FAIR was founded in 1986 by Jeff Cohen and Martin A. Lee. FAIR publishes the criticism publication Extra! and also produces the audio project CounterSpin.
FAIR is critical of corporate sponsorship and ownership of media, as well as government policies and pressure, which FAIR believes restricts journalism and distorts public discourse.
Jackson, Janine (March 16, 2017). ‘That Violence Against Our Community Is Often Not Told by Media.’ https://fair.org/home/that-violence-against-our-community-is-often-not-told-by-media/
GLAAD is an American media watchdog organization that monitors and reports on media issues. Their focus is sex and gender minorities, and they have done more than any other organization in history to improve media depictions of our community.
In keeping with their initial mission to fight defamation, they have a convenient way to report defamation.
Background
GLAAD was founded in 1985 as Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League, to protest the New York Post’s sensationalized and homophobic reporting on HIV/AIDS. The name was changed a few years later to Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. In 2013, they moved to using their initials GLAAD exclusively.
Over the years, GLAAD has been instrumental in pressuring media and entertainment companies to improve how they depict LGBTQ people. The GLAAD Media Awards were established in 1989 to honor fair and accurate media depictions of LGBTQ people. Since the 1990s GLAAD has published a Media Reference Guide for journalists and other media creators. In 2013 GLAAD began grading entertainment companies with a Studio Responsibility Index. In 2021 they launched a similar Social Media Safety Index.
In 2015, longtime GLAAD employee Nick Adams was named Director of Transgender Media & Representation.
Accountability Project
Of particular interest for this project is the GLAAD Accountability Project (GAP), created in 2012 and relaunched in 2021 expanded listings. GAP monitors and documents individual public figures and groups using their platforms to spread misinformation and false rhetoric against LGBTQ people, youth, and allies.
Harper’s Magazine is an American publication founded in 1850. In the 21st century, amid the disruption of journalism and media, the magazine has had a revolving door of editors, leading to a number of questionable decisions that have affected the publication’s reputation.
No transgender journalist has ever appeared on their masthead since its founding in 1850.
“A Letter on Justice and Open Debate”
In 2020, Thomas Chatterton Williams led the effort to draft a letter decrying “illiberalism” with help from Robert Worth, George Packer, David Greenberg, and Mark Lilla. They then sought signatories without divulging who had signed. Because it “was passed among circles of activists and writers,” it is an excellent example of what The Transphobia Project hopes to reveal.
It’s one of the best recent examples of what Julia Serano calls “the Dregerian narrative” in which some elitists claim they are being persecuted or silenced by the minorities they exploit. The list featured an unusually large proportion of “gender critical” mainstays.
Signatories
Elliot Ackerman, Saladin Ambar, Martin Amis, Anne Applebaum, Marie Arana, Margaret Atwood, John Banville, Mia Bay, Louis Begley, Roger Berkowitz, Paul Berman, Sheri Berman, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Neil Blair, David W. Blight, Jennifer Finney Boylan, David Bromwich, David Brooks, Ian Buruma, Lea Carpenter, Noam Chomsky, Nicholas Christakis, Roger Cohen, Frances D. Cook, Drucilla Cornell, Kamel Daoud, Meghan Daum, Gerald Early, Jeffrey Eugenides, Dexter Filkins, Federico Finchelstein, Caitlin Flanagan, Richard T. Ford, Kmele Foster, David Frum, Francis Fukuyama, Atul Gawande, Todd Gitlin, Kim Ghattas, Malcolm Gladwell, Michelle Goldberg, Rebecca Goldstein, Anthony Grafton, David Greenberg, Linda