Elon Musk is an entrepreneur, investor, and one of the world’s most prominent anti-transgender extremists. Musk’s adult trans child Vivian Wilson filed legal papers to end being “related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”
Since then. Musk has made many anti-trans comments, has led several anti-trans initiatives, and has supported other anti-trans extremists and their positions.
Examples include:
- “Any parent or doctor who sterilizes a child before they are a consenting adult should go to prison for life.”
- “Every child goes through an identity crisis before their personality/identity crystallizes. Therefore, we shouldn’t allow severe, irreversible surgery or sterilizing drugs that they may regret until at least age 18.”
- Platformed anti-trans propaganda piece What Is a Woman? on Twitter, saying “Every parent should watch this.”
- “I will be actively lobbying to criminalize making severe, irreversible changes to children below the age of consent.”
- Altering chatbot Grok to deliver anti-trans responses after early versions gave fair and accurate information about transgender people.
Background
Elon Reeve Musk was born June 28, 1971 into a wealthy South African family that supported apartheid. In 1989 Musk moved to Canada as part of a plan to obtain American citizenship.
After studying in Canada, Musk transferred to University of Pennsylvania. Musk’s year of undergraduate degree date is a matter of dispute. Musk claimed a graduation date on 1995 on several occasions. According to Snopes, the University of Pennsylvania released this statement: “Elon Musk earned a B.A. in physics and a B.S. in economics (concentrations: finance and entrepreneurial management) from the University of Pennsylvania. The degrees were awarded on May 19, 1997.” This discrepancy is connected to the legal status of Musk’s early time in the United States.
In 1995, Musk co-founded city guide Zip2. In 1999, Musk co-founded online payment company X.com, which through mergers became PayPal, which then sold to eBay. Musk used the earnings to found SpaceX in 2002. In 2004 Musk became the major shareholder in Tesla Motors. In 2006 Musk provided seed funding for SolarCity, which was later acquired by Tesla. In 2015 Musk founded satellite ISP Starlink, and in 2016 Musk co-founded Neuralink. Musk founded The Boring Company in 2017.
Trans child
In June 2022, Musk’s child Vivian Jenna Wilson legally changed name and gender, to end being “related to my biological father in any way, shape or form.”
Musk has a dystopian view of the left’s influence on America, which helps explain his wild pursuit of Twitter to liberate free speech. He blames the fact that his teenage daughter no longer wants to be associated with him on the supposed takeover of elite schools and universities by neo-Marxists. “It’s full-on communism . . . and a general sentiment that if you’re rich, you’re evil,” says Musk. “It [the relationship] may change, but I have very good relationships with all the others [children]. Can’t win them all.”
Khalaf (2022)
Grimes and Chelsea Manning
Around the same time, the parent of two of Musk’s children, singer Grimes, was reportedly dating trans whistleblower Chelsea Manning after Grimes and Musk split up.
Twitter
In 2022, Musk purchased Twitter for about $44 billion and quickly began rolling back policies that protected trans and gender diverse people from abuse on the platform. Musk also began unbanning nearly all users suspended for anti-transgender activity.
Musk has made a number of anti-transgender statements, claiming that gender diverse youth are “fed propaganda by adults,” stating “we shouldn’t allow severe, irreversible surgery or sterilizing drugs that they may regret until at least age 18.”
Musk has also stated, “Any parent or doctor who sterilizes a child before they are a consenting adult should go to prison for life.”
In April 2023, Musk followed the anti-trans account Libs of TikTok, referred to anti-trans activist Matt Walsh’s work in asking “What’s a woman?” and said “Any parent or doctor who sterilizes a child before they are a consenting adult should go to prison for life.”
X
After Musk purchased Twitter and renamed it X, it became the service of choice for right-wing extremists and anti-trans extremists. In 2023, Musk launched a chatbot called Grok and embedded it in X. Grok initially gave neutral answers to prompts about transgender topics, but following right-wing criticism, its algorith was tweaked to delive anti-trans responses.
References
Gallagher, John (December 31, 2025). Elon Musk is giving legal help to an activist who posted a photo of a trans woman in a bathroom. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/12/elon-musk-is-giving-legal-help-to-an-activist-who-posted-a-photo-of-a-trans-woman-in-a-bathroom/
Rascius, Brendan (December 14, 2025). Elon Musk sparks controversy with post about womanhood. The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/elon-musk-woman-womb-post-x-b2884111.html
Staff report (October 31, 2025). Elon Musk on Joe Rogan: Spike in Trans Kids Dropped After I Bought Twitter. TMZ https://www.tmz.com/2025/10/31/elon-musk-twitter-trans-joe-rogan-x-civilization/
Bergeson, Samantha (October 3, 2025). Elon Musk Vows to “Cancel” Netflix Over Transgender Representation. Musk has accused the streaming titan of “grooming” children with “sexualized content” in series such as CoComelon and Strawberry Shortcake. Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/netflix-elon-musk-transgender-representation
Evans, Greg (October 2, 2025). Elon Musk Doubles Down On Netflix-Bashing Over Trans Character On Animated ‘Dead End: Paranormal Park’ Even As Show Creator Flooded With “Extremely Nasty” Messages. Deadline https://deadline.com/2025/10/elon-musk-netflix-dead-end-paranormal-park-1236568763/
Villareal, Daniel (October 2, 2025). Elon Musk’s campaign against trans-inclusive cartoon inspires “scary” threats against creator. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/10/elon-musks-campaign-against-trans-inclusive-cartoon-inspires-scary-threats-against-creator/
Reed, Erin (October 2, 2025). Elon Musk Leads Campaign To Force Netflix To Remove Shows With Trans Characters. Erin In The Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/elon-musk-leads-campaign-to-force
Sharf, Zack (October 1, 2025). ‘Dead End: Paranormal Park’ Creator Receiving ‘Homophobic and Antisemitic Emails’ After Elon Musk Says ‘Cancel Netflix’ Due to Show’s Trans Character. Variety https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/elon-musk-cancel-netflix-dead-end-paranormal-park-trans-story-1236536129/
Riley, John (September 28, 2025). Elon Musk Wades Into Virginia Governor’s Race on Trans Issues. Metro Weekly https://www.metroweekly.com/2025/09/elon-musk-spanberger-transgender/
