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Ellen Pasternack is a British biologist, sex segregationist, science communicator, and anti-transgender activist. Pasternack is an advisor to Sex Matters and has written for several anti-trans publications.

Background

Ellen Pasternack attended University of Oxford, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2016, a master’s degree in 2017, and a doctorate in 2023. Pasternack’s birthing parent’s background is German and Ashkenazi.

Anti-transgender activism

Pasternack has written for anti-trans publications, including The Critic, UnHerd, New Statesman, The Spectator, The Telegraph, Feminist Current, CapX, and Works in Progress.

Pasternack’s activism around trans people emerged in 2018, when Pasternack was upset that the Oxford University Student Union uninvited Jenni Murray in the wake of Murray’s 2017 anti-trans column, “Be trans, be proud — but don’t call yourself a “real woman.”

In 2022 Fiona MacKenzie, Louise Perry, Olivia Robey, and Pasternack joined forces for The OH Research Ltd d/b/a The Other Half, a UK nonprofit researching “practical, workable policy in the interests of women.”

References

Selected writing by Pasternack

Pasternack, Ellen (February 28, 2023). The uncomfortable truths of Hag feminism. The New Statesman https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2023/02/uncomfortable-truths-hag-feminism

Pasternack, Ellen (May 3, 2023). Here’s why human sex is binary. UnHerd https://unherd.com/thepost/heres-why-human-sex-is-binary/

Pasternack, Ellen (June 14, 2022). Being ‘intersex’ isn’t that common. UnHerd https://unherd.com/thepost/is-the-trans-lobby-manipulating-science/

Pasternack, Ellen (May 5, 2022). You can’t be born in the wrong body. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2022/05/you-cant-be-born-in-the-wrong-body/

Pasternack, Ellen (22 September, 2021). “No debate” no longer an option. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/no-debate-no-longer-an-option/

Wheater, Emily; Pasternack, Ellen (November 2020). Transitioning to a medical scandal. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/november-2020/transitioning-to-a-medical-scandal/

Pasternack, Ellen (November 2020). Written evidence submitted by Ms Ellen Pasternack (GRA1406) https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/17525/pdf/

Resources

Weebly (weebly.com)

Substack (substack.com)

The Other Half (theotherhalf.uk)

Muck Rack (muckrack.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Medium (medium.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Sex Matters (sex-matters.org)

The Critic (thecritic.co.uk)

UnHerd (unherd.com)

CapX (capx.co)

New Statesman (newstatesman.com)

Cherwell (cherwell.org)

The Spectator (spectator.com)

The Telegraph (telegraph.co.uk)

Feminist Current (feministcurrent.com)

The Sunday Times is a conservative British publication.

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

Signatories

Additional signers

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

References

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

Michael Shellenberger is an American author, environmental policy analyst, politician, and anti-transgender activist.

Background

Michael D. “Mike” Shellenberger was born in 1971 in Colorado and grew up in Greeley. Shellenberger has three siblings born to parent Nancy and two step-siblings via stepparent, Don (1942–2021). Shellenberger graduated from Greeley Central High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Earlham College in 1993. In 1996 Shellenberger earned a master’s degree from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Shellenberger is married to sociologist and policy analyst Helen J. Lee Shellenberger (born 1975). They have two children, Joaquin B. Rosman Shellenberger (born 1999) and Kestrel Shellenberger (born 2005). They live in Berkeley, California.

Environmental policy work

In 2003 Shellenberger co-founded the Apollo Alliance, an umbrella organization now called BlueGreen Alliance.

Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus founded market research firm American Environics. They wanted to look at “mistaken assumptions in progressive political movements.”

After working in public relations, Shellenberger co-founded the Breakthrough Institute with Ted Nordhaus in 2003. In 2016, Shellenberger left Breakthrough to found Environmental Progress, focused on keeping American nuclear power plants online.

Shellenberger is a cofounder of anti-drug organization California Peace Coalition and in 2022 founded Shellenberger LLC.

Anti-progressivism

Like many anti-trans people, Shellenberger began as a progressive, then by being critical of progressive political positions, primarily around the environment. Twenty years later, Shellenberger is among many self-described “centrists” whose anti-progressivism has curdled into conservatism.

Shellenberger is author of the 2021 book San Fransicko: How Progressives Ruin Cities.

Political career

Shellenberger ran for California Governor in 2018 as an independent, coming in 9th in the primary with 31,692 votes, or 0.5%.

In 2022 Shellenberger came in third in the primary with 290,286 votes, or 4.1%.

Anti-trans activism

Shellenberger is a heavy X/Twitter user and was hand-picked by Elon Musk in 2022 to review non-public discussions by former Twitter employees and current users. Anti-trans activist Bari Weiss brought Shellenberger on to write for The Free Press in 2022.

In 2023, Shellenberger started being more open and militant about anti-transgender views. Shellenberger has a Substack called Public which frequently platforms anti-transgender views and guests, notably Leighton Woodhouse, Mia Hughes, and Alex Gutentag. Most of the regular contributors were associated with Shellenberger’s previous project Environmental Progress.

References

“Ashton, Mia”; Shellenberger, Michael (May 25, 2023). Why The Media Attacks Detransitioners. Public https://public.substack.com/p/why-the-media-attacks-detransitioners

Shellenberger, Michael (May 4, 2023). Join The Pro-Freedom Resistance. Public https://public.substack.com/p/join-the-pro-freedom-resistance

Shellenberger, Michael; Woodhouse, Leighton (April 10, 2023). VIDEO: “Oh my God” – San Francisco Students React To Trans “Kidnapping” Of Swimmer Riley Gaines. Public https://public.substack.com/p/video-oh-my-god-san-francisco-students

Klett, Leah MarieAnn (April 10, 2023). Michael Shellenberger tells Joe Rogan he returned to Christianity in response to societal ‘hatred, anger.’ Christian Post https://www.christianpost.com/news/michael-shellenberger-tells-joe-rogan-why-hes-a-christian.html

Shellenberger, Michael; Woodhouse, Leighton; Rowley, Madeleine (April 8, 2023). Why Trans Activists Attack Women. Public https://public.substack.com/p/why-trans-activists-attack-women

Redmond, Tim (April 3, 2023). Michael Shellenberger, who says progressives ruin cities, has alarming transphobic tweets. 48 Hills https://48hills.org/2023/04/michael-shellenberger-who-says-progressives-ruin-cities-has-alarming-transphobic-tweets/

Shellenberger, Michael (March 27, 2023). Why are we sterilizing children? Public https://public.substack.com/p/why-are-we-sterilizing-children

Shellenberger, Michael (March 29, 2023). “We Can’t Even Agree On What A Woman Is.” Public https://public.substack.com/p/we-cant-even-agree-on-what-a-woman

Shellenberger, Michael (March 22, 2023). Why This Detransitioner Is Suing Her Health Care Providers. Public https://public.substack.com/p/why-this-detransitioner-is-suing

Power, Nina (March 16, 2023). “If You Had Asked Me At 11 If I Wanted To Be A Boy, I Would Have Said ‘Yes.’” Public https://public.substack.com/p/if-you-had-asked-me-at-11-if-i-wanted

Power, Nina (March 16, 2023). Need To Keep Masses Afraid Is Behind Elite Embrace Of Wokeism And Censorship. Public https://public.substack.com/p/need-to-keep-masses-afraid-is-behind

Shellenberger, Michael; Woodhouse, Leighton (February 13, 2023). Normies Of The World, Unite! Public https://public.substack.com/p/normies-of-the-world-unite

Woodhouse, Leighton (February 13, 2023). What Happened to the Left? Public https://public.substack.com/p/what-happened-to-the-left

Shellenberger, Michael (December 10, 2022). The Twitter Files, Part 4 https://twitter.com/shellenberger/status/1601720455005511680

Shellenberger, Michael (November 11, 2021). Why Wokeism Is A Religion. Public https://public.substack.com/p/why-wokeism-is-a-religion

Shellenberger, Michael (March 20, 2013). The Ecology of Obesity. The Breakthrough Institute https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/the-ecology-of-obesity

Satff report (February 17, 2013). Greeley Central High School graduate waxes philosophic on energy. Greeley Tribune https://www.greeleytribune.com/2013/02/17/greeley-central-high-school-graduate-waxes-philosophic-on-energy/

Armstron, David (August 5, 1997). Progressive PR. SFGate https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Progressive-PR-3239880.php

Resources

Trans Data Library (transdatalibrary.org)

Desmog (desmog.com)

  • Michael Shellenberger
  • Excellent overview of Shellenberger’s environmental track record
  • Traces the origins of Shellenberger’s political shift to the far right

SourceWatch (sourcewatch.org)

Michael Shellenberger (shellenberger.org)

Shellenberger for Governor (shellenbergerforgovernor.com)

Breakthrough Institute (thebreakthrough.org)

Lumina Strategies (luminastrategies.com) [archive]

Business Ethics Network (businessethicsnetwork.org)

Communication Works (communicationworks.org) [archive]

Institute for Global Communications (igc.org)

Apollo Alliance (apolloalliance.org) [archive]

California Peace Coalition (californiapeacecoalition.org)

X/Twitter (x.com)

  • ShellenbergerMD [transferred to shellenberger in 2023]
  • shellenberger

Substack (substack.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Jeremy W. Peters is an American author and New York Times employee who contributes to and vigorously defends their anti-transgender coverage.

Peters and Adam Nagourney also claim there is a “medical disagreement” about trans healthcare. In actuality, there is clear medical consensus on best practices which is opposed by a conservative fringe minority.

Background

Jeremy Warren Peters was born on January 25, 1980. Peters earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan in 2002, then worked as a freelance writer. Peters wrote for The Virgin Islands Daily News before joining the Times Detroit bureau, followed by the Albany bureau. While at Albany, Peters helped cover the Eliot Spitzer sex scandal.

In 2010 Bruce Headlam announced Peters would take over the publishing beat, covering both newspapers and magazines.

Peters’ book Insurgency came out in 2017. Peters also appears in the 2018 documentary series The Fourth Estate.

Peters is in a relationship with dermatologist Brendan Camp.

2023 attack on News Guild of New York 

After the union representing Times journalists noted the profound anti-trans discrimination and hostile workplace created by Carolyn Ryan, Peters attacked union leadership, drafting the letter below and gathering signatures from colleagues.

Dear Susan,

We are writing to you privately in response to your February 17th letter, which we were surprised to see.

Like you, we support the right to a non-hostile workplace where everyone is respected and supported. We believe The New York Times should never engage in biased or discriminatory practices of any kind. We all strive to be part of a truly diverse news organization where everyone is treated fairly. We welcome robust and respectful critical feedback from colleagues, either in direct conversation or through internal Times channels.

But your letter appears to suggest a fundamental misunderstanding of our responsibilities as journalists. Regretfully, our own union leadership now seems determined to undermine the ethical and professional protections that we depend on to guard the independence and integrity of our journalism.

Factual, accurate journalism that is written, edited, and published in accordance with Times standards does not create a hostile workplace.

Every day, partisan actors seek to influence, attack, or discredit our work. We accept that. But what we don’t accept is what the Guild appears to be endorsing: A workplace in which any opinion or disagreement about Times coverage can be recast as a matter of “workplace conditions.”
Our duty is to be independent. We pursue the facts wherever they may lead. We are journalists, not activists. That line should be clear.