Greenhouse, Kerri Greenidge, Rinne B. Groff, Sarah Haider, Jonathan Haidt, Roya Hakakian, Shadi Hamid, Jeet Heer, Katie Herzog, Susannah Heschel, Adam Hochschild, Arlie Russell Hochschild, Eva Hoffman, Coleman Hughes, Hussein Ibish, Michael Ignatieff, Zaid Jilani, Bill T. Jones, Wendy Kaminer, Matthew Karp, Garry Kasparov, Daniel Kehlmann, Randall Kennedy, Khaled Khalifa, Parag Khanna, Laura Kipnis, Frances Kissling, Enrique Krauze, Anthony Kronman, Joy Ladin, Nicholas Lemann, Mark Lilla, Susie Linfield, Damon Linker, Dahlia Lithwick, Steven Lukes, John R. MacArthur, Susan Madrak, Phoebe Maltz Bovy, Greil Marcus, Wynton Marsalis, Kati Marton, Debra Mashek, Deirdre McCloskey, John McWhorter, Uday Mehta, Andrew Moravcsik, Yascha Mounk, Samuel Moyn, Meera Nanda, Cary Nelson, Olivia Nuzzi, Mark Oppenheimer, Dael Orlandersmith, George Packer, Nell Irvin Painter, Greg Pardlo, Orlando Patterson, Steven Pinker, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Katha Pollitt, Claire Bond Potter, Taufiq Rahim, Zia Haider Rahman, Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, Jonathan Rauch, Neil Roberts, Melvin Rogers, Kat Rosenfield, Loretta J. Ross, J. K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie, Karim Sadjadpour, Daryl Michael Scott, Diana Senechal, Jennifer Senior, Judith Shulevitz, Jesse Singal, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Andrew Solomon, Deborah Solomon, Allison Stanger, Paul Starr, Wendell Steavenson, Gloria Steinem, Nadine Strossen, Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., Kian Tajbakhsh, Zephyr Teachout, Cynthia Tucker, Adaner Usmani, Chloé Valdary, Lucía Martínez Valdivia, Helen Vendler, Judy B. Walzer, Michael Walzer, Eric K. Washington, Caroline Weber, Randi Weingarten, Bari Weiss, Sean Wilentz, Garry Wills, Thomas Chatterton Williams, Robert F. Worth, Molly Worthen, Matthew Yglesias, Emily Yoffe, Cathy Young, Fareed Zakaria
A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate
A letter countering it appeared shortly after that discussed the original’s “gender critical” aims:
The letter reads as a caustic reaction to a diversifying industry — one that’s starting to challenge institutional norms that have protected bigotry. The writers of the letter use seductive but nebulous concepts and coded language to obscure the actual meaning behind their words, in what seems like an attempt to control and derail the ongoing debate about who gets to have a platform.
In fact, a number of the signatories have made a point of punishing people who have spoken out against them, including Bari Weiss (who made a name for herself as a Columbia University undergrad by harassing and infringing upon the speech of professors she considered to be anti-Israel, and later attempted to shame multiple media outlets into firing freelance journalist Erin Biba for her tweets), Katha Pollitt (whose transphobic rhetoric has extended to trying to deny trans journalists access to professional networking tools), Emily Yoffe (who has spoken out against sexual-assault survivors expressing their free speech rights), Anne-Marie Slaughter (who terminated her Google-funded organization’s partnership with a Google critic), and Cary Nelson (whose support of free speech, apparently, does not extend to everyone) — just to name a few. What gives them the right to use their platforms to harass others into silence, especially writers with smaller platforms and less institutional support, while preaching that silencing writers is a problem?
Rowling, one of the signers, has spouted transphobic and transmisogynist rhetoric, mocking the idea that trans men could exist, and likening transition-related medical care such as hormone replacement therapy to conversion therapy. She directly interacts with fans on Twitter, publishes letters littered with transphobic rhetoric, and gets away with platforming violent anti-trans speakers to her 14 million followers.
