Michael Powell is an American writer and anti-transgender activist involved in the New York Times anti-transgender coverage crisis of the 2020s. In 2024, Powell moved to anti-trans publication The Atlantic.
Background
Michael Henry Powell was born on January 20, 1957. Powell earned a bachelor’s degree from The State University of New York at Purchase in 1978 and then attended Columbia University.
In 1982 Powell married Evelyn M. Intondi (born March 14, 1956), a midwife and reproductive health specialist. They have two adult children.
Powell worked at New York Newsday from 1988 to 1995. Powell next moved to The Washington Post in 1996. Powell was with The New York Observer before joining the Times in 2007. After writing on the “Gotham” column, Powell moved to Sports in 2014.
In early 2020, Powell requested a new role from anti-trans editor Carolyn Ryan, who told The Observer:
“We needed somebody who was deeply experienced at covering controversies in a panoramic way, who was experienced enough that they wouldn’t get intimidated or really shaken by some of the criticisms on Twitter and elsewhere.”
In June, Powell ended work on the “Sports of The Times” column and began writing about “free speech and thought, identity, campuses and so on.”
In 2023 Powell moved to the even more transphobic Atlantic, which has not had a trans journalist on their masthead since their founding in 1857.
Anti-transgender activism
In 2014 Powell boasted about interviewing “transvestite prostitutes from Ecuador.” No reputable journalist was using the term transvestite in 2014.
Lia Thomas non-interview
In a 2022 story on transgender athletes, Powell wrote one of thousands of articles that used Lia Thomas as outrage bait, even though Powell failed to interview Thomas for the piece. Where an earlier piece in the Times by Billy Witz adhered to objective reporting, Powell chose to frame transgender people as debates to be solved. Powell claims the debates center on “science, fairness and inclusiveness, and cut to the core of distinctions between gender identity and biological sex.”
Many people across the political spectrum are deeply invested in maintaining sex segregation and shoring up the study of “sex differences,” and Powell uncritically presents their pettifogging about rules and measurements and what-not.
To Powell’s credit, the story briefly mentions Anna Posbergh among the usual suspects fixated on minutiae within a fatally flawed and fundamentally unfair institution. Posbergh is one of many who believe that there is no ethical future for sex-segregated competitive sport, which largely exists to further the belief that one half of the human population is “inferior” to the other half.
Powell polishes the classic “science vs. activism” chestnut, suggesting only “activists” believe biology is socially constructed:
Even nomenclature is contentious. Descriptive phrases such as “biological woman” and “biological man” might be seen as central to discussing differences in performance. Many trans rights activists say such expressions are transphobic and insist biology and gender identity are largely social constructs.
Powell concludes, “The solution, a balance of gender and biology, looks distant.” While the solution is distant, it is not a balance of gender and biology. It is a recognition that sex-segregated sport, just like any sex-segregated institution, has no place in an ethical society.
Background on the Thomas non-interview
Powell contacted GLAAD in the course of the story, and after they told Powell that Martina Navratilova holds views they consider objectionable, Powell naturally included Navratilova because it violates some sort of perceived taboo.