Debates over fairness and accuracy are perfectly reasonable. We understand and respect that the Guild has an absolute duty to offer representation to members when they are subject to discipline by management. But we do not think it is the role of our union to be engaged in – and taking sides in – public debates over internal editorial decisions.

Our hope is that the coming days will bring more constructive internal dialogue among Times employees and with Guild leadership that can help unify and improve our news organization. And we ask that our union work to advance, not erode, our journalistic independence.

Sincerely,

Reed Abelson
Maria Abi-Habib
Peter Baker
Emily Bazelon
Brooks Barnes
Julian Barnes
Susan Beachy
Jack Begg
Ginia Bellafante
Walt Bogdanich
Alan Blinder
Kellan Browning
Russ Buettner
David Chen
Nicholas Confessore
Rob Copeland
Reid Epstein
Elizabeth Dias
Harvey Dickson
Susan Dominus
Joe Drape
Jesse Drucker
Sydney Ember
Maureen Farrell
Matt Flegenheimer
Ellen Gabler
Trip Gabriel
Robert Gebeloff
Adam Goldman
Ruth Graham
Michael Grynbaum
Danny Hakim
Anemona Hartocollis
Virginia Hughes
Sharon LaFraniere
Joshua Katz
Clifford Krauss
Nicholas Kulish
Steven Lee Myers
Lisa Lerer
Sarah Lyall
Veronica Majerol
Jonathan Mahler
Sapna Maheshwari
Apoorva Mandavilli
Mark Mazzetti
Mike McIntire
Jennifer Medina
Phyllis Messinger
Rebecca O’Brien
Dennis Overbye
Ken Paul
Michael Paulson
Ivan Penn
Jeremy Peters
Michael Powell
William Rashbaum
Rebecca Robbins
Matthew Rosenberg
Katie Rosman
Michael Rothfeld
Jim Rutenberg
Margot Sanger-Katz
Charlie Savage
Stephanie Saul
Jennifer Schuessler
Kim Severson
Jessica Silver-Greenberg
Jeff Sommer
Nicole Sperling
Emily Steel
Katie Thomas
Marcela Valdes
Ken Vogel
Nancy Wartik
Mark Walker
Ben Weiser
Elizabeth Williamson
Michael Wilson
Michael Wines
David Yaffe-Bellany
Kate Zernike

2026 Dr. Oz meeting story

In March 2026, Peters reported on a meeting where Mehmet Öz, the Trump Administration head of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, summoned representatives of major medical societies to discuss their positions on what Öz called “sex-rejecting” healthcare for trans people. Zhenya Abbruzzese of anti-trans hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine was also invited. Abbruzzese and Kathleen McDeavitt, who also attended, are both authors of the Trump Administration’s 2025 US HHS report attacking trans healthcare for minors.

In the comments section, Peters espoused the belief that prominent medical journals have a “lack of viewpoints” [emphasis and links added below]:

  • @Aaron The integrity of academic journals is a major issue here. It’s not something specific to gender medicine, though certainly the lack of viewpoints published on the subject hasn’t helped. The problems here are twofold. First, there’s the one-sidedness of most of the published articles. It’s much easier to get something published in JAMA or the New England Journal of Medicine if it’s supportive of gender-affirming care. Second, there have been some major problems with some of the studies published on this subject. In some cases, bad outcomes for patients were overlooked. That’s what the evidence reviews have found. And that doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence from the public.
  • @Aaron For more context, this story by my colleague Nick Confessore has a lot of detail. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/magazine/scotus-transgender-care-tennessee-skrmetti.html You mention stifling the debate around gender medicine. In fact, before these questions ever reach an academic journal, they can be stifled. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, for instance, has blocked its own review of the evidence from getting out.
  • @David Bruce If there’s one area of agreement between the health professionals who support limiting access to medical treatments and those who don’t, it’s that they both believe the political interference has been harmful. Medicine is definitely an area where an either/or binary doesn’t usually work. And what I’ve found in my reporting is the same thing Hilary Cass, the noted British pediatrician, found when she conducted a review of gender medicine for the NHS. Evidence for and against these procedures is often misrepresented and cherry picked. So what’s a parent who doesn’t know how to read academic journals supposed to do?
  • @Emily I mostly write about issues of free speech and censorship. And that’s how I came to this topic initially, after hearing stories about doctors who have raised questions like Dr. McDeavitt has only to be shouted down. I think that’s changing. But Trump’s aggressive undermining of transgender rights hasn’t made this easier because many people now associate the policy with politics. And if there is disagreement on the policy specifics, medical societies all agree on one thing: they don’t want politicians setting guidelines for care.
  • @Linda F I hear this sentiment all the time from medical professionals, psychologists and parents. One psychologist I spoke to recently, who is herself transgender [probably Erica Anderson], told me the challenge with young patients is to give them the care they need, not the care they ask for. Then there’s the separate but related issue of irreversibility. How do you explain to a teenager that the medical decision they are making now will be at least partially permanent and could mean they can’t have kids of their own in 15 years?
  • @BiffNYC This is one of the biggest gaps in the research. Even if some of the problems that evidence reviews have identified were solved, there isn’t strong enough research yet on the long-term impact that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgery has on the mental health of kids who were treated as teenagers. Simply put, not enough time has passed since these treatments became easier to get and more common. Someone who was 12 in 2018, for instance, is only 20 today. So we not only need better studies, we need more time.

References

Urquhart, Evan (March 17, 2026). New York Times Reporter Bemoans “Lack of Viewpoints” in Major Medical Journals. Assigned Media https://www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-news/new-york-times-conspiracy-theory-jeremy-peters

Reed, Erin (November 26, 2024). New York Times Journalist Says Solution For Trans Rights Is To Be Nicer To JK Rowling. Erin in the Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/new-york-times-journalist-says-solution

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

Klein, Charlotte (February 21, 2023). Dozens of New York Times journalists hit staff union for its defense of trans coverage criticism. Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/new-york-times-journalists-letter-guild

Koenig, Melissa (February 22, 2023). Gray lady at war! Top New York Times journalists attack paper’s union for backing woke staff who signed open letter denouncing its coverage of trans issues. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11781669/New-York-Times-journalists-attack-papers-union-backing-woke-staff-trans-stories.html

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

Romenesko, Jim (May 24, 2010). Peters to cover newspapers, magazines for NYT. Poynter https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2010/peters-to-cover-newspapers-magazines-for-nyt/

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/

Bolies, Corbin; Cartwright, Lachlan (February 16, 2023). New York Times blasts staffers who condemned paper’s trans coverage. The Daily Beast https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-york-times-blast-staffers-who-condemned-papers-trans-coverage

Eckert, AJ. 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/

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 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

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

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/

Yurcaba, Jo (February 16, 2023). N.Y. Times contributors and LGBTQ advocates send open letters criticizing paper’s trans coverage. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/ny-contributors-lgbtq-advocates-send-open-letters-criticizing-papers-t-rcna70800

Paul, Larisha (February 15, 2023). Gabrielle Union, Tommy Dorfman, more accuse NYT of ‘Harmful’ coverage of trans people. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/new-york-times-coverage-of-trans-people-open-letter-1234680299/

Kalish, Lil. These New York Times contributors say the paper’s coverage of gender issues is hurting trans people. BuzzFeed News. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/lilkalish/trans-writers-open-letter-nyt-biased-coverage

Hays, Gabriel (February 15, 2023). Celebs rip into New York Times for ‘irresponsible’ transgender coverage: Demand end to ‘both sides’ focus. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/media/celebs-rip-new-york-times-irresponsible-transgender-coverage-demand-end-both-sides-focus

Dunlap, David W. (June 19, 2017). How The Times gave ‘gay’ its own voice (again). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.

Klein, Charlotte (February 15, 2023). Nearly 200 New York Times contributors are denouncing the paper’s anti-trans coverage. Vanity Fair. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/02/new-york-times-trans-coverage

Davies, Rachel (February 16, 2023). The NYT knew what it was doing with its ‘Defense of J.K. Rowling’. The Mary Sue. https://www.themarysue.com/the-nyt-knew-what-it-was-doing-with-its-defense-of-j-k-rowling/

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/

Mastrangelo, Dominick (February 16, 2023). NYT editors: Paper ‘will not tolerate’ its journalists protesting coverage of transgender people. The Hill. https://thehill.com/homenews/3862101-nyt-editors-paper-will-not-tolerate-its-journalists-protesting-coverage-of-transgender-people/amp/

Smith, Ben (October 18, 2022). Inside the identity crisis at The New York Times. Semafor https://www.semafor.com/article/10/18/2022/inside-the-identity-crisis-at-the-new-york-times

Remnick, David (December 22, 2017). A conversation with A.G. Sulzberger, the new leader of the New York Times. New York https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-conversation-with-a-g-sulzberger-the-new-leader-of-the-new-york-times

Ember, Sydney (December 14, 2017). A.G. Sulzberger, 37, to Take Over as New York Times Publisher. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/business/media/a-g-sulzberger-new-york-times-publisher.html

Barron, James (October 20, 2016). A.G. Sulzberger: leading change at The New York Times as journalism evolves. The New York Times. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2018/02/ag_sulzberger_new_york_times_p.html

Rogoway, Mike (February 9, 2018). A.G. Sulzberger, New York Times’ publisher and former Oregonian reporter, talks journalism in the digital age. The Oregonian.

Wemple, Erik (December 14, 2017). A.G. Sulzberger to assume publisher role at New York Times on Jan. 1. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/12/14/a-g-sulzberger-to-assume-publisher-role-at-new-york-times-on-jan-1/

Benton, Joshua (May 15, 2014). The leaked New York Times innovation report is one of the key documents of this media age. NiemanLab. https://www.niemanlab.org/2014/05/the-leaked-new-york-times-innovation-report-is-one-of-the-key-documents-of-this-media-age/

Snyder, Gabriel (February 12, 2017). The New York Times claws its way into the future. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2017/02/new-york-times-digital-journalism/

Levitz, Eric (October 19, 2016). A.G. Sulzberger Vanquishes His Cousins, Becomes Deputy Publisher of the New York Times. New York. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/10/a-g-sulzberger-becomes-deputy-publisher-of-new-york-times.html

Benton, Joshua. This is The New York Times’ digital path forward. NiemanLab. https://www.niemanlab.org/2017/01/this-is-the-new-york-times-digital-path-forward/

Sulzberger, A. G. (October 7, 2015). Our Path Forward (PDF). The New York Times Company. https://nytco-assets.nytimes.com/m/Our-Path-Forward.pdf

Sulzberger, A. G. (January 1, 2018). A Note from Our New Publisher. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/01/opinion/Arthur-Gregg-Sulzberger-The-New-York-Times.html

Selected trans coverage by Peters

Peters, Jeremy W. (March 16, 2026). In Tense Meeting, Dr. Oz Pressed Medical Societies on Trans Care for Teens. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/us/politics/dr-oz-transgender-meeting.html

Peters, Jeremy W. (November 26, 2024). Transgender Activists Question the Movement’s Confrontational Approach. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/26/us/politics/transgender-activists-rights.html

Peters, Jeremy W. (November 2, 2024). In Shift From 2020, Identity Politics Loses Its Grip on the Country. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/02/us/politics/election-2024-harris-progressives.html

Goldmacher, Shane [Peters contributed reporting] (October 8, 2024). Trump and Republicans Bet Big on Anti-Trans Ads Across the Country. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/08/us/politics/trump-republican-transgender-ads.html

Nagourney, Adam; Peters, Jeremy W. (April 16, 2023). How a campaign against transgender rights mobilized conservatives. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/16/us/politics/transgender-conservative-campaign.html

Peters, Jeremy W. (March 29, 2021). Why Transgender Girls Are Suddenly the G.O.P.’s Culture-War Focus. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/29/us/politics/transgender-girls-sports.html

Peters, Jeremy W. (November 3, 2019). A Conservative Push to Make Trans Kids and School Sports the Next Battleground in the
Culture War. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/03/us/politics/kentuckytransgender-school-sports.html

Peters, Jeremy W. (December 15, 2009). Transgender State Workers Expected to Gain Bias Protection. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/nyregion/16transgender.html

Davis, Julie Hirschfeld; Cooper, Helene [Peters contributed reporting] (December 15, 2009). Trump Says Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed in the Military. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/26/us/politics/trump-transgender-military.html

Resources

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

X/Twitter (x.com)

  • @jwpetersNYT [deleted April 2023]

New York Times (nytimes.com)

Muck Rack (muckrack.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

The Hill is an American media organization. Their coverage of trans issues is generally neutral to negative.