Bollinger, Alex (September 3, 2025. Elon Musk says hatred of “white males” is turning people transgender. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/09/elon-musk-says-hatred-of-white-males-is-turning-people-transgender/
Weaber, Robert (August 10, 2025). How Elon Musk turned his pain into policy—and targeted the trans community. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/voices/elon-musk-daughter-vivian
Riedel, Samantha (March 21, 2025). Elon Musk Is Trying to Blame Tesla Vandalism on “Trans Violence.” them https://www.them.us/story/elon-musk-blame-tesla-vandalism-trans-violence-twitter-misinformation
Sprayregen, Molly (October 10, 2022). Elon Musk says communists made his trans daughter hate him. LGBTQ Nation https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/10/elon-musk-says-communists-made-trans-daughter-hate/
Cardoza, Riley (October 10, 2022). Elon Musk addresses estrangement from daughter Vivian: ‘Can’t win them all.’ Page Six https://pagesix.com/2022/10/10/elon-musk-talks-daughter-vivians-estrangement-cant-win-them-all/
Hartmans, Avery (October 7, 2022). Elon Musk says his teenage daughter doesn’t want to be associated with him because of what he calls ‘full-on communism’ taught in schools and widespread hatred of the wealthy. Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-blames-communism-hatred-of-wealthy-for-daughters-estrangement-2022-10
Khalaf, Roula (October 7, 2022). Elon Musk: ‘Aren’t you entertained?’ Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/5ef14997-982e-4f03-8548-b5d67202623a
Anti-trans coverage
Wolf, Rachel (December 13, 2025). Elon Musk blasts Newsom’s office, says his son is battling mental illness due to ‘evil woke mind virus.’ Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-blasts-newsoms-office-says-his-son-battling-mental-illness-due-evil-woke-mind-virus
Reilly, Patrick (December 12, 2025). Elon Musk fires back at Gavin Newsom for gloating that his estranged transgender daughter ‘hates’ him. New York Post https://nypost.com/2025/12/12/us-news/elon-musk-responds-to-gavin-newsom-after-comment-about-transgender-daughter/
Resources
Britannica (britannica.com)
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
X/Twitter (x.com)
Jazz Jennings is an American media personality and transgender activist. Jennings is one of the most notable transgender youth to make a gender transition as a minor.
Background
Jennings was born October 6, 2000 in Florida. Parents Jeanette and Greg have four children in total. The surname Jennings is a pseudonym they chose to help protect their family’s privacy.
In 2007, Jennings was interviewed on 20/20 by Barbara Walters, leading to national recognition and additional appearances. From 2015 to 2023, Jennings was the subject of the reality show I Am Jazz.
Jennings graduated from Broward Virtual School in 2019. Jennings was accepted to Harvard University, but deferred enrollment until 2023 to deal with “mental health setbacks.” Jennings earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard in 2025.
Jennings is involved in TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, an organization the family founded to support trans youth.
References
Reischel, Julia (May 30, 2006). See Tom Be Jane. Village Voice https://www.villagevoice.com/see-tom-be-jane/
Goldberg, Alan B.; Adriano, Joneil (April 27, 2007). I’m a Girl: Understanding Transgender Children”. ABC News https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3088298
Menendez, Alicia; Redman, Meagan; Effron, Lauren (July 14, 2015). ‘I Am Jazz’: Transgender Teen on Grappling with High School, Puberty. ABC News
Mendenhall, Christina (June 25, 2015). Growing Up Transgender: Jazz Jennings. Miami Herald
Diaz, Johnny (October 2, 2019). South Florida trans teen Jazz Jennings delays start at Harvard University. Sun Sentinel
Galehouse, Maggie (September 15, 2014). Jazz Jennings shares story of her triumphs, struggles as a transgender child in ‘I Am Jazz’. Houston Chronicle
Rothaus, Steve (June 25, 2014). Jazz Jennings, a 13-year-old trans girl, reads from her upcoming children’s book (with video). Miami Herald
Feeney, Nolan (October 13, 2014). The 25 Most Influential Teens of 2014. Time
Silver, Marc (July 13, 2015). ‘I Am Jazz’ is the latest in this summer’s transgender reality show boom. The Washington Post
Jensen, Erin (June 29, 2018). Jazz Jennings is all smiles after gender confirmation surgery. USA Today. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
Migdon, Brooke (November 3, 2021). Reality star Jazz Jennings opens up about mental health and weight gain in new season. The Hill
Resources
TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation (transkidspurplerainbow.org)
Purple Rainbow Tails (jazzmergirl.wix.com/purplerainbowtails) [archive]
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
IMDb (imdb.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
Twitter (twitter.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
YouTube (youtube.com)
Nicola Sturgeon is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023.
Sturgeon became a target of anti-transgender activists for supporting gender recognition reform.
Background
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon was born on July 19, 1970 in Irvine. Sturgeon joined the SNP in 1986.
Sturgeon earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Glasgow School of Law in 1992, then began working as a solicitor and holding leadership roles within SNP. Sturgeon served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014 under Alex Salmond, during which time Sturgeon also served as Health Secretary. Sturgeon was a key leader in SNP’s unsuccessful 2014 Scottish independence referendum campaign. Sturgeon was sworn in a First Minister later that year.
Sturgeon and former SNP CEO Peter Murrell began a relationship in 2003 and married in 2010. Both were arrested and questioned about SNP finances several weeks after Sturgeon resigned in 2023. They were released without charge pending further investigation. In 2024 Murrell was re-arrested and charged with embezzlement of party funds. In 2025 Police Scotland cleared Sturgeon of wrongdoing and confirmed Sturgeon was no longer under investigation. Sturgeon announced plans to retire.
Gender Recognition Reform
In 2016, the SNP vowed to review and reform the way that trans people change their legal gender via the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill . The bill passed in Parliament 86 to 39 in 2022. Weeks later, the UK Government prevented it from gaining Royal Assent under a section 35 order of the Scottish Act 1998. Critics attacked Sturgeon’s response to the Isla Bryson case involving transgender prisoner housing.