Jesse Singal, another signer, is a cis man infamous for advancing his career by writing derogatorily about trans issues. In 2018, Singal had a cover story in The Atlantic expressing skepticism about the benefits of gender-affirming care for trans youth. No trans writer has been afforded the same space. Singal often faces and dismisses criticism from trans people, but he has a much larger platform than any trans journalist. In fact, a 2018 Jezebel report found that Singal was part of a closed Google listserv of more than 400 left-leaning media elites who praised his work, with not a single out trans person in the group. He also has an antagonistic history with trans journalists, academics, and other writers, dedicating many Medium posts to attempting to refute or discredit their claims and reputations.
It’s also clear that the organizers of the letter did not communicate clearly and honestly with all the signatories. One invited professor, who did not sign the Harper’s letter, said that he was asked to sign a letter “arguing for bolder, more meaningful efforts at racial and gender inclusion in journalism, academia, and the arts.” The letter in its final form fails to make this argument at all. Another of the signers, author and professor Jennifer Finney Boylan, who is also a trans woman, said on Twitter that she did not know who else had signed it until it was published. Another signatory, Lucia Martinez Valdivia, said in a Medium post: “When I asked to know who the other signatories were, the names I was shown were those of people of color from all over the political spectrum, and not those of people who have taken gender-critical or trans-exclusionary positions.”
Under the guise of free speech and free exchange of ideas, the letter appears to be asking for unrestricted freedom to espouse their points of view free from consequence or criticism.
Other critics
Jeff Yang criticized the letter:
It’s hard not to see the letter as merely an elegantly written affirmation of elitism and privilege.
Each has also, in the face of resultant backlash, dismissed rebuttals and positioned themselves as beleaguered victims of the current culture, turning their support for open debate and free expression into an example of stark hypocrisy or sly gaslighting.
That’s because even if the letter were warranted — even if it weren’t an off-note, Olympian statement that reads as self-interested and elitist at best — it’s sure to be used by serial bad actors on the list as a shield against legitimate criticism.
Yang, Jeff (July 10, 2020). The problem with ‘the letter.’ CNN https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/opinions/the-letter-harpers-cancel-culture-open-debate-yang/index.html
Giorgis, Hannah (July 13, 2020). A Deeply Provincial View of Free Speech.The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/07/harpers-letter-free-speech/614080/
Kate Bornstein is a nonbinary American author, playwright, and performer. Bornstein’s important work on gender theory helped lay the groundwork for the resurgence of trans rights and culture in the 1990s.
Background
Bornstein was born March 15, 1948, grew up in Asbury Park, New Jersey and graduated from Brown University in 1969. Bornstein joined the Church of Scientology, moving into high ranks before leaving in 1981. Bornstein transitioned in 1986 and began doing theatre in San Francisco.
In 2012, Bornstein was diagnosed with lung cancer, saying it had been cleared for two years in 2015.
Bornstein is the subject of the 2014 documentary Kate Bornstein is a Queer and Pleasant Danger. Bornstein appeared with Caitlyn Jenner on the reality show I Am Cait.
Books
Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. ISBN 978-0679757016.
Nearly Roadkill: An Infobahn Erotic Adventure. ISBN 978-1852424183.
My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely. ISBN 978-0415916721.
Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws. ISBN 9781583227206.
Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation. ISBN 9781580053082.
A Queer and Pleasant Danger: A Memoir.
My New Gender Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving World Peace Through Gender Anarchy and Sex Positivity. ISBN 978-0415538657.
Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us (Revised and Updated). ISBN 978-1-101-97461-2.
Wikipedia is a user-edited encyclopedia. The topics around sex, gender, and sexuality are among the most contentious on the site, and the community of editors has taken drastic steps to control these topics.
Buck Angel is an American model, pornographic performer, entrepreneur, and cultural critic.
Although many of Angel’s views on sex, sexuality, and gender are progressive, Angel is considered a prominent transgender conservative for using terms and concepts that have largely fallen out of use. These views have made Angel a favored source among conservative and anti-transgender journalists and commentators.
Background
Angel was born June 5, 1962 in Los Angeles, California. After high school Angel worked as a model but felt disconnected from the world, self-medicating with alcohol and drugs. After identifying as lesbian until age 28, Angel began taking hormones, later opting for top surgery but not bottom surgery. Angel later had a hysterectomy.