Background

The Hill was formed as a newspaper in 1994 by Jerry Finkelstein and Martin Tolchin. Major shareholders included Gary L. Ackerman. In 2012, James A. Finkelstein assumed control of the organization.

Contributors

A number of contributors have written anti-trans pieces, including:

  • Carrie Lukas
  • Scott Yenor

Resources

The Hill (thehill.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Facebook (facebook.com)

X/Twitter (https://x.com/thehill)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

  • The Hill
  • linkedin.com/company/the-hill

YouTube (youtube.com)

TikTok (tiktok.com)

Library of Congress (loc.gov)

Newsweek is an American media organization. It is generally neutral to negative in its transgender coverage.

People

Prominent anti-trans voices platformed on Newsweek include Josh Hammer, Kristen Waggoner of Alliance Defending Freedom, Candice Jackson, and Batya Ungar-Sargon.

Selected coverage

Hammer, Josh (February 2, 2026). Is This the End of Transgender Hysteria? Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/is-this-the-end-of-transgender-hysteria-11474700

Hammer, Josh (January 14, 2026). In Transgender Sports Case, SCOTUS Must Side with Truth and Common Sense. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/in-transgender-sports-case-scotus-must-side-with-truth-and-common-sense-11359767

Waggoner, Kristen (October 9, 2025). Supreme Court Weighs Colorado Gender Care Case. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/supreme-court-weighs-colorado-gender-care-case-opinion-10848294

Hammer, Josh (September 4, 2025). The Conversation That America Needs To Have on Transgenderism | Opinion. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/josh-hammer-report-conversation-that-america-needs-have-transgenderism-opinion-2124460

Beecher, Suzanne (July 9, 2025). The Supreme Court Can Save Women’s Sports | Opinion. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/supreme-court-can-save-womens-sports-opinion-2095572

Waggoner, Kristen (June 24, 2025). The Supreme Court Got It Right: Protect Kids From Medical Experimentation | Opinion. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/supreme-court-got-it-right-protect-kids-medical-experimentation-opinion-2089335

Hammer, Josh (June 6, 2025). How Democrats Can Stop Alienating Young Men: Some Unsolicited Advice | Opinion. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/how-democrats-can-stop-alienating-young-men-some-unsolicited-advice-opinion-2081758

Jackson, Candice (March 28, 2025). The Fight to Defend Women’s Sports is Not Over—But We’re Winning | Opinion. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/fight-defend-womens-sports-not-over-were-winning-opinion-2051809

Hammer, Josh (March 7, 2025). The Democratic Fork in the Road and the Woke Repudiation Imperative | Opinion. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-fork-road-woke-repudiation-imperative-opinion-2040979

Waggoner, Kristen (Jan 17, 2025). Trump Admin Should Keep Up the Fight Against Gender Ideology | Opinion. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-should-keep-fight-against-gender-ideology-opinion-2014733

Hammer, Josh (December 6, 2024). In Transgender Case, Can SCOTUS Cut to the Moral Heart of the Issue? | Opinion. https://www.newsweek.com/transgender-case-can-scotus-cut-moral-heart-issue-opinion-1996483

Waggoner, Kristen (October 25, 2024). Now’s the Time to Defend Women’s Sports Around the World. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/nows-time-defend-womens-sports-around-world-opinion-1972981

Holland, Jenny (May 10, 2023). Transgender Ideology Isn’t About Dignity. It’s Warmed Over Misogyny | Opinion. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/transgender-ideology-isnt-about-dignity-its-warmed-over-misogyny-opinion-1799266

Waggoner, Kristen (January 28, 2021). President Biden, Do Our Best Days Really Lie Ahead? Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/president-biden-do-our-best-days-really-lie-ahead-opinion-1563797

Waggoner, Kristen (June 16, 2020). Certainly Uncertain Times. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/certainly-uncertain-times-opinion-1511057

Borelli, Lizette (October 3, 2017). Transgender Surgery: Regret Rates Highest in Male-to-Female Reassignment Operations. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/transgender-women-transgender-men-sex-change-sex-reassignment-surgery-676777

Resources

Newsweek (newsweek.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Britannica (britannica.com)

Grokipedia (grokipedia.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

TikTok (tiktok.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)

The Daily Caller is an American conservative group blog that publishes consistently anti-transgender content.

Background

Daily Caller was founded in 2010 by Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel, Carlson’s former college roommate and advisor to Dick Cheney. It was created as a “conservative answer to The Huffington Post.” Foster Friess provided $3 million in startup funding. In June 2020, Carlson was bought out by Patel and left the project.

In July 2010 Daily Caller published leaked emails from JournoList, a private online forum for elite journalists. February 2012 the published several hit pieces on internal operations at Media Matters for America.

In November 2016 Vince Coglianese replaced Carlson as editor-in-chief. In 2017, they founded Check Your Fact, a for-profit “fact-checking” subsidiary wholly owned by The Daily Caller, Inc. In November 2024, Dylan Housman became editor in chief.

In 2020, they founded the nonprofit Daily Caller News Foundation.

Anti-trans coverage

Daily Caller frequently covers anti-trans stories about transgender athletes and healthcare for trans and gender diverse minors.

Contributors

Contributors who have written about trans topics include:

References

Marx, Greg (March 2, 2010). Carlson Calling. Columbia Journalism Review https://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/carlson_calling.php

Resources

The Daily Caller (dailycaller.com)

  • Transgender
  • dailycaller.com/search/?q=transgender
  • DC Trawler
  • dctrawler.dailycaller.com

Check Your Fact (checkyourfact.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Grokipedia (grokipedia.com)

Propublica (projects.propublica.org)

Kara Dansky is an American lawyer, sex segregationist, and anti-transgender extremist. Dansky is a member of Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) and served as president of the American chapter of Women’s Declaration International.

Before becoming an anti-trans activist, Dansky worked for the ACLU and other groups that advocated for civil rights and prisoner rights. Dansky has witten for Spiked, Reality’s Last Stand, and The Hill and has worked with right-wing groups, including Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.

Background

Kara Patrice Dansky was born March 17, 1972. Dansky earned a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1994 and a law degree from University of Pennsylvania Law School. According to a self-supplied biography, Dansky has been:

  • Founder and Managing Director of One Thousand Arms.
  • Special Advisor to the Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
  • Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
  • Executive Director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center
  • Public defender and federal law clerk at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico
  • Staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • Senior Counsel with the ACLU Center for Justice

Dansky is a member of the bar for the District of Columbia and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Anti-trans activism

Dansky served on the board of the Women’s Liberation Front from 2016 to 2020.

In November 2021, Dansky published The Abolition of Sex: How the ‘Transgender’ Agenda Harms Women and Girls.

In 2023, Dansky published The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls.

In 2024, Dansky released the Democratic Women’s Declaration.

In 2026, Dansky published a post with a recommended template for contacting people in the media about trans coverage. Dansky recommended the following anti-trans activists:

References

Pauly, Madison (February 5, 2026). Meet the Mastermind Behind Trump’s Definition of “Woman.” Mother Jones https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/trump-anti-trans-may-mailman-sports-ban-womens-bill-of-rights-terf/

Osmundson, Joseph (April 24, 2023). Opinion: How ‘women’s rights’ activists create language that dehumanizes trans people. Xtra* https://xtramagazine.com/culture/adult-human-female-language-women-249557

The Atlas Society (January 5, 2022). Event: The Atlas Society Asks Kara Dansky. https://www.atlassociety.org/events/the-atlas-society-asks-kara-dansky

Archibald, Ashley (February 10, 2020). Confronting a WoLF at the public library’s door. Real Change News https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2020/02/10/confronting-wolf-public-library-s-door

Schmidt, Samantha (February 7, 2020). Conservatives find unlikely ally in fighting transgender rights: Radical feminists Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/02/07/radical-feminists-conservatives-transgender-rights/

Wax-Thibodeaux, Emily; Schmidt, Samantha (January 22, 2020). South Dakota bill restricting medical treatment for transgender youth passes first major vote”. Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2020/01/22/3ec1c824-3d26-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html

January, Brianna (May 10, 2019). “Doreen Denny takes anti-trans talking points she used at Heritage Foundation to bigger platform: Fox News”. Media Matters for America.

Fitzsimmons, Tim (January 29, 2019). Conservative group hosts anti-transgender panel of feminists ‘from the left.’ NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/conservative-group-hosts-anti-transgender-panel-feminists-left-n964246

Anti-trans coverage

Pearce, Georgia (December 9, 2025). Gender-critical feminist tells GB News she fears for her life at upcoming campaign event after Charlie Kirk’s death: ‘I’m terrified.’ GBNews https://www.gbnews.com/news/us/charlie-kirk-murder-gender-critical-feminist-tells-gb-news-she-fears-for-her-life

Bartosch, Jo (April 6, 2024). Realism is not the same as self-pity. The Critic https://thecritic.co.uk/realism-is-not-the-same-as-self-pity/

Showalter, Brandon (February 13, 2024). The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls’ (book review). Christian Post https://www.christianpost.com/voices/the-reckoning-how-the-democrats-and-the-left-betrayed-women.html

Layton, Miles (April 4, 2023). Supporters of women’s rights ‘reject belief systems’ that humans can change sex”. Athens News https://www.athensnews.com/news/supporters-of-womens-rights-reject-belief-systems-that-humans-can-change-sex/article_49894112-d2e5-11ed-a462-abb30de4e959.html

Taibbi, Matt (June 8, 2022). Meet the Censored: Kara Dansky. Racket News https://www.racket.news/p/meet-the-censored-kara-dansky

Robertson, Abigail (May 17, 2019). Feminist & LGBTQ Activist Warns Equality Act ‘Eradicates’ Female Group, ‘Grave Consequences for Women and Girls.’ Christian Broadcasting Network https://cbn.com/news/politics/feminist-lgbtq-activist-warns-equality-act-eradicates-female-group-grave-consequences

Selected writing by Dansky

Dansky, Kara (February 1, 2026). Trans lunacy is still thriving in New York. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2026/02/01/trans-lunacy-is-still-thriving-in-new-york/

Dansky, Kara; Cypher, Elspeth; Chesak, Elizabeth (December 18, 2025). Policy, not biology. New York Review https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/03/26/policy-not-biology/