References
Merson, Adele (June 30, 2021). Trans rights: How gender recognition reform became one of Scotland’s most heated debates. The Press and Journal (Scotland) https://news.stv.tv/politics/transgender-reforms-shelved-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic
Staff report (April 1, 2020). Transgender reforms shelved due to coronavirus pandemic. STV News https://news.stv.tv/politics/transgender-reforms-shelved-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic
Staff report (April 1, 2016). Nicola Sturgeon makes gender recognition pledge. BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2016-scotland-35945543
Staff report (June 20, 2019). Scottish transgender reforms put on hold. BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-48702946
Anti-trans coverage
Sanderson, Daniel (February 1, 2021). SNP civil war deepens as leading Sturgeon critic Joanna Cherry purged from Westminster team. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/02/01/snp-civil-war-deepens-leading-sturgeon-critic-purged-westminster/
Johnson, Simon (August 23, 2021). Nicola Sturgeon facing backlash over proposed gender legislation. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/08/23/nicola-sturgeon-facing-backlash-proposed-gender-legislation/
Gordon, Tom (September10, 2021). Nicola Sturgeon dismisses concerns over gender reforms as ‘not valid’. The Herald https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19571909.nicola-sturgeon-dismisses-concerns-gender-reforms-not-valid/
Staff report (January 17, 2023). Nicola Sturgeon says gender reform row will go to court. BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64264063
Staff report (February 9, 2023).Nicola Sturgeon’s gender conundrum: Is Isla Bryson a man or a woman. BBC News https://bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64590421
Camobell, Glenn (February 15, 2023). Nicola Sturgeon says time is right to resign as Scotland’s first minister. BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64647907
Resources
Scottish Parliament (parliament.scot)
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
X/Twitter (x.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
The following media outlets have covered sex and gender minorities. See also the list of media monitoring and rating organizations.
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Journalism
- Legacy media: Print/Audio/Video
- Investigative
- Photojournalism
- Student
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Julie Burchill is a writer and anti-transgender activist. Burchill has written for anti-trans publications includin Spiked, The Spectator, and The Sun.
Background
Julie Burchill was born on July 3, 1959 in Bristol. After graduating Brislington Comprehensive School, Burchill began writing for New Musical Express in 1976. Burchill’s future spouse Tony Parsons took an interest in the 17-year-old. They soon married, and Burchill then started freelancing as a culture writer. They divorced in 1984.
Burchill did a lot of drugs and wrote a lot of obnoxious things through the 1980s. Burchill married Cosmo Landesman in 1985; that lasted 7 years. Burchill co-founded Modern Review with Landesman and anti-trans activist Toby Young, then had a brief affair with Charlotte Raven in the 1990s. Burchill also lost a big libel case and several writing gigs. From 1998 to 2003 Burchill had a weekly column at The Guardian, writing anti-Irish pieces and supporting the invasion of Iraq. Burchill made Channel 4’s 2003 poll of 100 Worst Britons. Burchill continued to fail upward, landing a gig at The Times until getting fired in 2007, then returning to the Guardian, then a gig at The Independent for 18 months.
One of Burchill’s children committed suicide in 2015. In 2025, Burchill was confined to a wheelchair following a spinal abscess.
Anti-transgender activism
In 2013, Burchill wrote an article for The Observer defending an anti-trans piece by Suzanne Moore. Burchill quipped it showed “chutzpah” to have one’s “cock cut off and then plead special privileges as women.” The article was later pulled, and the editor apologized. Anti-trans troll Toby Young later republished Burchill’s piece.
Burchill has since gone on to write many other anti-trans pieces.
References
Parsons, Vic (January 13, 2020). Anti-trans, anti-gay writer Julie Burchill says her 30-year cocaine habit was a ‘cheap thrill’ that she ‘gave up overnight.’ PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2020/01/13/julie-burchill-cocaine-habit-anti-trans-gay-spectator-spiked-lasting-damage/
Letters (January 19, 2013). Prejudice: trans people shouldn’t have been subjected to such abuse. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2013/jan/20/the-big-issue-trans-burchill
Pritchard, Stephen (January 18, 2013). Julie Burchill and the Observer, The readers’ editor on why the paper was wrong to publish slurs against trans people The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/18/julie-burchill-and-the-observer
Mulholland, john (January 14, 2013). Statement from John Mulholland, editor of the Observer. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/14/1
Tatlock, John (January 14, 2013). “Nasty Idiotic Tripe”: Stand Against Julie Burchill’s Years Of Transphobia. The Quietus https://thequietus.com/articles/11108-julie-burchill-suzanne-moore-transphobia
Sweney, Mark (January 14, 2023). The Observer withdraws Julie Burchill column as editor publishes apology. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jan/14/observer-withdraws-julie-burchill-column
Kaveney, Roz (January 13, 2013). Julie Burchill has ended up bullying the trans community. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/13/julie-birchill-bullying-trans-community
Pearce, Ruth (2013). Transphobia in The Guardian: no excuse for hate speech. Lesbilicious http://www.lesbilicious.co.uk/transphobia-in-the-guardian-no-excuse-for-hate-speech/
Philipson, Alice (January 13, 2013). Lynne Featherstone calls for Observer’s Julie Burchill to be sacked following ‘disgusting rant’ against transsexuals. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9799113/Lynne-Featherstone-calls-for-Observers-Julie-Burchill-to-be-sacked-following-disgusting-rant-against-transsexuals.html
Anti-trans coverage
Bindel, Julie (March 19, 2018). Why you can’t rely on the news media to understand… trans issues. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2018/03/cant-rely-news-media-understand-trans-issues/
Malnick, Edward (March 26, 2013). Julie Burchill entitled to ‘offend’ transsexuals, press watchdog rules. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9954733/Julie-Burchill-entitled-to-offend-transsexuals-press-watchdog-rules.html
Young, Toby (January 14, 2013). Here is Julie Burchill’s censored Observer article. The Telegraph http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100198116/here-is-julie-burchills-censored-observer-article/ [archive]
Selected writing by Burchill
Burchill, Julie (May 31, 2023). They call me TERF for refusing to believe a woman can have a penis – well I’ve got a name for those who think opposite. The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22539575/julie-burchill-called-terf-oxford-protests/
Burchill, Julie (October 12, 2022). What incels and trans activists have in common. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/10/12/what-incels-and-trans-activists-have-in-common/
Burchill, Julie (April 19, 2018). I knew I was right… The Spectator https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/i-knew-i-was-right/
Burchill, Julie (November 27, 2015). Is a ‘Transgender Day Of Remembrance’ really necessary? The Spectator https://spectator.com/article/is-a-transgender-day-of-remembrance-really-necessary/
Burchill, Julie (January 13, 2013). Transsexuals should cut it out. The Observer http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/jan/13/transsexuals-should-cut-it-out [not archived] republished by Toby Young at http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100198116/here-is-julie-burchills-censored-observer-article/ [archive]
Media
The New Culture Forum with Peter Whittle and Julie Burchill (November 28, 2021). Why I Loathe The Woke: Puritanical Joyless Snobs Who Despise the Working Class — Julie Burchill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQktUT_avj4
Zinnia Jones (January 14, 2013). The crass hypocrisy of Julie Burchill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL2tlA7QsqY
Uni Huddersfield (January 23, 2013). Dr Surya Monro on Julie Burchill and transgender discrimination – University of Huddersfield. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwq_ggD8Cz4
Resources
Substack (substack.com)
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
X/Twitter (x.com)
New York Sun (nysun.com)
The Spectator (spectator.com)
Muck Rack (muckrack.com)
The Independent (the-independent.com)
UnHerd (unherd.com)
The Guardian (theguardian.com)
Spiked (spiked-online.com)
IMDb (imdb.com)
The Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)
New Statesman (newstatesman.com)
Granta (granta.com)
i (inews.co.uk)
The Jewish Chronicle (thejc.com)
Prospect Magazine (prospectmagazine.co.uk)
The New Republic (newrepublic.com)
Tom Chivers is a British science writer and anti-transgender activist. Chivers was the science editor at UnHerd when they published numerous unscientific articles about sex, gender, and biology. Chivers and podcast co-host Stuart Ritchie frequently logroll for anti-trans activist Jesse Singal.