Beginning around 2005, Angel began to appear in pornographic films, billed as “the man with a pussy.” Angel earned industry recognition for this groundbreaking career.
Angel eventually moved into sex education, appearing in films and speaking at conferences and schools. Angel has frequently appeared in the media. Angel’s entrepreneurial projects include a dating site, an outreach site for trans men, a cannabis company, and sex toys.
Angel was married to Karin Winslow, a dominatrix who left Angel for filmmaker Lana Wachowski. Angel was then in a one-year marriage to a body piercer that ended in an acrimonious split. Angel later married filmmaker Rachel Mason.
Political views
Angel identifies as transsexual and as a “female who lives as a man.” Most people in the community reject these older terms and conceptualizations. Angel advocates for maintaining sex-segregated spaces like competitive sports and takes issue with the phrase “trans women are women.” Progressive members of the community characterize Angel’s views as transmedicalist and sex segregationist. Angel has been affiliated with extremist group Gays Against Groomers.
Ana Valens is an American journalist who frequently writes about gaming and sexuality from a progressive and pro-transgender perspective.
Background
Valens earned a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in 2016.
Valens has written and edited at New Brunswick Today, TRIM Magazine, Gamemoir, The Anthologist, Kill Screen Media, Inc., CGMagazine, PRIDE, Now Loading, Dot Esports, The Toast, Bitch Media, Fanbyte, Kill Screen, Waypoint, Glixel, Daily Dot, and The Mary Sue.
Valens has also worked with gaming companies Sekai Project and FemHype.
Joey Brite is an American ex-transgender activist who organized an anti-transgender conference in 2020 and is an executive producer of the 2023 anti-trans film No Way Back (originally Affirmation Generation). Director Laura VanZee-Taylor, producer Penka Kouneva, and executive producer Brite are responsible for including convicted sex offender David Arthur Kendall as one of the ex-trans activists featured.
Background
Alicia Nancy Neff was born in February 4, 1955 in Los Angeles to Charles “Bud” Neff and Carolyn Jeannette Neff. Neff’s father was a musician who ran Neff’s Paint and Wallpaper in Anaheim, and Alicia Neff graduated from Anaheim High School in 1972.
As an adult, Neff began using the names Alicia Brite and Joey Brite, usually styled joey brite. Brite and a songwriting partner began performing original “women’s music.” Brite also worked in set design and theatrical props, eventually becoming lighting assistant for an independent film company “that churned out lesbian porn for theatrical release.”
Brite has kept a connection with the paint and wallpaper industry since the late 1980s, operating an interior paint consultancy called The COLOR Effect since 1995.
Brite was a DJ at KPFA in Berkeley from 1983 to 1985. Brite was associated with Mills College from 2001 to 2003, working as a liaison for Fremont High School. In 2004 Brite began producing events and fundraisers and started handling social media for several artists.
In 2020, Brite described conservative trans people Blaire White, Scott Newgent, Fionne Orlander, and Buck Angel as the “four horsemen of the gender critical apocalypse.”
Brite continues working in production, incorporating Small Pockets Productions LLC in California in 2020 and Behind the Curtain Productions Inc in New York in 2022.
2020 conference
On August 8, 2020, Brite held the “Can I Get a Witness” conference. It was dedicated to the memory of Magdalen Berns and featured many prominent anti-transgender activists:
Wall Street Journal writer Abigail Shrier and Author of the recently published Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters
Therapist Sasha Ayad M. Ed., LPC at Inspired Teen Therapy
Wortham, Jenna (November 16, 2018). On Instagram, Seeing Between the (Gender) Lines. The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/16/magazine/tech-design-instagram-gender.html
Carmel, Julia (December 4, 2021). Alok Vaid-Menon Finds Beauty Beyond Gender. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/04/style/alok-vaid-menon-artist-nonbinary-poet-activist.html