  • response to Currah, Paisley (December 15, 2025). The Anti-Trans Playbook. New York Review https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2025/12/18/the-anti-trans-playbook-paisley-currah/

Dansky, Kara (May 27, 2025). Opinion: With their trans stance, Democrats are pushing women right out of their party. The Hill https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5316768-with-their-trans-stance-democrats-are-pushing-women-out-of-their-party/

Dansky, Kara (January 24, 2025). Will Democrats ever drop the ‘transgender lunacy’? Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/01/24/will-democrats-ever-drop-the-transgender-lunacy/

Dansky, Kara (January 5, 2025). What’s at stake in the trans US Supreme Court case. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/01/05/whats-at-stake-in-the-trans-us-supreme-court-case/

Dansky, Kara (December 3, 2024). Does the US Supreme Court know what a woman is? Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/12/03/does-the-us-supreme-court-know-what-a-woman-is/

Dansky, Kara (August 21, 2024). Opinion: Tim Walz owes Democrats some answers on ‘gender identity’ and children. The Hill https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4836909-minnesota-trans-refuge-walz-questions/

Dansky, Kara (November 23, 2024). Opinion: Will the Democrats finally start listening to the TERFs? The Hill https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5004781-democratic-leftist-feminist-criticizes/

Dansky, Kara (August 7, 2024). An open letter to Kamala Harris from a Democratic woman. Washington Examiner https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3112331/an-open-letter-to-kamala-harris-from-a-democratic-woman/

Dansky, Kara (November 12, 2023). Democrats Should Defend Sex-Based Rights for Women and Girls. The Liberal Patriot https://www.liberalpatriot.com/p/democrats-should-defend-sex-based

Books

Dansky, Kara (2023) The Reckoning: How the Democrats and the Left Betrayed Women and Girls. Bombardier Books, ISBN 979-8888455319

Dansky, Kara (2021). The Abolition of Sex: How the ‘Transgender’ Agenda Harms Women and Girls. Bombardier Books, ISBN  978-1637582299

Media

Women’s Declaration International (WDI) with Kara Dansky (August 3, 2025). Kara Dansky, Where We Are in the Fight to Protect Women’s Sex-Based Rights Globally. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5TPDS-lsOk

Kim Iverson with Kara Dansky (Jun 6, 2025). How Dems Betrayed Women For The Trans Agenda. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itM-tckeDLE

Walk-Ins Welcome with Bridget Phetasy and Kara Dansky (December 5, 2024). The Billionaires Behind the Gender Identity Movement – Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9CNyZCrv_Q

mrmenno with Menno Kuijper and Kara Dansky (November 7, 2024). Will Trump END the Gender Madness? | Interview with Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EbAIHCMpx0

Outkick with Riley Gaines and Kara Dansky (August 24, 2024). Kamala Harris & WOKE Left BETRAYED Women | Kara Dansky | Gaines for Girls with Riley Gaines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkS6jlbZHCc

The Mess We’re In with Graham Linehan, “Arty Morty,” Helen Staniland, and Kara Dansky (July 21, 2024). The Mess We’re In Ep. #165: Special guest Kara Dansky returns. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMnPc1gPUnA

Peter Boghossian with Kara Dansky (April 2, 2024). Accepting Biological Sex IS Compassionate | Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TqTRySWRdA

Women’s Liberation Front / Fox News with Lierre Keith and Kara Dansky (May 1, 2023). Radical Feminists Lierre Keith & Kara Dansky Support the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRxNAHuxglM

Women’s Declaration International – USA (April 13, 2023). Dr. Phil Show – Women’s Erasure episode. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgCCULqQ1mqHbKMR7OgptTPgXUGR9dKmb

Fox News with Tucker Carlson and Kara Dansky (March 10, 2023). Tucker: This is a huge middle finger to women everywhere. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPXYs_DHpjY

The Mess We’re In with Graham Linehan, “Arty Morty,” Dennis Kavanagh, and Kara Dansky (December 13, 2022). The Mess We’re In Ep. #132: Dennis Kavanagh brings pretty good news! And Kara Dansky drops in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foBt2maYOvo

GBNews / Free Speech Nation with Andrew Doyle and Kara Dansky (January 8, 2023). US Court of Appeals rules schools can maintain separate bathrooms based on biological sex. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi4RX0bE3r4

Red Moon Radfem with Kara Dansky (November 29, 2022). Stop Right-Washing TERFs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc9R5Sdk6gQ

Women Are Human with Diana Shaw, Kara Dansky, and Suzanne Vierling (August 14, 2022). Women Are Human Round Table: The Abolition of Sex with Kara Dansky & Suzanne Vierling (Jan 28, 2022). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT0LqJsr488

Helen Staniland with Kara Dansky (June 30, 2022). Wine with Women ep. 6: Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNwDo0zHLbs

Mikhaila Peterson with Kara Dansky (June 24, 2022). Inclusiveness or Dangerous Brainwashing?: The Transgender Movement | Kara Dansky 152. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcztAjqcwfo

Racket News with Matt Taibbi and Kara Dansky (June 10, 2022). Meet the Censored: Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpEhOziR4pw

Graham Linehan with Kara Dansky (April 21, 2022). Kara Dansky: Is America peaking? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=574LU94R948

Whose Body is It with Isabella Malbin and Kara Dansky (January 27, 2022). The Abolition of Sex | Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gll_gKkOELY

The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network with Kallie Fell and Kara Dansky (December 15, 2021). Venus Rising with Kara Dansky: How the “Transgender” Agenda Harms Women and Girls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4iLT_Xozoc

Independent Women / She Thinks Podcast with Beverly Hallberg and Kara Dansky (December 10, 2021). One Feminist’s Perspective on How the Transgender Agenda Harms Women & Girls. https://www.independentwomen.com/2021/12/10/one-feminists-perspective-on-how-the-transgender-agenda-harms-women-girls/

Fox News with Tucker Carlson and Kara Dansky (December 8, 2021). Feminist rips ‘gender identity’ as meaningless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1QmLFtUemg

Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce and Kara Dansky (May 30, 2021). Liberating Women from Patriarchy (Part I) | with Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmRJB2Ht6Rk

Plebity with Sasha White and Kara Dansky (April 2, 2021). A Conversation with Feminist Lawyer Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VrjwUxqt-A

Graham Linehan with Kara Dansky (February 13, 2021). A chat with Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9lNP8z67bg

Whose Body is It with Isabella Malbin and Kara Dansky (February 5, 2021). ‘This is An Emergency’: Protecting Women and Girls | Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC8V8Dl3UsU

Calmversations with Benjamin Boyce, Amy Sousa, and Kara Dansky (February 2, 2021). “Grab ‘Em By The E.O.” – Biden’s Gender Identity Order | with Kara Dansky & Amy Sousa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg1wdznSOzU

Allie Beth Stuckey with Kara Dansky (January 26, 2021). Biden Erases Women & Jobs with Executive Orders | Ep 358 | Guest: Kara Dansky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iRpZIsvEX0

Women’s Liberation Front with Meghan Murphy, Saba Malik, and Kara Dansky (February 6, 2020). Fighting the New Misogyny: A Feminist Critique of Gender Identity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voaYjKMw5rI

The Heritage Foundation with Kara Dansky, Ryan Anderson, Julia Beck, Jennifer Chavez, and Hacsi Horvath (April 4, 2019). Radical Feminist: The Equality Act Would Hurt Women. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYIZjv-l8BQ

Resources

Kara Dansky (karadansky.com)

Women Picket DC (womenpicketdc.org) [archive]

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Substack (substack.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Facebook (facebook.com)

  • Kara Dansky
  • facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069544705234

WDI USA (womensdeclarationusa.com)

One Thousand Arms (onethousandarms.net) [archive]

Drala Mountain Center (dralamountain.org)

  • Kara Dansky
  • dralamountain.org/teacher/kara-dansky/ [archive]

The Federalist Society (fedsoc.org)

IMDb (imdb.com)

ACLU (aclu.org)

Spiked (spiked-online.com)

The Nation is an American progressive media organization. Their coverage of transgender topics is generally fair and accurate.

The Nation is notable for publishing trans and gender diverse writers, including S. Baum, Gillian Branstetter, Stephanie Burt, Jack Halberstam, Imara Jones, Shannon Price Minter, Chase Strangio, Susan Stryker, Meredith Talusan, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Jos Truitt, and Raquel Willis.

In 2015, Nation columnist Katha Pollitt wrote two pieces that expressed support and sympathy for “gender critical” feminists, discussed below.

Background

The magazine was flounded in 1865, shortly after the end of the American Civil War. It was founded in New York City by abolitionists and reform-minded intellectuals who wanted a serious journal of politics and culture. The founding editor was Edwin Lawrence Godkin, an Irish-born journalist. The early issues focused heavily on Reconstruction politics, economic policy, and literary criticism. During the late 1860s and 1870s, the magazine gained a reputation for detailed book reviews and commentary on national politics. In 1881, Godkin left the magazine to become editor of the New York Evening Post. Control of The Nation passed to Wendell Phillips Garrison, who served as editor from 1881 to 1906.

In 1885, the magazine was purchased by the Evening Post Company. In 1918, the magazine was sold to a group led by Oswald Garrison Villard, the grandson of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. Villard became publisher and remained closely associated with the magazine until the 1930s. It merged with another progressive weekly in 1937. Freda Kirchwey served as editor from 1937 to 1955, guiding the publication through World War II and the early Cold War. In 1955, Carey McWilliams became editor and led the magazine until 1975. Following financial instability during the 1960s and early 1970s, new ownership reorganized it in 1977 under the Nation Company. Victor Navasky became editor in 1978 and served until 1995, later remaining publisher until 2005. Katrina vanden Heuvel became editor in 1995 and publisher in 2005.

By the early 21st century, The Nation had expanded into digital publishing while continuing its weekly print schedule.’

Katha Pollitt

Katha Pollitt is a Nation columnist who has expressed support and sympathy for “gender critical” feminists. Pollitt began contributing to The Nation in 1980. From 1982 to 1984, Pollitt was literary editor. Pollitt’s biweekly column “Subject to Debate” started in 1995 and became one of the magazine’s signature opinion columns.

Starting around 2010, Pollitt ran a trans-exclusionary journalism listserv. In 2018, journalist Harron Walker was provided listserv messages and reported on how these prominent media figures discussed trans topics in private. In 2019, Pollitt accidentally copied Nation contributor David M. Perry on an email criticizing those who felt anti-trans activist Jesse Singal should be removed from Pollitt’s listserv.

In 2015, Pollitt published a column titled “Who Has Abortions?” about the shift to inclusive language in the abortion rights movement. Pollitt argued, “Once you start talking about “people,” not “women,” you lose what abortion means historically, symbolically and socially.” Pollitt added:

I’m going to argue here that removing “women” from the language of abortion is a mistake. We can, and should, support trans men and other gender-non-conforming people. But we can do that without rendering invisible half of humanity and 99.999 percent of those who get pregnant. 

Here, Pollitt repeats the anti-trans data artifact promoted by Kenneth Zucker and others that claimed only 1 in 100,000 people are trans men. There are more than 1,000 times more transmasculine people than that deliberate undercount.

The column sparked considerable controversy, and The Nation published two reader responses, as well as Pollitt’s response to the criticisms.

Also in 2015, Pollitt expressed concern about anti-trans activists like Germaine Greer and Julie Bindel being disinvited from college speaking engagements.

In 2020, Pollitt was one of the signers of the Harper’s Letter, signed by a disproportionate number of anti-trans activists.