Note: for the British poet and archaeologist born in 1983, see thisisyogic.com
Background
Thomas “Tom” / “Tommy” Chivers began writing for The Telegraph in 2007. Chivers was science editor at UnHerd from 2018 to 2022, then became a science writer at the i newspaper.
Chivers has written for the Times, the Observer, the Guardian, politics.co.uk, New Scientist, CNN, Wired, Smithsonian Air & Space, and BuzzFeed UK.
Chivers is author of The Rationalist’s Guide to the Galaxy (2019), How to Read Numbers (2021), and Everything is Predictable (2024).
Anti-trans activism
Setting aside some questionable pieces on “Thai transvestites” and what-not, Chivers’ first salvo in anti-transgender activism was a 2014 piece criticizing Kevin Williamson for using Laverne Cox to assert that trans women are not women:
This, Williamson would no doubt claim, is the-emperor-has-no-clothes telling-it-like-it-is. “Sex is a biological reality,” he points out, unarguably. Indeed it is. No amount of surgery or hormone therapy will allow Cox to become pregnant, no terms of address will turn that stubborn Y chromosome into a second X. That is, indeed, a simple fact of human biology.
But who disagrees with that? No one. Williamson’s fearless truthsaying is, in fact, a fatuous statement of the obvious, dressed up as iconoclasm.
Chivers appended a note in 2016, adding: “In fact some people DO dispute that sex is a biological reality.” While some people might take issue with the term “biological reality,” the central issue is that what we call “sex” describes a collection of traits. This collection of traits includes potential gamete production, chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy, which often align but sometimes do not. Saying that this collection of traits is a binary is inaccurate and unscientific. It erases a lot of natural human variation, particularly regarding people with differences of sex development.
Chivers characterizes biologists who use value-neutral terms and conceptualizations as engaging in “science denial.” Chivers defends the term “biological sex ” and supports anti-transgender reparative therapy.
Chivers is situated within the right-wing media landscape in the UK:
The UK has an increasing number of small but influential online-only media, in addition to the websites, apps and podcasts of many of the titles listed above. On the political right, sites like Conservative Home, Spiked, UnHerd, CapX, Reaction and The Spectator’s Coffee House blog are sources of right-wing opinion and debate but play relatively little role in breaking news stories.
CMDS (2021)
Podcast
In July 2023, Chivers and Ritchie launched The Studies Show, a podcast on controversial scientific issues. The podcast was later rebranded in September 2025 as Science Fictions, which is the title of a 2020 book by Ritchie. Episodes include:
References
Center for Media, Data and Society (November 2021). Media Influence Matrix: United Kingdom. https://cmds.ceu.edu/sites/cmcs.ceu.hu/files/attachment/basicpage/1923/mimukfinalreport_0.pdf
Selected writing by Chivers
Chivers, Tom (December 7, 2021). Trans counselling is not conversion therapy. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2021/12/trans-counselling-is-not-conversion-therapy/
Chivers, Tom (December 10, 2019). Of course biological sex exists. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2019/12/yes-of-course-biological-sex-exists/
Chivers, Tom (December 10, 2019). The Left’s science denial. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2021/09/the-lefts-science-denial/
Chivers, Tom (April 2, 2015). 25 Quite Unexpected Facts About Sex. Buzzfeed https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomchivers/facts-about-sex
Chivers, Tommy (June 1, 2014). Whether or not Laverne Cox is a woman is not a question of biology; it’s a question of language. https://tommychivers.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/whether-or-not-laverne-cox-is-a-woman-is-not-a-question-of-biology-its-a-question-of-language/
Tom Chivers (June 1, 2008). Thai transvestites compete in Miss Tiffany Universe. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2061631/Thai-transvestites-compete-in-Miss-Tiffany-Universe.html
Media
Science Fictions with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (November 26, 2025). Unpaywalled: Jonathan Haidt vs. social media. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/unpaywalled-jonathan-haidt-vs-social
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (July 7, 2025). Paid-only Episode 21: Psychological sex differences. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/paid-only-episode-21-psychological
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers, Stuart Ritchie, and Jesse Singal (May 12, 2025). Paid-only Episode 20: The Studies Show LIVE with Jesse Singal. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/paid-only-episode-20-the-studies
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (December 30, 2024). Un-paywalled: Youth gender medicine & the Cass Review. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/un-paywalled-youth-gender-medicine
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (December 9, 2024). Paid-only Episode 15: Sex and sport: The battle of the sexes. Or is it “genders”? https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/paid-only-episode-15-sex-and-sport
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (September 16, 2024). Paid-only Episode 12: Jonathan Haidt vs. social media. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/paid-only-episode-12-jonathan-haidt
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (August 26, 2024). Episode 47: The 25 year old brain. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/episode-47-the-25-year-old-brain
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (August 19, 2024). Paid-only Episode 11: Sex education. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/paid-only-episode-11-sex-education
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (April 23, 2024). Paid-only Episode 7: Youth gender medicine & the Cass Review. https://www.thestudiesshowpod.com/p/paid-only-episode-7-youth-gender
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (January 22, 2024). Paid-only Episode 4: Male and female brains. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/paid-only-episode-4-male-and-female
The Studies Show with Tom Chivers and Stuart Ritchie (December 4, 2023). Episode 19: Science and politics. https://sciencefictionspod.substack.com/p/episode-19-science-and-politics
Resources
Tom Chivers (tomchivers.com)
WordPress (wordpress.com)
X/Twitter (x.com)
i news (inews.co.uk)
Substack (substack.com)
UnHerd (unherd.com)
The Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)
- Tom Chivers
- telegraph.co.uk/authors/t/tk-to/tom-chivers
Douglas Murray is a conservative British author and anti-transgender activist.
