical-board.html
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6647755/
  • Johanna Olson-Kennedy, MD,corresponding author1 Yee-Ming Chan, MD, PhD,2 Robert Garofalo, MPH, MD,3 Norman Spack, MD,2 Diane Chen, PhD,4 Leslie Clark, PhD,1 Diane Ehrensaft, PhD,5 Marco Hidalgo, PhD,1 Amy Tishelman, PhD,2 and Stephen Rosenthal, MD5 Impact of Early Medical Treatment for Transgender Youth: Protocol for the Longitudinal, Observational Trans Youth Care Study JMIR Res Protoc. 2019 Jul; 8(7): e14434. Monitoring Editor: Gunther Eysenbach; Reviewed by James Lykens and Adrienne Pichon. doi: 10.2196/14434
  • CHAD TERHUNE, ROBIN RESPAUT, and MICHELLE CONLIN (Oct. 6, 2022). Reuters https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-care/
  • Dani Blum (July 18, 2022). -https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/18/well/live/endometriosis-symptoms-treatment.html
  • Putting numbers on the rise in children seeking gender care By ROBIN RESPAUT and CHAD TERHUNE Filed Oct. 6, 2022, Reuters https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-data/
  • GORDON, CATHERINE M Skeletal Health and Bone Marrow Composition Among Youth Project Number 5R01HD101421-03 Contact PI/Project Leader .Other PIs Awardee Organization BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL https://reporter.nih.gov/search/VccdwST9P0yW2AM-BR598g/project-details/10401768
  • Uppdrag granskning Mission: Investigate: Trans children -https://www.svtplay.se/video/33358590/uppdrag-granskning/mission-investigate-trans-children-avsnitt-1?info=visa
  • Stephen M. Rosenthal, M.D. statement-https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/rosenthal-in-alabama-court-case/f616e90a9b4bfe2d/full.pdf
  • Rick Rojas https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/14/us/alabama-transgender-law.html
  • Consensus Parameter: Research Methodologies to Evaluate Neurodevelopmental Effects of Pubertal Suppression in Transgender Youth Diane Chen, John F. Strang, Victoria D. Kolbuck, Stephen M. Rosenthal, Kim Wallen, Deborah P. Waber, Laurence Steinberg, Cheryl L. Sisk, Judith Ross, Tomas Paus, Sven C. Mueller, Margaret M. McCarthy, Paul E. Micevych, Carol L. Martin, Baudewijntje P.C. Kreukels, Lauren Kenworthy, 
 See all authors  Published Online:11 Dec 2020https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2020.0006
  • Consensus Parameter: Research Methodologies to Evaluate Neurodevelopmental Effects of Pubertal Suppression in Transgender Youth Diane Chen, John F. Strang, Victoria D. Kolbuck, Stephen M. Rosenthal, Kim Wallen, Deborah P. Waber, Laurence Steinberg, Cheryl L. Sisk, Judith Ross, Tomas Paus, Sven C. Mueller, Margaret M. McCarthy, Paul E. Micevych, Carol L. Martin, Baudewijntje P.C. Kreukels, Lauren Kenworthy, Megan M. Herting, Agneta Herlitz, Ira R.J. Hebold Haraldsen, Ronald Dahl, Eveline A. Crone, Gordon J. Chelune, Sarah M. Burke, Sheri A. Berenbaum, Adriene M. Beltz, Julie Bakker, Lise Eliot, Eric Vilain, Gregory L. Wallace, Eric E. Nelson, and Robert Garofalo-https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/trgh.2020.0006
  • http://admin.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2022/longer-treatment-with-puberty-delaying-medication-leads-to-lower-bone-mineral-density -https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9624627/
  • “Bone Mass in Young Adulthood Following Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Analog Treatment and Cross-Sex Hormone Treatment in Adolescents With Gender Dysphoria,” Klink et. al, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2015
  • “Effect of Pubertal Suppression and Cross-Sex Hormone Therapy on Bone Turnover Markers and Bone Mineral Apparent Density (BMAD) in Transgender Adolescents,” Vlot et. al, Bone, 2017 
  • “The Effect of GnRH Analogue Treatment on Bone Mineral Density in Young Adolescents With Gender Dysphoria: Findings From a Large National Cohort,” Joseph et. al, Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2019
  • “Physical Changes, Laboratory Parameters and Bone Mineral Density During Testosterone Treatment in Adolescents With Gender Dysphoria,” Stoffers et. al, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2019
  • “Bone Development in Transgender Adolescents Treated With GnRH Analogues and Subsequent Gender-Affirming Hormones,” Schagen et. al, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2020
  • “Short-Term Outcomes of Pubertal Suppression in a Selected Cohort of 12- to 15-Year-Old Young People With Persistent Gender Dysphoria in the U.K.,” Carmichael et. al, PLOS One, 2021
  • “Pubertal Suppression, Bone Mass and Body Composition in Youth With Gender Dysphoria,” Navabi et. al, Pediatrics, 2021

Washington Monthly is an American media organization. Its transgender coverage is generally fair and accurate, although they have featured anti-trans articles by Sally Satel and others.

Background

Washington Monthly is an American political magazine founded in 1969 by Charles Peters, a former aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Washington Monthly focuses on public policy, governance, and institutional performance, with an emphasis on practical outcomes rather than partisan alignment.

The magazine became known for its long-form, analytical reporting and for evaluating how well government agencies, Congress, the media, and other institutions functioned in practice. During the 1970s and 1980s, Washington Monthly gained influence in policy circles for its investigative articles and detailed examinations of bureaucratic effectiveness. Its coverage expanded to include education, economics, and regulatory policy through a lens of accountability and evidence-based reform.

In the 2000s, Washington Monthly increased its online presence while continuing to publish a print edition. Ownership and editorial leadership changed after Peters stepped down in 2001.

Contributors

Contributors who have covered or mentioned trans topics include:

Trans coverage

In 2025, Washington Monthly profiled trans YouTuber Natalie Wynn.

Anti-trans coverage

In 2024, Washington Monthly published a piece by anti-trans activist Sally Satel criticizing the book Gender-Affirming Psychiatric Care published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Selected publications

Kim, Anne; Martin,  Gillen Tener (November 5, 2025). A One-Woman Stand Against Conspiracists. YouTuber Natalie Wynn spent a year immersing herself in the conspiracy theories wrecking our politics. Now, she’s sharing what she’s learned. Washington Monthly https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/11/05/natalie-wynn-contrapoints-one-woman-stand-against-conspiracists/

Satel, Sally (February 13, 2024). A Textbook Case of Social Justice Medicine Run Amok. Washington Monthly https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024/02/13/gender-affirming-care-a-textbook-case-of-social-justice-run-amok/

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