Contributors

Contributors who have covered trans topics include:

  • Sasha Abramsky
  • Aziza Ahmed
  • Hasan Ali
  • Andrea Arroyo
  • William J. Barber II
  • Sydney Bauer
  • S. Baum
  • Walden Bello
  • Liam Beran
  • Jennifer C. Berkshire
  • June Beshea
  • Paul Blest
  • Charlie Bloomer
  • Robert L. Borosage
  • Jules Boykoff
  • Gillian Branstetter
  • Kelsy Burke
  • Stephanie Burt
  • Grace Byron
  • Alessandra C.
  • Elsie Carson-Holt
  • Theia Chatelle
  • Michelle Chen
  • Ira Chernus
  • Nathan Craig
  • William Elisabeth Cuthbert
  • Nikhilesh De
  • Frankie de la Cretaz
  • Hunter Dodrill
  • Emily Douglas
  • Omar G. Encarnación
  • Liza Featherstone
  • Laura Flanders
  • Emmet Fraizer
  • Katherine Franke
  • Gabriel Furshong
  • Monique Garcia
  • Alicia Garza
  • Sasha Geffen
  • Mark Gevisser
  • uben J. Gonzales
  • Jeremy Gordon
  • Rebecca Gordon
  • Naomi Gordon-Loebl
  • Greg Grandin
  • Heron Greenesmith
  • Jack Halberstam
  • Jake Hall
  • Colleen Hamilton
  • Jeet Heer
  • Matthew Herskowitz
  • Ginny Hogan
  • Kali Holloway
  • Sam Huber
  • Nan D. Hunter
  • Sophie Hurwitz
  • M. Jesuthasan
  • Imara Jones
  • Channing Gerard Joseph
  • Spencer Katz
  • Stephen Kearse
  • Richard Kim
  • Stuart Klawans
  • Karen Krajcer
  • Thomas Jean Lax
  • Sarah Lazare
  • Chris Lehmann
  • Ian Lekus
  • Natasha Lennard
  • Sophie Lewis
  • Amy Littlefield
  • Chase Madar
  • Regina Mahone
  • Dani McClain
  • Bailey McDaniel
  • Moses Hernandez McGavin
  • Ashe McGovern
  • Toshio Meronek
  • Shannon Price Minter
  • Jack Mirkinson
  • Tim Murphy
  • Elie Mystal
  • Scott Nass
  • John Nichols
  • Jaeyoon Park
  • Ilaria Parogni
  • David M. Perry
  • Michael F.  Pettinger
  • Hanna Phifer
  • Karina Piser
  • Katha Pollitt
  • Zurie Pope
  • Riley Roliff
  • Theodore Santos
  • Nadia Scharf
  • Willow Schenwar
  • Jack Schneider
  • Aaron Scott
  • Pamela Shifman
  • Mychal Denzel Smith
  • Michael Snyder
  • Bijan Stephen
  • Wen Stephenson
  • Chase Strangio
  • Susan Stryker
  • Meredith Talusan
  • Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
  • Liz Theoharis
  • Salamishah Tillet
  • Jimmy Tobias
  • Jos Truitt
  • Urvashi Vaid
  • Katrina vanden Heuvel
  • Margaret Brown Vega
  • McKenzie Wark
  • Sherri Williams
  • Raquel Willis
  • Tobias Barrington Wolff
  • Joanna Wuest
  • JoAnn Wypijewski
  • Rasha Younes
  • Natasha Hakimi Zapata
  • Dave Zirin
  • George Zornick

Selected Nation articles

Hurwitz, Sophie (March 2, 2026). New York City Hospitals Fold to Trump. Will Zohran Mamdani Defend Trans Care? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/langone-sinai-trans-care-zohran-mamdani/

Mahone, Regina (February 20, 2026). We Must Raise Our Voices Against the Attacks on Trans Care. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/gender-liberation-movement-raquel-willis-interview/

Mystal, Elie (February 6, 2026). Is Samuel Alito Preparing to Disrobe? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/newsletter-samuel-alito-retiring/

Mystal, Elie (January 14, 2026). The Supreme Court Just Held an Anti-Trans Hatefest. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/supreme-court-trans-athlete-bans/

Burke, Kelsy (November 20, 2025). Why We Must Remember Brandon Teena. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/brandon-teena-nebraska-remembrance/

Branstetter, Gillian (November 7, 2025). Democrats Can’t Blame Trans People for Their Own Failures. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democrats-trans-rights-election-analysis/

Bloomer, Charlie (October 29, 2025). Even in Oregon, the Fight for Marriage Equality Might Not Be Over. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/oregon-marriage-equality-obergefell-equal-rights-for-all/

Mirkinson, Jack (September 24, 2025). The Right Wants to Exterminate Trans People. Liberals Are Helping. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/right-anti-trans-campaign-republicans-democrats-liberals/

Holloway, Kali (August 27, 2025). Trump’s Staggering Betrayal of Trans Service Members. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trans-military-ban-tera/

Heer, Jeet (July 7, 2025). Pete Hegseth Is Unleashing Chaos at the Pentagon. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/pete-hegseth-chaos-pentagon-resign/

Mystal, Elia (June 18, 2025). The Supreme Court’s Anti-Trans Decision Will Live in Infamy. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/us-vs-skrmetti-ruling-analysis/

Scott, Aaron; Theoharis, Liz; McGavin, Moses Hernandez (June 12, 2025). We Have a Lot to Learn From the Fight for Trans Rights. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-rights-christian-nationalism/

Park, Jaeyoon (June 9, 2025). The “Science” Behind Trump’s Anti-Trans War Is Incredibly Weak. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-hhs-trans-care-report/

Nichols, John (May 16, 2025). How Democrats Crushed a Despicable Anti-Trans Campaign and Won a Major Election. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/omaha-mayor-election-trans-rights-john-ewing/

Lewis, Sophie (April 23, 2025). The UK’s Anti-Trans Ruling Is a Defeat for All Women. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/supreme-court-trans-ruling-analysis-uk/

Herskowitz, Matthew (March 21, 2025). Trans Kids Are Facing a Terrifying New Reality. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-youth-gender-affirming-care/

Fraizer, Emmet (March 20, 2025). Our Trans Protections Aren’t Strong Enough for the Trump Era. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-shield-laws-trump/

Zirin, Dave (March 14, 2025). “I’m Terrified”: Trans-Feminine Athletes in Their Own Words. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-women-athletes-forum/

Ziri, Dave (March 7, 2025). Don’t Listen to Greasy Gavin Newsom. Listen to Trans Athletes. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-athletes-forum/

Schenwar, Willow (February 28, 2025). Reject the Linguistic Coup: Speak Up for Trans People. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/reject-linguistic-coup-speak-up/

Lazare, Sarah (February 25, 2025). How Healthcare Workers Are Defending Their Transgender Patients from Trump’s Attacks. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/healthcare-workers-defend-trans-patients-trump/

Carson-Holt, Elsie (February 21, 2025). “We’re Living Through Hell”: What Trump’s Anti-Trans War Really Means. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/gender-affirming-care-bans-hospitals-trump/

Byron, Grace (February 3, 2025). The Right to Pee Is Everything. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-rights-bathrooms/

Cuthbert, William Elisabeth (January 17, 2025). Trans Healthcare Is Under Siege. These People Are Fighting Back. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-healthcare-rigt-fda/

Ahmed, Aziza; Wuest, Joanna (December 13, 2024). Banning Trans Health Care Puts Young People at Risk of Harm. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/banning-trans-health-care-puts-young-people-at-risk/

Mystal, Elie (December 5, 2024). The Supreme Court’s Hearing on Trans Rights Was Bigotry Masquerading as Law. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/supreme-court-trans-rights-children-skrmetti/

Wuest, Joanna (December 4, 2024). Trans Medicine’s “Merchants of Doubt.” The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-medicine-ban-scotus-skrmetti/

Bauer, Sydney (November 20, 2024). Trans People Shouldn’t Be Scapegoated for Democrats’ Failures. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trans-democrats-election-trump/

Boykoff, Jules; Zirin, Dave (August 5, 2024). We Must Defend Imane Khelif. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/imane-khelif-olympics-paris-boxing-transphobia/

Zirin, Dave; Boykoff, Jules (July 25, 2024). Why There Are No Trans Women Competing at the Paris Games. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-athletes-paris-olympics/

Beran, Liam (June 20, 2024). As the NCAA Debates New Rules, Trans Athletes Are Left Out of the Conversation. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/transgender-student-athletes-ncaa-representation/

Fraizer, Emmet (June 11, 2024). Transphobia Spreads in a “Haven” for LGBTQ Youth. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/massachusetts-trans-students/

Zapata, Natasha Hakimi (April 19, 2024). What the Cass Review Means for Trans Kids in Britain—and Beyond. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/cass-review-trans-healthcare-puberty-blockers/

Pettinger, Michael F. (April 16, 2024). The Vatican’s Bewildering New Declaration. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/vatican-declaration-gender-pope/

Zirin, Dave (April 10, 2024). Coaching Great Dawn Staley Defends Trans Athletes. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/dawn-staley-trans-athletes/

Baum, S. (March 19, 2024). Nex Benedict’s Queer Classmates Say the Biggest Bullies Are the Politicians. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/nex-benedict-trans-rights-oklahoma-owasso/

Burt, Stephanie (March 18, 2024). Lucy Sante and the Solitude and Solidarity of Transitioning. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/lucy-sante-i-heard-her-call-my-name/

Abramsky, Sasha (February 23, 2024). The Right-Wing Pretexts of Parents’ and Children’s Rights. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/parents-rights-childrens-rights/

Zirin, Dave (February 22, 2024). The War on Transgender Kids Took the Life of Nex Benedict. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/nex-benedict-oklahoma-war-transgender-kids/

Fraizer, Emmet (February 22, 2024). The Mainstream Media Is Failing Trans People. These Journalists Are Fighting Back. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-journalists-independent-reporting/

Borosage, Robert L. (February 8, 2024). Will the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 Turn Trumpism Into a Governing Agenda? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/will-the-heritage-foundations-project-2025-turn-trumpism-into-a-governing-agenda/

de la Cretaz, Frankie (February 2, 2024). How the World of Competitive Climbing Was Rocked by Transphobia. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/usa-climbing-trans-athletes-rules/

Berkshire, Jennifer C.; Schneider, Jack (December 15, 2023). Moms for Liberty Isn’t Going Anywhere. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/moms-for-liberty-public-schools/

Huber, Sam (November 20, 2023). How Gender Is Policed in America. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/paisley-currah-transgender-history/

Zirin, Dave (November 6, 2023). Trans Athletes Fight for Inclusion in Sports. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/trans-athletes-fight-for-inclusion-in-sports/

Lehmann, Chris (October 5, 2023). The Vanguard Party of the Christian Right The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/alliance-defending-freedom/

Shifman, Pamela (September 21, 2023). Democrats Can Stand Up for Trans Kids—and Win. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democrats-trans-rights/

Heer, Jeet (September 8, 2023). Elon Musk Is a Threat to Democracy. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/elon-musk-threat-democracy/

Cuthbert, William Elisabeth (August 17, 2023). How the UK’s Metal Scene Became a Haven for Trans People. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/uk-metal-scene-trans-people/

Scharf, Nadia (August 11, 2023). Kentucky’s Anti-LGBTQ “Parental Rights” Law Is a Disaster for Families, Teachers, and Kids. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/kentucky-anti-lgbtq-trans-parental-rights-law-sb150/