Background
Douglas Kear Murray was born July 16, 1979 in London. Murray graduated from Oxford. In 2006 Murray wrote a book defending neoconservatism. Murray was director of Centre for Social Cohesion, but conflicts about their anti-immigration and anti-Islamist stances forced the organization to merge into the Henry Jackson Society after Murray left.
Murray has written for most major anti-trans publications, including The Spectator, The Telegraph, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, UnHerd, and the New York Post. In February 2022, Murray became a Fox News contributor. Murray is a fellow at the National Review Institute.
Anti-transgender activism
Murray identifies as gay and aligns with the faction of anti-trans queer conservatives.
Murray has said that it is a lie that a man can become a woman. In September 2020, during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Murray compared accepting trans people to “late-empire sign of things falling apart”. Murray believes there is no such thing as non-binary gender.
Murray’s 2019 book The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity has a section called Trans. Murray believes that identity politics are a threat to Western civilization.
References
Briwn, Rivkah (March 6, 2020). The Jewish community should see Melanie Phillips and Douglas Murray for what they are – wolves in sheep’s clothing. The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/melanie-phillips-douglas-murray-jewish-book-week-muslims-trans-issues-a9380166.html
Horton, James (March 4, 2025). Douglas Murray: a pathetic nuisance who’s had a mid-life radicalisation crisis. Canary https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2025/03/04/douglas-murray/
Shatto, Rachel (January 31 2022). Joe Rogan Continues to Spew Anti-Trans Rhetoric on His Spotify Podcast. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/1/31/joe-rogan-continues-spew-anti-trans-rhetoric-his-spotify-podcast
Wood, Heloise (May 10, 2021). Douglas Murray criticises transphobia letter, slamming ‘left-wing bubble’ of publishing. The Bookseller https://www.thebookseller.com/news/douglas-murray-criticises-transphobia-letter-slamming-left-wing-bubble-publishing-1259104
January, Brianna (September 18, 2020). Joe Rogan and guest discuss whether trans people are a sign of “the end of America”. Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/joe-rogan-experience/joe-rogan-and-guest-discuss-whether-trans-people-are-sign-end-america
Reynolds, Daniel (September 17, 2019). Right-Wing U.K. Writer Epically Schooled for Misgendering Sam Smith.The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/people/2019/9/17/right-wing-uk-writer-epically-schooled-misgendering-sam-smith
Anti-trans coverage
Kearns, Madeleine (October 1, 2019). An Interview with Douglas Murray: Gender, Race, and Identity. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/10/douglas-murray-book-the-madness-of-crowds-gender-race-and-identity/
Dori, Roni (July 29, 2021). Douglas Murray: ‘What I Mind Is the Lie That a Man Can Become a Woman’. Haaretz https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2021-07-29/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/what-i-mind-is-the-lie-that-a-man-can-become-a-woman/0000017f-e3f4-d568-ad7f-f3ff39520000
Selected writing by Murray
Murray, Douglas (September 4, 2025). Coward Malcolm Gladwell admits he lied about trans athletes — and reveals an important truth about our modern culture. New York Post https://nypost.com/2025/09/04/opinion/malcolm-gladwell-admits-he-lied-about-trans-athletes-because-telling-the-truth-destroyed-careers/
Murray, Douglas (June 26, 2025). Standing up to bullying, unscientific transgender activist mob. New York Post https://nypost.com/2025/06/26/opinion/standing-up-to-bullying-unscientific-transgender-activist-mob/
Murray, Douglas (February 8, 2025). Trump’s stopping US spending on crazy foreign projects – why can’t Britain? The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/33255319/keir-starmer-trump-labour-funk/
Murray, Douglas (August 1, 2024). Brutal, unfair Olympic beating tragic result of letting biological men compete in women’s sports. New York Post https://nypost.com/2024/08/01/opinion/brutal-unfair-olympic-beating-tragic-result-of-letting-biological-men-compete-in-womens-sports/
Murray, Douglas (June 22, 2023). ‘Gender-affirming surgery’ puts a feel-good phrase on child butchery. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/06/22/gender-affirming-surgery-puts-a-feel-good-phrase-on-child-butchery/
Murray, Douglas (July 14, 2022). Can we ever be woke enough for the trans extremists? New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/07/14/can-we-ever-be-woke-enough-for-the-trans-extremists/
Murray, Douglas (June 16, 2022 ). Trans surgery for children is not a ‘right’ to be fought for. New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/06/16/trans-surgery-for-children-is-not-a-right-to-be-fought-for/
Murray, Douglas (October 22, 2021). How Stonewall was exposed: The charity can no long explain its fanciful dogmas. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2021/10/how-stonewall-was-exposed/
Murray, Douglas (August 6, 2021). Does Owen Jones have a woman problem? Certain journalists aren’t allowed to express scepticism about the transgender debate. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2021/08/does-owen-jones-have-a-woman-problem/
Murray, Douglas (May 26, 2021). How Stonewall sacrificed gay rights. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2021/05/how-stonewall-sacrificed-gay-rights/
Murray, Douglas (May 7, 2021). Publishing is now a Left-wing bubble. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2021/05/publishing-is-now-a-leftist-bubble/
Murray, Douglas (November 22, 2019). Can we ever be woke enough for the trans extremists? New York Post https://nypost.com/2022/07/14/can-we-ever-be-woke-enough-for-the-trans-extremists/
Murray, Douglas (November 22, 2019). Has trans activism gone too far? UnHerd https://unherd.com/2019/11/has-trans-activism-gone-too-far/
Murray, Douglas (November 8, 2019). Drag kids are the product of a dangerous American delusion: The way the 12-year-old drag act, Desmond is Amazing, has been pushed on the world betrays a worrying tendency. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2019/11/drag-kids-are-the-product-of-a-dangerous-american-delusion/
Murray, Douglas (September 14, 2019). It’s now easier for a teacher to decide your little girl is a little boy than it is to give them aspirin! In a vital new book, DOUGLAS MURRAY reveals how transgender rights have become one of the most toxic issues of our age. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7464157/DOUGLAS-MURRAY-reveals-transgender-rights-one-toxic-issues-age.html