Those mentioned by Powell include:
- Lia Thomas
- Princeton University women’s swim team
- Robin Harris, Ivy League ED
- Robert Sanchez of Sports Illustrated
- Sebastian Coe of World Athletics
- ACLU
- GLAAD
- Martina Navratilova
- Half of University of Pennsylvania women’s swim teammates
- Brooke Forde
- Griffin Maxwell Brooks
- Michael J. Joyner of Mayo Clinic
- NCAA
- Ross Tucker
- Chris Mosier
- Ira S. Hammerman
- Carole Hooven
- Allyson Felix
- Renée Richards
- Joanna Harper
- Reka Gyorgy
- Women’s Sports Foundation
- Doriane Lambelet Coleman
- Nathan Palmer
- Anna Posbergh
- Kathleen Stock
- Iszac Henig
- Emily Bridges
- Macdonald-Laurier Institute
References
Witz, Billy (January 24, 2022). As Lia Thomas Swims, Debate About Transgender Athletes Swirls. The New York Times. [archive] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/sports/lia-thomas-transgender-swimmer.html
Powell, Michael (May 6, 2014). Profiling the City He Knew, and Learned to Know. New York Times https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/times-insider/2014/05/06/profiling-the-city-he-knew-and-learned-to-know/
Powell, Michael (May 29, 2022). Much Debate but Little Dialogue on Transgender Female Athletes. [alternately titled “What Lia Thomas Could Mean for Women’s Elite Sports.”] New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/29/us/lia-thomas-women-sports.html
Press room (July 18, 2023). The Atlantic Hires Michael Powell and Zoë Schlanger as Staff Writers. The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/archive/2023/07/atlantic-hires-michael-powell-and-zoe-schlanger/674739/
Kassel, Matthew (June 29, 2020). The NYTimes reporter who traded in the sports beat to cover ‘identity wars.’ Jewish Insider https://jewishinsider.com/2020/06/the-nytimes-reporter-who-traded-in-the-sports-beat-to-cover-identity-wars/
Hogue, William P. (February 23, 2023) From Sports to Politics to Telescopes, Michael Powell Brings Heart and Shoe Leather. Observer https://observer.com/2023/02/from-sports-to-politics-to-telescopes-michael-powell-brings-heart-and-shoe-leather/
-https://twitter.com/powellAtlantic/status/1276191624201199620
Meares, Joel (August 13, 2010). Q & A: New York Times Reporter Michael Powell. Columbia Journalism Review https://archives.cjr.org/behind_the_news/q_a_new_york_times_reporter_mi.php
Resources
Muck Rack (muckrack.com)
Twitter (twitter.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Purchase College (purchase.edu)
Facebook (facebook.com)
Danielle Rhoades Ha is an American communications executive who handled public relations at New York Times during their 2020s anti-transgender coverage crisis. Rhoades Ha is responsible for “advancing and protecting our public reputation” at the Times.
No transgender journalist has appeared on the New York Times masthead since its founding in 1851. Due to the hostile work environment, no transgender reporters work there as of 2023 according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.
Background
Danielle Rhoades Ha was born on March 27, 1977 to Michael and Lillian Rhoades.
Rhoades Ha earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Texas at Austin in 1999, then joined PR firm Goodman Media International. From 2000 to 2007 Rhoades Ha handled media relations for Dow Jones & Company before joining the Times in 2010. Rhoades Ha was named SVP, Communications in 2022. Rhoades Ha reports to David Rubin.
Rhoades Ha is married to Vimy Xuan Rhoades Ha (born 1975), a consultant and poker player.
2023 correspondence
On September 3, 2023, I received an email from Times employee Megan Twohey copied to Rhoades Ha. Twohey requested biographical information be removed. My response can be viewed on Twohey’s profile.
References
Rubin, David (June 8, 2022). Danielle Rhoades Ha Promoted to Head of External Communications. New York Times Company https://www.nytco.com/press/danielle-rhoades-ha-promoted-to-head-of-external-communications/
Resources
Twitter (twitter.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Anne Wæhre is a Norwegian pediatrician involved in conservative clinical practices and anti-transgender activism.
Background
Wæhre earned a medical degree from University of Oslo (UiO) in 2000. Wæhre has been affiliated with Oslo University Hospital since 2006.
Wæhre has published on sex and gender minorities with other conservative clinicians, including Riittakerttu Kaltiala. Wæhre has published in anti-trans journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Anti-transgender activism
Wæhre was an invited speaker at a 2023 conference organized by anti-transgender hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine.
References
Jessen RS, Wæhre A, David L, Stänicke E (2021). Negotiating Gender in Everyday Life: Toward a Conceptual Model of Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents. Arch Sex Behav. 2021 Nov;50(8):3489-3503. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02024-6.