Littlefield, Amy (August 7, 2023). The Real Agenda of Moms for Liberty. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/moms-for-liberty-philadelphia/

Littlefield, Amy (July 25, 2023). The Brave, Often Lonely Fight of Trans Lawmakers in State Legislatures. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/mauree-turner-alissandra-murray/

Baum, S. (July 21, 2023). The Anti-Trans Crusade Comes to New Jersey. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/anti-trans-school-board-new-jersey/

Roliff, Riley (July 20, 2023). How Solitary Confinement Is Used as a Weapon Against Trans People. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-solitary-confinement/

Gordon, Rebecca (July 4, 2023). The Right’s Attempted Extermination Campaign of Queer People Is Textbook Fascism. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-desantis-extermination-fascism/

Hogan, Ginny (June 29, 2023). Is Josh Hawley All Right? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/josh-hawley-manhood/

Hunter, Nan D. (June 26, 2023). In the Attacks on Trans Rights, We’re Seeing the Rise of a New Confederacy. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/transgender-rights-abortion/

Holloway, Kali (June 23, 2023). It’s Not Just Corporate Pride Boycotts—Right-Wingers Are Escalating Their Anti-LGBTQ Campaign. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/corporate-pride-boycotts-lgbtq/

Bauer, Sydney (June 23, 2023). Elon Musk Has Made Anti-Trans Hatred One of Twitter’s Core Features. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/elon-musk-transphobia-twitter/

Arroyo, Andrea (June 15, 2023). LGBTQI+ Pride. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/lgbtqi-pride/

Krajcer, Karen (June 15, 2023). Texas Could Have Taken My Trans Child Away. Here’s What I Did to Protect Our Family. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-kids-texas-safe-folder/

Hall, Jake (June 2, 2023). “T4T” Has Become a Deeply Vital Term to Trans People. Here’s Why. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/t4t-trans-community-solidarity/

Meronek, Toshio (May 23, 2023). The Killing of Banko Brown Shows What San Francisco’s Real Crisis Looks Like. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/banko-brown-killing-san-francisco-crisis/

Hamilton, Colleen (May 23, 2023). Anti-Trans Legislation Is Becoming a National Security Issue. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/military-families-transgender/

Berkshire, Jennifer C. (May 23, 2023). How to Fight the Right’s Moral Panic Over Parental Rights. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/how-to-fight-the-rights-moral-panic-over-parental-rights/

de la Cretaz, Frankie (May 12, 2023). How Women’s Swimming Got So Transphobic. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/womens-swimming-transphobia-lia-thomas/

Zirin, Dave (May 8, 2023). Ron DeSantis’s Anti-Trans Agenda Exiles Dwyane Wade, NBA Superstar and Loving Father. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/ron-desantis-dwayne-wade-florida-zaya/

Furshong, Gabriel (May 1, 2023). The GOP’s War Against Trans People Is a War Against Democracy. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/montana-zooey-zephyr-trans-rights-republicans/

Katz, Spencer (April 19, 2023). “I Live in a Gray Area”: Being a Trans High School Student Without Support. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/transgender-high-school-harassment-community-support/

Arroyo, Andrea (April 13, 2023). Transgender Rights Are Human Rights. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/transgender-rights-are-human-rights/

de la Cretaz, Frankie | April 10, 2023). Joe Biden Has Betrayed Trans Student Athletes. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/biden-title-ix-trans-athletes/

Heer, Jeet (April 7, 2023). Democrats Can Win on Trans Issues—but Only if They Fight. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democrats-trans-rights-elections/

C., Alessandra (April 6, 2023). Being Openly Trans in High School Is Already Hard. Republicans Want to Make It Impossible. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trans-youth-high-school-hormone-replacement-therapy-republicans-desantis/

Stephenson, Wen (April 5, 2023). What It’s Like to Be Trans and Christian in Nashville Right Now. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/roberto-che-espinoza-trans-christian-nashville/

Dodrill, Hunter (March 21, 2023). Wellesley College Isn’t an All-Women School. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/wellesley-college-trans-students-referendum/

Mystal, Elie (March 15, 2023). Protesting an Anti-Trans Trump Judge Isn’t Disrespectful, It’s American. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/protesting-anti-trans-judge-kyle-duncan-is-american/

Zirin, Dave (March 7, 2023). Banning Trans Athletes Is Just the Beginning. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/congress-sports-federal-ban-trans-athletes/

Heer, Jeet (March 1, 2023). Homophobia and Transphobia at “The New York Times.” The Nation https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/tom-mirkinson-nyt/

Phifer, Hanna (February 23, 2023 I Signed the “New York Times” Open Letter. I Have More to Say. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/new-york-times-open-letter-more-to-say/

Mirkinson, Jack (February 20, 2023 “The New York Times” Is Repeating One of Its Most Notorious Mistakes. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/new-york-times-trans-coverage-gay-rights-history/

Pope, Zurie (February 13, 2023 It’s Time for Democrats to Actually Defend LGBTQ People. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/biden-sotu-lgbtq-rights-democrats/

Littlefield, Amy; Greenesmith, Heron (January 31, 2023). Fresh Off Victory Against “Roe,” the Religious Right Is Pushing a Record Number of Anti-Trans Bills. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/transgender-abortion-rights-attacks/

Wark, McKenzie (January 31, 2023). The Mainstream Media’s Fearmongering About Trans Kids Is Nothing But Clickbait. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-parenting-schools-gender/

Chernus, Ira (January 27, 2023). I’m the Proud Dad of a Drag Queen—and I Want a Better World for My Kid. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/drag-queen-dad-equality/

Ali, Hasan (January 9, 2023). Pakistan’s Transgender Community Rises Up. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/world/transgender-pakistan/

Pope, Zurie (December 16, 2022). Drag Queens Were Targeted by the Proud Boys. Whom Did the Police The Nation Support? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/proud-boys-drag-event-columbus-police-department/

Gordon-Loebl, Naomi (December 14, 2022). Reading Judith Butler’s “Gender Trouble” in the Age of Ron DeSantis. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/judith-butler-gender-trans-1990s/

Strangio, Chase (November 25, 2022). No One Can Take Away Our Joy The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/colorado-shootings-trans-joy/

Chatelle, Theia (October 24, 2022). Trans People’s Rights Are on the Ballot, but Many Won’t Be Able to Vote. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/trans-rights-voting-midterms-2022/

Wark, McKenzie (July 7, 2022). A Different Kind of Trans Book: On Imogen Binnie’s “Nevada.” The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/imogen-binnie-nevada/

Hurwitz, Sophie (April 29, 2022). Kansas’s First Trans Legislator Isn’t Going Anywhere. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/stephanie-byers-interview/

Zirin, Dave (March 23, 2022). A Tale of Two Women Athletes: Why the GOP Wants to Erase Brittney Griner and Lia Thomas. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/brittney-griner-lia-thomas/

Franke, Katherine (March 9, 2022). Religious Objectors to LGBTQ Equality Will Return to the Supreme Court. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/supreme-court-lgbtq-rights/

Mystal, Elie (March 1, 2022). First Texas Came for Pregnant People—Then It Came for Trans Kids. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/texas-trans-kids-abortion/

Zirin, Dave (February 28, 2022). How Sports Have Been Used to Attack Trans People. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/interview-chris-mosier/

Strangio, Chase (February 24, 2022). Texas Is Terrorizing Trans Youth. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/texas-gender-affirming-care/

Kearse, Stephen (November 9, 2021). Dave Chappelle’s Comedy of Bitterness. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/dave-chappelle-review/

Zirin, Dave (October 15, 2021). Texas Slams the Door on Trans Kids’ Playing Sports. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/texas-trans-bill/

Gordon, Jeremy (August 31, 2021). The Rhetoric of Pop Psychology. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/jesse-singal-quick-fix-review/

Lax, Thomas Jean (August 3, 2021). Why Brazil’s First Trans State Legislator Built a Refuge for Black Queer and Trans People. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/world/erica-malunguinho-interview/

Younes, Rasha (July 28, 2021). The Trouble With ‘the LGBT Community’ The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/world/lgbt-community-capitalism/

Encarnación, Omar G. (June 29, 2021). The Fight for LGBTQ Rights Must Include Reparations. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/gay-reparations-lgbtq/

vanden Heuvel, Katrina (June 1, 2021). As Pride Month Begins, Republicans Double Down on Restricting Transgender Americans. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/as-pride-month-begins-republicans-double-down-on-restricting-transgender-americans/

Lewis, Sophie (May 20, 2021). A Portrait of Cis-Trans Solidarit. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/torrey-peters-detransition-baby-review/

Zirin, Dave (May 4, 2021). The NFL Player Standing In Solidarity With Trans Athletes. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/trans-athletes-rk-russell/

Strangio, Chase; Willis, Raquel (March 30, 2021). Visibility Alone Will Not Keep Transgender Youth Safe. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/trans-rights-alabama-arkansas/

Zirin, Dave (March 16, 2021). Chase Strangio on Countering Attacks on Trans Athletes. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/trans-athletes-chase-strangio/

Zirin, Dave (January 19, 2021). Chris Mosier: In Defense of Trans Athletes. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/podcast/society/trans-athletes-chris-mosier/

Jesuthasan, M. (January 5, 2021). What We Can Learn About Activism Today in the Archives of Queer History. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/information-activism-review/

Zirin, Dave (October 23, 2020). Betsy DeVos Attacks Trans Athletes Again. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-devos-title-ix/

Holloway, Kali (July 13, 2020). Black Trans Lives Must Be Front and Center. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/black-transgender-policing-violence/

Arroyo, Andrea (June 25, 2020). LGBTQI Rights Are Human Rights. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/lgbtqi-rights-are-human-rights/

Piser, Karina (February 19, 2020). The Walking While Trans Ban Is ‘Stop and Frisk 2.0.’ The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/walking-while-trans-repeal/

Zirin, Dave (February 18, 2020). In Connecticut, Do Transgender Women Have the Right to Play? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/connecticut-transgender-athletes/

Zirin, Dave (February 13, 2020). Dwyane Wade’s Love for His Daughter Is an Act of Resistance. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/dwyane-wade-trans-child/

Nass, Scott (February 13, 2020). Transgender and Intersex Kids Must Have a Voice in Health Care Decisions. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/transgender-intersex-health-care-south-dakota/

Mystal, Elie (January 31, 2020). This Trump Judge Tormented a Trans Woman—Because He Could. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-judge-duncan-trans/

Joseph, Channing Gerard (January 31, 2020). The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/drag-queen-slave-ball/

Geffen, Sasha (October 9, 2019). The Revolutionary Joy of Trans Life. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/lou-sullivan-we-both-laughed-in-pleasure-review/

Gordon-Loebl, Naomi (September 27, 2019). With a Confusing Musical Finale, ‘Transparent’ Ends on a Low Note. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/transparent-musicale-finale-review/

Nichols, John (August 9, 2019). Brianna Wu Is Used to Fighting Bullies. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/brianna-wu-interview/

Garza, Alicia (July 3, 2019). Eleven Black Trans Women Have Been Murdered This Year. It’s Time for Another Uprising. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/alicia-garza-stonewall-transgender/

Stryker, Susan (June 29, 2019). Stonewall Proved That Resistance Is Always Possible. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/stonewall-resistance-oppression/