Murray, Douglas (March 6, 2019). Why Titania is perfect for our times: The avenging SJW angel, Titania McGrath, has disrupted a tired genre. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2019/03/why-titania-is-perfect-for-our-times/
Media
The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss and Douglas Murray (May 27, 2023). Douglas Murray: From Poetry to Free Speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKNzcX-6vYs
TRIGGERnometry with Konstantin Kisin, Francis Foster, and Douglas Murray (May 24, 2023). Douglas Murray Opens Up on America, AI and LGBTQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1FxfJr6Bik
Sky News / The Rita Panahi Show with Rita Panahi and Douglas Murray (Feb 3, 2023). ‘Religious zealotry’ of trans debate falling apart as it ‘defies reality’: Douglas Murray. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRePOQqWKmk
Sky News / The Rita Panahi Show with Rita Panahi and Douglas Murray (December 28, 2022). ‘Cultural weirdness’: Douglas Murray slams trans girl experiencing ‘period pain’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-kXxCotNXk
Fox News with Jesse Watters and Douglas Murray (December 8, 2022). Douglas Murray on trans activists battering lesbian feminist group: We’ve seen this coming for years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6megJ0FbpU
London Real with Brian Rose and Douglas Murray (August 10, 2022). Douglas Murray on Gender Pronouns ♀♂⚥ ⚲ ☿ ⚦ ⚨ ⚩ …. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0tMT76EgNk
TalkTV with Peter Tatchell and Douglas Murray (April 1, 2022). Douglas Murray: ‘Can a man be trans if he remains a man?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtoHDp3LpzQ
Sky News / The Rita Panahi Show with Rita Panahi and Douglas Murray (March 21, 2022). Douglas Murray: ‘Everything we all know is forgotten’ with transgender ideology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYR4QvOuAP8
Skeptic with Michael Shermer and Douglas Murray (October 16, 2020). Michael Shermer with Douglas Murray — The Madness of 2020 (Special Episode). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWjugMlQ_54
John Anderson Media with John Anderson and Douglas Murray (Jan 9, 2020). The Madness of Crowds | Douglas Murray. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYaYk09kEDs
Cosmic Skeptic / Within Reason with Alex J. O’Connor and Douglas Murray (November 20, 2019). Debating Douglas Murray on Gender, Reparations, and Extinction Rebellion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCtBUvFL-QQ
Times News with Rod Liddle and Douglas Murray (September 23, 2019). Douglas Murray on gender, race and identity | Liddle’s Got Issues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3nLx_sAgE0
Resources
Douglas Murray (douglasmurray.net)
Gatestone Institute (gatestoneinstitute.org)
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
X/Twitter (x.com)
Facebook (facebook.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
The Spectator (spectator.co.uk)
The Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)
UnHerd (unherd.com)
Helen Pluckrose is a British writer and anti-transgender activist. Pluckrose was editor of anti-trans group blog Areo magazine from 2018 to 2021 and served on the advisory board of anti-trans hate group Genspect.
Pluckrose is critical of postmodernism and cultural constructivism. While claiming to take a “liberal” position that is generally trans-supportive, Pluckrose has espoused many anti-transgender views.
Background
Pluckrose was born in August 1974. Pluckrose earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of East London and a master’s degree from Queen Mary University of London. Pluckrose was a social care worker from age 17 to 34.
In 2017 Pluckrose, Peter Boghossian, and James A. Lindsay carried out the “grievance studies” affair, where they submitted 20 hoax papers to academic journals in hopes of getting them published. One recommended that people challenge their transphobia by inserting sex toys into their anuses.
Pluckrose was editor of anti-trans group blog Areo magazine from 2018 to 2021, founding Areo Magazine Ltd in 2019. Pluckrose and Lindsay published the book Cynical Theories in 2020. Pluckrose founded Counterweight Support Limited in 2021.
Pluckrose and spouse David have one child.
Anti-transgender activism
Pluckrose asserts that “extreme trans activists” want to compel people to accept the following:
- people must believe that trans people “straightforwardly are the gender they experience themselves to be”
- people must use language that reflects a trans person’s gender
- people must be trans-inclusive when choosing sexual partners
Pluckrose’s most significant anti-trans position is that “transitioning children is difficult to justify ethically.”
Pluckrose’s reasoning is a form of cisgender supremacy that prioritizes the well-being of cisgender children over the well-being of transgender children. According to Pluckrose, giving parental consent to medical transition for a trans youth “cannot justify permanently damaging the bodies” of young people who might not benefit in the long term from medical transition. In Pluckrose’s argument this “collateral damage” is worse than collateral damage to trans young people denied medical transition.
Pluckrose’s position is predicated on the potent “regret” narrative and its medicalized manifestations: “desistance” in minors and “detransition” in adults. Regret narratives are vastly overrepresented in mainstream media because it taps into parental anxiety and justifies suspicion about all trans people. Those who believe being trans is a medical problem like “social contagion” often believe there is a cure. Those who believe being trans is an ideology or cult often cling to the powerful fantasy of trans apostasy.
Ideologues who wish to involve themselves in the bodily autonomy of others often amplify regret narratives. For instance, though abortion regret is rare, abortion opponents amplify regret narratives to make abortion less accessible for those who might benefit, including minors.
During Pluckrose’s tenure at Areo, there were several articles critical of trans people (written by people like anti-trans activist Louise Perry), and no articles written by trans people.
In a 2020 Quillette interview, Pluckrose complained about trans activism:
People are being no-platformed, fired, and cancelled for disagreeing with these ideas. Here in the UK, the police have investigated somebody posting a limerick on Twitter that did not adhere to trans activism’s concept of gender identity and a journalist publishing an interview with a historian who said slavery was not genocide. Gender critical feminists are routinely threatened and intimidated for making arguments that self-ID is a threat to women’s sex-based rights.