Lekus, Ian (June 28, 2019). The Movement for LGBTQ Rights Is On the March Around the World. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/international-lgbtq-rights-legacy-imperialism/

Gordon-Loebl, Naomi (June 27, 2019). How Did South Dakota Become a Factory for Anti-Trans Legislation? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/south-dakotan-anti-transgender-legislation/

Gonzales, Ruben J. (June 27, 2019). The Power of Transgender Political Representation. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/stonewall-transgender-politicians-devos/

Jones, Imara (June 27, 2019). Trans Women of Color Are the Past and Future of LGBTQ Liberation. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/trans-women-color-lgbtq-stonewall/

Douglas, Emily and The Nation (June 27, 2019). What We All Owe to Gay Liberation. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/stonewall-50-lgbtq-queer/

Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta (June 26, 2019). Gay Pride Doesn’t Mean Gay Liberation. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/lgbtq-liberation-nigel-shelby-stonewall/

Minter, Shannon Price (June 26, 2019). The Lesson of Stonewall: There’s No Justice Without a Fight. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/lgbtq-history-stonewall-progress-setbacks/

Vaid, Urvashi (June 26, 2019). It’s Time to Reembrace a Politics of Radical, Queer, Outsider Activism. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/stonewall-radical-queer-activism/

Craig, Nathan; Vega Margaret Brown (June 4, 2019). A Trans Asylum Seeker Dies After Pleading to ICE for Medical Care. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/ice-otero-joa-transgender-death/

Zirin, Dave (March 19, 2019). The Attack on Trans Athletes. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trans-athletes-attack-podcast/

Zirin, Dave (March 5, 2019). Transphobia’s New Target Is the World of Sports. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/trans-runner-daily-caller-terry-miller-andraya-yearwood-martina-navratilova/

Zirin, Dave (February 25, 2019). Martina Navratilova Is Expelled From an LGBTQ Advocacy Group Over Transphobia Accusations. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/martina-navratilova-athlete-ally-transphobia/

NationAction (January 29, 2019). Take Action Now: Say NO to the Trans Service Ban. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/take-action-now-say-no-to-the-trans-service-ban/

Chen, Michelle (December 19, 2018). Transgender Rights Are Under Siege in Trump’s America. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/transgender-rights-trump-supreme-court/

Arroyo, Andrea (November 15, 2018). Won’t Be Erased. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/wont-be-erased-2/

Gordon-Loebl, Naomi (November 9, 2018). Trump’s War on Trans Rights: A Q&A With Chase Strangio. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/chase-strangio-interview-trans-rights/

Stephen, Bijan (October 10, 2018). SOPHIE and Blood Orange’s Thrilling Transformations. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/documents-of-life/

Nichols, John (August 15, 2018). Christine Hallquist Isn’t Just the First Transgender Candidate for Governor—She’s Also a Visionary Progressive. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/christine-hallquist-isnt-just-the-first-transgender-candidate-for-governor-shes-also-a-visionary-progressive/

Williams, Sherri (June 21, 2018). It’s Time for HBCUs to Address Homophobia and Transphobia on Their Campuses. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/time-hbcus-address-homophobia-transphobia-campuses/

Snyder, Michael (March 13, 2018). Escaping Hate: A Trans Woman’s Journey North. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/escaping-hate-a-trans-womans-journey-north/

Perry, David M. (September 13, 2017). My Body, My Choice: Why the Principle of Bodily Autonomy Can Unite the Left. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/my-body-my-choice-why-the-principle-of-bodily-autonomy-can-unite-the-left/

Kim, Richard (July 26, 2017). Donald Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops Is Not a Distraction. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/donald-trumps-ban-on-transgender-troops-is-not-a-distraction/

Tobias, Jimmy (March 31, 2017). Trans Rights Weren’t the Only Target of North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Bill.’ The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/trans-rights-werent-the-only-target-of-north-carolinas-bathroom-bill/

Blest, Paul (March 30, 2017). The So-Called ‘Repeal’ of North Carolina’s Bathroom Bill Is a Terrible Deal for Civil Rights. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/the-so-called-repeal-of-north-carolinas-bathroom-bill-is-a-terrible-deal-for-civil-rights/

Abramsky, Sasha (March 29, 2017). California Dreaming: Evan Minton, Transgender Political Staffer. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/california-dreaming-evan-minton-transgender-political-staffer/

Blest, Paul (March 23, 2017). How Much Damage Has North Carolina’s Bathroom Bill Done in 1 Year? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/how-much-damage-has-north-carolinas-bathroom-bill-done-in-1-year/

Gordon-Loebl, Naomi (March 7, 2017). We Are Still Winning the Fight for Trans Rights. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/we-are-still-winning-the-fight-for-trans-rights/

Grandin, Greg; Madar. Chase (January 17, 2017). Chelsea Manning Will Be Free! The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/chelsea-manning-will-be-free/

Featherstone, Liza (November 4, 2016). Asking for a Friend: My Young Daughter Is Trans—How Do I Get Her on the Right Soccer Team Without Forcing Her to Come Out? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/asking-for-a-friend-my-young-daughter-is-trans-how-do-i-get-her-on-the-right-soccer-team-without-forcing-her-to-come-out/

Lennard, Natasha (September 28, 2016). The Military Logic of Punishing Chelsea Manning’s Suicide Attempt. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/the-military-logic-of-punishing-chelsea-mannings-suicide-attempt/

Nichols, John (June 30, 2016). Meet Misty Snow: Grassroots Activist, Working-Class Progressive, Trans Woman, Democratic Nominee for the US Senate. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/meet-misty-snow-grassroots-activist-working-class-progressive-trans-woman-democratic-nominee-for-the-us-senate/

Barber, William J. II (May 23, 2016). The ‘Bathroom Bill’ Is an Old Ploy That Can’t Stop Our New Movement. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/the-bathroom-bill-is-an-old-ploy-that-cant-stop-our-new-movement/

McGovern, Ashe (May 20, 2016). North Carolina’s Discriminatory Bathroom Law May Also Worsen Economic Inequality. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/north-carolinas-discriminatory-bathroom-law-may-also-worsen-economic-inequality/

Santos, Theodore; McDaniel, Bailey; Beshea, June; Garcia, Monique (May 9, 2016). For Students, the Fight Against ‘Bathroom Bills’ Is About Far More Than Bathrooms. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/for-students-the-fight-against-bathroom-bills-is-about-far-more-than-bathrooms/

Pollitt, Katha (April 21, 2016). North Carolina’s Anti-LGBT Law Is Not the Way to Keep Women Safe. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/north-carolinas-anti-lgbt-law-is-not-the-way-to-keep-women-safe/

Truitt, Jos (March 4, 2016). Transgender People Are More Visible Than Ever. So Why Is There More Anti-Trans Legislation Than Ever, Too? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/transgender-people-are-more-visible-than-ever-so-why-is-there-more-anti-trans-legislation-than-ever-too/

Parogni, Ilaria (February 3, 2016). Transgender Russians Struggle to Take Their Movement Out of the Shadows. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/transgender-russians-struggle-to-take-their-movement-out-of-the-shadows/

Chen, Michelle (December 16, 2015). Trans Sex Workers Are 25 Times More Likely to Be HIV Positive Than the General Population. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/trans-sex-workers-are-25-times-more-likely-to-be-hiv-positive-than-the-general-population/

Pollitt, Katha (November 5, 2015). Feminism Needs More Thinkers Who Aren’t Right 100 Percent of the Time. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/feminism-needs-more-thinkers-who-arent-right-100-percent-of-the-time/

Murphy, Tim (July 21, 2015). In Indiana, Employers Can Fire Workers for Being Gay or Trans—and They Do, All the Time. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/in-indiana-employers-can-fire-workers-for-being-gay-or-trans-and-they-do-all-the-time/

Klawans, Stuart (July 16, 2015). Trans Sex Workers Seek Comfort and Vengeance in Sean Baker’s ‘Tangerine.’ The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/trans-sex-workers-seek-comfort-and-vengeance-in-sean-bakers-tangerine/

Gevisser, Mark (March 23, 2015). Engendered. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/engendered/

Pollitt, Katha (March 13, 2015). Who Has Abortions? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/who-has-abortions/

Zornick, George (March 5, 2015). Court: Army Must Refer to Chelsea Manning as a Woman. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/court-army-must-refer-chelsea-manning-woman/

StudentNation (March 5, 2015). Students Walk Out on Testing, Rise for Black Trans Lives and Unionize. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/students-walk-out-testing-rise-black-trans-lives-and-unionize/

De, Nikhilesh; StudentNation (March 4, 2015). Students Make the Case for Gender Fluidity. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/students-make-case-gender-fluidity/

McClain, Dani (February 19, 2015). What Can Be Done to Stop the Brutal Targeting of Trans Women? The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/what-can-be-done-stop-brutal-targeting-trans-women/

Zornick, George vJanuary 23, 2015). New Maryland Governor Opens an Assault on Environmental and LGBT Protections. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/new-maryland-governor-opens-assault-environmental-lgbt-protections/

Flanders, Laura (November 25, 2014). Q&A: Eve Ensler on Hillary, Feminism, Revolution and Her New Play. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/qa-eve-ensler-hillary-feminism-revolution-and-her-new-play/

Halberstam, Jack (November 24, 2014). Leslie Feinberg: Defiant Radical, Gender Queer Revolutionary. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/leslie-feinberg-defiant-radical-gender-queer-revolutionary/

Bello, Walden; Foreign Policy In Focus (October 29, 2014). Fatal Encounter: A Transgender Woman Meets the US Marine Corps. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/fatal-encounter-transgender-woman-meets-us-marine-corps/

StudentNation (October 24, 2014). Students Blockade I-75, Stage a ‘Shit-In’ for Trans Justice and Get ‘Real’ With George Will. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/students-blockade-i-75-stage-shit-trans-justice-and-get-real-george-will/

Chen, Michelle (July 14, 2014). Hobby Lobby Is Now Discriminating Against a Transgender Employee. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/hobby-lobby-now-discriminating-against-transgender-employee/

Talusan, Meredith (July 10, 2014). Transgender Violence Is a #YesAllWomen Issue. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/transgender-violence-yesallwomen-issue/

Wypijewski, JoAnn (July 2, 2014). Postcards Post-Stonewall. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/postcards-post-stonewall/

Wolff, Tobias Barrington (June 20, 2014). How ENDA Still Allows Discrimination Against LGBT Workers. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/how-enda-still-allows-discrimination-against-lgbt-workers/

Tillet, Salamishah (June 16, 2014). The New Season of ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Has a Diverse Cast and a Cynical Heart. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/new-season-orange-new-black-has-diverse-cast-and-cynical-heart/

Smith, Mychal Denzel (June 3, 2014). Justice for Black Trans Women: An Interview With Laverne Cox. The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/justice-black-trans-women-interview-laverne-cox/

Resources

The Nation (thenation.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Facebook (facebook.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

TikTok (tiktok.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Bluesky (bsky.app)

Substack (substack.com)

Jennifer Finney Boylan is an American author, professor, and activist. Boylan has written several memoirs and novels and has frequently appeared in the media to discuss trans issues.

Notable work involving gender and media includes:

  • The memoir She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders (2003)
  • Writing a New York Times opinion column (2007–2022)
  • The memoir Stuck in the Middle with You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders (2013)
  • Serving on the GLAAD Board (2013)
  • Collaborating with transbians Parker Molloy and Christina Kahrl on pushing GLAAD to adopt their prescriptivist views on slang and slurs (2014)
  • Unsuccessfully lobbying behind the scenes to boycott/cancel RuPaul’s Drag Race (2014)
  • Mentoring and promoting writer Parker Molloy during and after abuse allegations against Molloy
  • Being a consultant for Jeffrey Tambor on the dramedy Transparent (2014) during and after abuse allegations against Tambor
  • Appearing as Caitlyn Jenner’s friend on I Am Cait (2015)
  • Giving the thumbs up to an anti-trans article by Lisa Selin Davis (2017)
  • Signing the Harper’s letter with J.K. Rowling and dozens of other anti-trans activists, later withdrawn (2020)
  • Writing opinion pieces for the Washington Post

Background

Jennifer Finney “Jenny” Boylan was born June 22, 1958 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Boylan earned a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University in 1980, then earned a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1986. Boylan was a professor at Colby College from 1988 to 2014, then took an appointment at Barnard College. Several of Boylan’s early books were published prior to beginning transition in 2000. Boylan wrote an opinion column for the New York Times from 2007 to 2022 among other writing. Boylan has published opinion pieces in the Washington Post since 2014, increasing the frequency after leaving the New York Times.

In 1988 Boylan married Deirdre Finney Boylan (born 1960). They have two children, Sean (born 1996), and Zaira (born 1994), who is also trans.

Boylan served on the board of GLAAD and has held other roles at organizations benefiting sex and gender minorities. Boylan has appeared on Oprah and the Caitlyn Jenner reality show I Am Cait.

In 2023, Boylan was named President of PEN America.

Anti-drag factionalism

Boylan was a key figure with Christina Kahrl in the 2014 transbian attacks led by Parker Molloy that were critical of drag artists and the offensive language some of them use. This strain of respectability politics reached a boiling point when the three of them combined their ongoing anti-drag and anti-slur crusades to extract an apology from RuPaul and RuPaul’s Drag Race for a transphobic segment that was ultimately pulled. They bragged about taking over GLAAD, an organization built by the entire community that had previously helped settle intra-community disputes out of the public eye. In a mutually beneficial piece of logrolling, Boylan told Molloy:

“This is, to coin a phrase, not your father’s GLAAD, and this is not the work that was being done a decade ago. One reason why I think we’ve been able to make a little progress is that GLAAD is now largely run by trans people. We occupy positions from staff to volunteers to the board of directors, including its national co-chair, which is me. These are our lives we are talking about; the people demeaned by incidents like this one are the men and women who work here. And other cis staff members have been working for trans rights for years and years now. I am proud of the board and staff for their passion.”

Even after being presented with extensive evidence of Parker Molloy’s abuse and slurs toward other trans people, Boylan remained one of Molloy’s staunchest supporters. In exchange, Molloy would write publicity pieces for Boylan and launder them through Advocate.com until being suspended and ultimately resigning.

2020 Harper’s Letter

Boylan was a signatory on the 2020 “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate” in Harper’s Magazine. That open letter was criticized for the high percentage of “gender critical” people in the media, most notably anti-trans extremist J.K. Rowling. Boylan had been in awe of Rowling to the point that in 2010 Boylan created a children’s fantasy series called Falcon Quinn that shared remarkable similarities with Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise.

Boylan asked to be taken off the Harper’s Letter, claiming ignorance of the other signatories, while trans economist Deirdre McCloskey remained a signatory.

Books

  • Remind Me to Murder You Later (1988)
  • The Planets (1991)
  • The Constellations: A Novel (1994)
  • Getting In (1998)
  • She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders (2003)
  • I’m Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted: A Memoir (2008)
  • Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror (2010)
  • Falcon Quinn and the Crimson Vapor (2011)
  • Stuck in the Middle with You: A Memoir of Parenting in Three Genders (2013)
  • Foreword fo Trans Bodies, Trans Selves: A Resource for the Transgender Community (2014)
  • You Are You (2015)
  • Falcon Quinn and the Bullies of Greenblud (2016)
  • Long Black Veil (2017)
  • Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs (2020)
  • Mad Honey: A Novel (2022) [with Jodi Picoult]
  • Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us (2025)

References

Tagen-Dye, Carly (February 5, 2025). Jennifer Finney Boylan Doesn’t Speak for All Trans People. And with Cleavage, She’s Ready to Cede the Floor to New Voices. People https://people.com/jennifer-finney-boylan-new-book-cleavage-trans-experience-8786585

Harris, Elizabeth A. (December 11, 2023). Jennifer Finney Boylan to Lead PEN America. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/books/jennifer-finney-boylan-pen-america.html

Bull, Chris (July 11, 2020). These queer media stars are helping save America from itself. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/queer-media-stars-helping-save-america-20200711/4/

Nolan, Emma (July 8, 2020). Trans Author Jennifer Finney Boylan Recants ‘Cancel Culture’ Letter Signed by J.K. Rowling. Newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/author-jennifer-finney-boylan-recants-cancel-cultureletter-jk-rowling-1516235

Crane, Emily (July 8, 2020). Trans writer Jennifer Finney Boylan distances herself from free speech letter she signed calling out cancel culture after realizing JK Rowling had also endorsed it – but is immediately called out by the Harry Potter author. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8503571/Trans-writer-Jennifer-Finney-Boylan-distances-free-speech-letter.html

Masters, Jeffrey (March 20, 2019). Jennifer Finney Boylan Looks Back on Her Infamous Interview With Oprah. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/transgender/2019/3/20/jennifer-finney-boylan-looks-back-infamous-interview-oprah

Molloy, Parker Marie (May 2, 2014). Trans Bodies, Trans Selves Aims to Educate the Trans Masses. Advocate.com https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/05/02/trans-bodies-trans-selves-aims-educate-trans-masses

Molloy, Parker Marie (May 1, 2014). GLAAD Cochair Jennifer Finney Boylan Joins Barnard College. Advocate.com https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/05/01/glaad-cochair-jennifer-finney-boylan-joins-barnard-college

James, Andrea (July 24, 2014). The GLAAD Board’s “Tranny” Trouble: How Its Trans Takeover Is Reshaping LGBT Politics. Queerty https://www.queerty.com/the-glaad-boards-tranny-trouble-how-its-trans-takeover-is-reshaping-lgbt-politics-20140724 [archive]

Molloy, Parker Marie (March 29, 2014). Logo, RuPaul’s Drag Race Respond to Antitrans Slurs. Advocate.com https://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/03/29/logo-rupauls-drag-race-respond-antitrans-slurs

Davis, Brendan (November 8, 2013). Meet GLAAD’s new board co-chairs! https://glaad.org/blog/meet-glaads-new-board-co-chairs [archive]

Leung, Rebecca (February 23, 2004). Trapped: Jenny Boylan. CBS News https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trapped-jenny-boylan/

Selected writing by Boylan

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (July 13, 2025). Superman’s father taught me how to write. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/07/13/superman-fd-christopher-reeve-father-jor-el/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (May 8, 2025). What two packs of weed gummies taught me about America. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/05/08/weed-trans-lgbtq-illegal-moral/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (March 19, 2025). What is a trans woman, really? The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/03/19/misgendering-sarah-mcbride/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (February 5, 2025). On cleavage: Mind the gap. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/05/cleavage-men-women-transgender-marriage-love/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (October 30, 2024). Donald Trump wants you to be afraid of me. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/30/trump-trans-ads-strategy-fear/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (September 25, 2024). Will Ferrell’s new film showcases a richer, riskier kind of humor. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/09/25/will-harper-netflix-movie-humor-transgender-road-trip/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (October 30, 2023). After the Maine shooting, trying to say no to fear. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/30/maine-fear-before-halloween/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (May 1, 2023). To understand biological sex, look at the brain, not the body. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/01/transgender-biology-brain-science-freedom/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (July 29, 2022). Trans people shouldn’t have to hide to help Democrats win. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/29/trans-people-shouldnt-have-hide-help-democrats-win/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (June 1, 2021). A Scottish political party treated trans people like the Loch Ness monster. It won’t be the last time. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/01/scottish-political-party-treated-trans-people-like-loch-ness-monster-it-wont-be-last-time/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (July 2, 2021). Remember the Bicentennial? Celebrating might be even harder for America’s 250th birthday. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/02/remember-bicentennial-celebrating-might-be-even-harder-americas-250th-birthday/

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (February 7, 2014). The Beatles. JFK. Even Julia Child. Help! I need a break from 50th anniversaries. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-beatles-jfk-even-julia-child-help-i-need-a-break-from-50th-anniversaries/2014/02/07/c1eb6666-8e76-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html

Boylan, Jennifer Finney (August 22, 2013). Longing for the day when Chelsea Manning and I both seem boring. The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/longing-for-the-day-when-chelsea-manning-and-i-both-seem-boring/2013/08/22/7bf52c42-0b5d-11e3-b87c-476db8ac34cd_story.html

Media

NPR Podcasts with Robin Young and Jenny Boylan (March 13, 2025). Jennifer Finney Boylan’s latest memoir ‘Cleavage’ is a reflection on transgender life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruhO55D3CB4

NEWS CENTER Maine (February 24, 2025). America’s best-known trans writer, Jennifer Finney Boylan, has a few things to get off her chest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUNzYbRbOF4

Politics and Prose (February 18, 2025). Jennifer Finney Boylan — Cleavage – with Congresswoman Sarah McBride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUI0J2ClDd0

PEN America (May 20, 2025). Jennifer Finney Boylan’s Opening Remarks at the 2025 PEN America Literary Gala. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQZKflMzVNA

sia_thebestsinger (April 21, 2020). Sia live with Jennifer Finney Boylan on Zoom (04.21.2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqRBmur30lA

The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss and Jenny Boylan (December 2, 2019). Jenny Boylan – The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss – FULL VIDEO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycn6NqZiUAE

E! Entertainment (March 11, 2016). I Am Cait | Kate Bornstein & Jennifer Finney Boylan Discuss “Tranny” | E! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i9k-V51QfY

TEDx Talks (September 30, 2015). A transgender path home | Jennifer Finney Boylan | TEDxMet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0h7LFvlVwk

JennyBoylan (January 10, 2013). We Happy Trans, with Jennifer Finney Boylan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pulsg9QTyNc

GLAAD (November 14, 2012). I AM: Trans People Speak – Jennifer Finney Boylan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMxPdZt7Tso

Chicago Humanities (November 30, 2010). Jennifer Finney Boylan: A Life in Two Genders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tqQbhDhiVo

nodumbquestions (October 7, 2008). Jennifer Boylan: No Dumb Questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIbDz7lyGyc

Resources

Jennifer Finney Boylan (jenniferboylan.net)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Muck Rack (muckrack.com)

Harvard University, Hollis Archives (hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Bluesky (bsky.app)

YouTube (youtube.com)

Substack (substack.com)

New York Times (nytimes.com)

Colby College (colby.edu)

Barnard College (barnard.edu)

  • Jennifer Boylan
  • english.barnard.edu/profiles/jennifer-boylan
  • barnard.edu/profiles/jennifer-boylan

GLAAD (glaad.org)

  • Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan (Maine) May 2011–Present
  • glaad.org/about/board/jenniferboylan [archive]

PEN America (pen.org/)

Gender Rights Maryland (genderrightsmaryland.org)

  • Policy Advisory Board
  • genderrightsmaryland.org/joomla/about-us/policy-advisory-board [archive]