References
Perry, David M. (November 8, 2018). In the Age of Trump, We Need Cutting-Edge Humanities More Than Ever. Pacific Standard https://psmag.com/education/in-the-age-of-trump-we-need-cutting-edge-humanities-more-than-ever/
Anti-trans coverage
Khazan, Olga (September 27, 2021). A Support Group for the Unwoke. The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/09/counterweight-cancel-culture-support-ground/620203/
Hill, Jason D. (December 16, 2020). On Activist Scholarship: An Interview with Helen Pluckrose. Quillette https://quillette.com/2020/12/16/on-activist-scholarship-an-interview-with-helen-pluckrose/
Forstater, Maya (May 13, 2020). “Trans Rights: Be Nice”? Maya Forstater https://hiyamaya.net/2020/05/13/3632/
Perry, Louise (July 8, 2019). Minds Without Bodies: Transgenderism and the Authentic Self. Areo https://areomagazine.com/2019/08/07/minds-without-bodies-transgenderism-and-the-authentic-self/
Schuessler, Jennifer (October 4, 2018). Hoaxers Slip Breastaurants and Dog-Park Sex Into Journals. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/04/arts/academic-journals-hoax.html
Selected writing by Pluckrose
Pluckrose, Helen (March 19, 2025). Liberalism is Not Wishy-Washy, Fence-Sitting Centrism. It is strong and consistent opposition to authoritarianism. The Overflowings of a Liberal Brain https://www.hpluckrose.com/p/liberalism-is-not-wishy-washy-fence
Pluckrose, Helen (November 30, 2024). Please Don’t Get Stuck On Whether “Cis” Is a Slur or Not. The Overflowings of a Liberal Brain https://www.hpluckrose.com/p/please-dont-get-stuck-on-whether
Pluckrose, Helen (March 27, 2024). Are Women Oppressed or Oppressors? The Incoherence of Critical Social Justice on Patriarchy. The Overflowings of a Liberal Brain https://www.hpluckrose.com/p/are-women-oppressed-or-oppressor
Pluckrose, Helen (December 14, 2022). Why Does the Trans Debate Focus so Much on Women? No, it’s not the patriarchy. The Overflowings of a Liberal Brain https://www.hpluckrose.com/p/why-does-the-trans-debate-focus-so
Smith M (Pluckrose pseudonym) (2018). Going in Through the Back Door: Challenging Straight Male Homohysteria and Transphobia through Receptive Penetrative Sex Toy Use. Sexuality & Culture. 22 (4): 1542. 10.1007/s12119-018-9536-0
Pluckrose, Helen (September 27, 2017). An Argument for a Liberal and Rational Approach to Transgender Rights and Inclusion. Areo https://areomagazine.com/2017/09/27/an-argument-for-a-liberal-and-rational-approach-to-transgender-rights-and-inclusion/
Books
Pluckrose, Helen (2024). The Counterweight Handbook: Principled Strategies for Surviving and Defeating Critical Social Justice – At Work, in Schools, and Beyond. Pitchstone Publishing, ISBN 978-1634312288
Pluckrose, Helen; Lindsay, James (2020). Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity – and Why This Harms Everybody. Pitchstone Publishing, ISBN 978-1634312028
Media
heretics. with Andrew Gold and Helen Pluckrose (March 21, 2024). The FASCINATING Truth About Trans Ideology – Helen Pluckrose | heretics. 39. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuwGcVT6YZQ
Transparency with Aaron Kimberly, Aaron Terrell, and Helen Pluckrose (March 10, 2024). EP 83 – Gender Ideologies – with Helen Pluckrose. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gisc3wAfwQ
Resources
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grievance_studies_affair)
Counterweight (counterweightsupport.com) [archive]
X/Twitter (x.com)
Substack (substack.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
Sam Leith is an English author and anti-transgender activist.
Background
Leith was born on January 1, 1974 in London and was educated at Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford. Leith is a “nepo baby” whose parents were also involved in journalism and publishing. Leith authored the 2012 memoir Going Nowhere: A Life in Six Videogames.
Leith is an officer in Leith/Bowden Productions Limited with spouse Alice Bowden and was an officer in 69 Dalberg Road Freehold Ltd with Camilla Clare Cookson. Leith is a parent to children.
Anti-transgender activism
Like anti-trans New York Times counterpart Pamela Paul, Leith gatekeeps coverage of the literary and journalistic contributions of trans and gender diverse people and our allies. Leith is also in a position to promote anti-trans authors and books, which happens regularly. As an example, Leith is a signatory on a 2020 Sunday Times open letter supporting openly transphobic author J.K. Rowling. Leith also contributes to anti-trans publication UnHerd, criticizing Judith Butler and standing up for gender critical activists who dislike the term TERF.
While Leith believes trans people should be accommodated “within the constraints available to reality,” Leith felt moved go mask off in 2023 after deciding that convicted criminal Sarah Jane Baker was emblematic of transgender activism.
Leith’s beliefs and concerns:
- this “directly affects a relatively tiny proportion of the population”
- “housing male-bodied sex offenders in the female prison estate” is a problem
- “ideologues promoting irreversible surgery or hormone treatments on pre-pubescent children” are a problem
- “biological sex is a real thing”
- activists make “ever more ludicrous and uncompromising claims about the nature of reality”
- uplifts outlier conservative trans people including Debbie Hayton and Buck Angel
References
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/
Anti-trans coverage
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
Selected writing by Leith
Leith, Sam (July 10, 2023). Trans activists don’t help themselves. The Spectator https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/trans-activists-dont-help-themselves/
Leith, Sam (September 24, 2020). The intellectual shabbiness of Judith Butler. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2020/09/the-intellectual-shabbiness-of-judith-butler/
Leith, Sam (November 14, 2013). Sam Leith: A father’s dilemma. Prospect https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/society/51727/sam-leith-a-fathers-dilemma
Resources
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
The Guardian (theguardian.com)
The Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)
- Sam Leith columns [archive]
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/samleith/
London Evening Standard (http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/)
- Sam Leith columns [archive]
- http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-home/columnistarchive/Sam%20Leith-columnist-942-archive.do
Library of Congress (lccn.loc.gov)
X/Twitter (x.com)
The Spectator (spectator.co.uk)
UnHerd (unherd.com)
Megan Twohey is an American author and anti-transgender activist. Twohey co-wrote a scaremongering New York Times article about healthcare for trans and gender diverse youth titled “They Paused Puberty, but Is There a Cost?” The piece helped spark a newsroom revolt against management during the Times’ 2020s anti-trans coverage crisis.
Background
Megan Twohey was born on October 26, 1976 to John and Mary Jane Twohey.
Mary Jane Twohey handled PR for Northwestern University after transphobic eugenicist J. Michael Bailey arranged a live “fucksaw” demonstration for students.
Megan Twohey graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1994. After graduating from Georgetown University in 1998, Twohey worked at Washington Monthly, then National Journal from 1999 to 2001, then Moscow Times from 2001 to 2002. Twohey joined the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel from 2003 to 2007.
Twohey then joined parent John Twohey at Tribune Media’s Chicago Tribune in 2007. From 2012 to 2016, Twohey was with Thomson Reuters, then joined the New York Times in 2016.
Twohey and Jodi Kantor published a 2017 exposé about Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse and assault that figured prominently into Weinstein’s downfall and ultimate conviction, earning a Pulitzer Prize. Their 2019 book She Said was adapted into a 2022 film of the same name.
Twohey and literary agent Vadim “Jim” Rutman (born ~1975) were married on June 12, 2016 and have one child.
Anti-trans activism
Twohey co-wrote a 2022 New York Times article on puberty blockers for gender diverse youth that culminated in a 2023 newsroom revolt against Times leadership.
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, co-author Christina 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 unwanted sexual attention and assault. Doctors work with parents to weigh the risks and benefits before getting informed parental consent. As with any medical treatment, some people will be harmed more than they were helped.
Focusing on uncommon side effects and unknown risks is a long-used pretense to restrict or ban contraception and abortion, especially for minors. For more information, see this site’s analysis of “They Paused Puberty, but Is There a Cost?”
The piece was cited as part of a series by a small group of anti-trans writers within the New York Times. GLAAD stated: “In November 2022, the Times published a story by Megan Twohey and Christina Jewett that got the science of healthcare for trans people so wrong that the WPATH had to write a multi-page tear-down explaining how the Times misrepresented the facts at every turn.”
2023 correspondence
On September 3, 2023, I received an email from Twohey copied to Times external communications executive Danielle Rhoades Ha. Twohey requested that biographical information on this page be removed, all of which had been previously published.
My reply:
In 2003 J. Michael Bailey was presenting images and confidential clinical information about six-year olds from my community for laughs to future clinicians.
This vulgar misuse of our children without their knowledge or consent was part of a tour for Bailey’s transphobic book that came out under the federal imprimatur of the National Academies Press. That book is framed by the fabricated case report of a six-year-old gender diverse child whose “curing” is presented as evidence that children should not get gender affirming care.
Back when the Times still had a public editor, I expressed my concerns about your employer’s sustained support for Bailey and like-minded grifters like Alice Dreger who manipulate science and media to harm our children. The Times did worse than nothing. That Times reporter and the Science editors defamed me as payback, a major media coup that allowed Bailey and friends to continue harming children, adding years to my work getting their infamous Toronto children’s gender clinic shut down.
I won’t even get into Bailey’s sex with a book subject/patient, etc. Your mother got paid to help Bailey and employer Northwestern get out in front of his live “fucksaw” demonstration. Your family got paid to help Bailey stay tenured.
Not one journalist in America has published one article that speaks truth to power about these 50 years of attacks on our children via Archives of Sexual Behavior. A reporter from the Chicago Tribune once asked Dreger directly about Bailey’s fabrication and Dreger’s cover-up, but the story got spiked.
In a just world, Bailey’s book would be retracted, Bailey’s editor would be fired, Dreger’s article would be retracted, and Dreger’s editor would be fired. It would just take one article. Instead we get decades of Times coverage like hand-wringing about side effects of treatment that is being banned across the country, forcing families from NBA legends to struggling single parents to join in the largest mass interstate migration since COVID.
Few organizations have done more to make trans lives harder than the New York Times. You, your family, and the organizations that have paid all of you are part of the problem. I’m simply documenting all this for historians.
PS: Your profile is standard encyclopedia fare. Your family members are all media professionals who’ve been in the public eye, and your six-year-old’s full name and age are published on the New York Times website.
Twohey ignored my outline of the Twohey family’s negative impact on hundreds of thousands of American children, merely disputing my postscript. I then provided Twohey a Times website link. Despite being under no obligation to do so, I honored part of Twohey’s request.
References
Acharya, Ustav (August 19, 2020). Megan Twohey. Bio Wikis https://biowikis.com/megan-twohey/
Klein, Charlotte (February 27, 2023). Inside the New York Times blowup over transgender coverage. Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/new-york-times-trans-coverage-debate
Jones, Imara (July 17, 2023). S02E05: Capturing The New York Times. The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: A Plot Against Equality https://translash.org/transcript-capturing-the-new-york-times/
Duffy, Kaiyti (November 29, 2022). Recent Anti-Trans Articles Miss the Point of Gender-Affirming Care. Teen Vogue https://www.teenvogue.com/story/recent-anti-trans-articles-miss-the-point-of-gender-affirming-care
Thiesen, Lauren (November 15, 2022). How Many Trans People Does The New York Times Believe There Should Be? Defector https://defector.com/how-many-trans-people-does-the-new-york-times-believe-there-should-be
Sonoma, Sirena (April 19, 2023). The New York Times’ Inaccurate Coverage of Transgender People is Being Weaponized Against the Transgender Community. GLAAD https://glaad.org/new-york-times-inaccurate-coverage-transgender-people-being-weaponized-against-transgender/
Eckert, AJ (December 4, 2022). What the New York Times gets wrong about puberty blockers for transgender youth. Science Based Medicine https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/what-the-new-york-times-gets-wrong-about-puberty-blockers-for-transgender-youth/
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
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.pdf
Urquhart, Evan (November 14, 2022). NYT Investigation Offers Biased Reporting on Puberty Blocker Concerns. Assigned https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/nyt-investigation-finds-concerns-about-puberty-blockers-for-trans-youth
Urquhart, Evan (November 17, 2022). The NYT’s big piece on puberty blockers mucked up the most important point about them. Slate https://slate.com/technology/2022/11/puberty-blockers-side-effects-controversy.html
Jewett, Christina (February 2, 2017). Drug used to halt puberty in children may cause lasting health problems. Kaiser Health News https://www.statnews.com/2017/02/02/lupron-puberty-children-health-problems/
Anti-trans coverage
Oladipo, Gloria (February 18, 2023). Nearly 1,000 contributors protest New York Times’ coverage of trans people. The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/17/new-york-times-contributors-open-letter-protest-anti-trans-coverage
Wulfsohn, Joseph A. (November 15, 2022). New York Times story on puberty blockers fuels critics amid trans debate: ‘Decade late on this story.’ Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/media/new-york-times-story-puberty-blockers-fuels-critics-amid-trans-debate-decade-late-story
Reilly, Patrick (February 15, 2023). New York Times accused of ‘editorial bias’ in coverage of transgender issues. New York Post https://nypost.com/2023/02/15/new-york-times-blasted-for-editorial-bias-in-transgender-coverage/
Migdon, Brooke (February 15, 2023). NYT contributors blast paper’s coverage of transgender people. The Hill https://thehill.com/homenews/media/3859501-nyt-contributors-blast-papers-coverage-of-transgender-people/
Warrington, James (February 16, 2023). How the New York Times was engulfed by a trans culture war. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/02/15/new-york-times-accused-writers-anti-trans-bigotry/
Selected writing by Twohey
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
Resources
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- Megan Twohey
- https://www.loc.gov/events/2020-national-book-festival/authors/item/no2019132747/megan-twohey/