Kaltiala R, Bergman H, Carmichael P, de Graaf NM, Rischel KE, Frisén L, Schorkopf M, Suomalainen L, Waehre A (2020). Time trends in referrals to child and adolescent gender identity services: a study in four Nordic countries and in the UK. Nord J Psychiatry. 2020 Jan;74(1):40-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2019.1667429
Wæhre A, Schorkopf M (2019). Gender variance, medical treatment and our responsibility. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2019 Apr 8;139(7). https://doi.org/10.4045/tidsskr.19.0178.
Staff report (October 13, 2022). Why do so many teenaged girls ask for gender reassignment? CNE [Christian News Europe] https://cne.news/artikel/1843-why-do-so-many-teenaged-girls-ask-for-gender-reassignment
Hodne, Anna Myklebust; Rise, Mina Maria; Five, Mari Linge (October 10, 2022). Plutselig økte én pasientgruppe: – Påfallende. TV2 https://www.tv2.no/nyheter/innenriks/plutselig-okte-en-pasientgruppe-pafallende/15159773/
Resources
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
ResearchGate (researchgate.net)
Patrik Vankrunkelsven is a Belgian physician and anti-transgender activist.
Vankrunkelsven was an invited speaker at a 2023 anti-trans conference organized by the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine.
Resources
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Twitter (twitter.com)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Kathleen Goonan is an American physician and anti-transgender activist.
Goonan was an invited speaker at a 2023 conference organized by anti-transgender hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine.
Background
Kathleen Jennison “Kate” Goonan
References
Maryland House Bill 722. Statement of Kathleen Jennison Goonan, M.D. https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/cmte_testimony/2024/hgo/1vjoQqY54RkBw86DZa1AvSEmXfubUPF3-.pdf
- “I speak in support of legislation to limit access to so-called “gender affirmative” medical and surgical treatments which are unproven to reduce mental suffering in minors experiencing gender discordance.”
Jones, Zinnia (October 23, 2023). Mask off, mask on: Kathleen Goonan, advisor to SEGM and Genspect, taught Moms for Liberty to “play a dual game” and pretend to support parents who accept their trans kids. Medium https://zinniajones.medium.com/mask-off-mask-on-kathleen-goonan-advisor-to-segm-and-genspect-taught-moms-for-liberty-to-play-a609a6f36860
Media
Gender: A Wider Lens (July 7, 2023). EP 121 – Practical Advice for Managing Gender Identity in Schools with Dr. Kate Goonan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpAlk1FWLr0
Resources
Atomic Gender (atomicgender.com)
Commonwealth Fund (commonwealthfund.org)
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Alex Capo is an American counselor and anti-transgender activist.
Capo was an invited speaker at a 2023 anti-trans conference organized by anti-transgender hate group Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine.
Resources
LinkedIn (linkedin.com)
Sallie Baxendale is a British psychologist and anti-transgender activist.
Background
Sallie Ann Baxendale earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Surrey in 1990, followed by a master’s degree there in 1992. Baxendale earned a doctorate from UCL in 1997.
Much of Baxendale’s research involves epilepsy and brain development.
Anti-transgender activism
Baxendale began appearing in anti-trans media in 2021, starting with Transgender Trend.
Baxendale supports the ex-transgender movement and is critical of gender affirming healthcare for minors, especially use of puberty blockade. Baxendale was alarmed that some people describe puberty blockade as “fully reversible.”
Baxendale was an invited speaker at a 2023 anti-trans conference organized by the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM).
Since 2023 Baxendale has contributed to anti-trans publication UnHerd,
In 2024 Baxendale published a summary of the 2024 Acta Paediatrica literature review (described below) on anti-trans site Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender (CAN-SG).
2024 puberty blockade literature review
In 2024 conservative Swedish psychiatrist Mikael Landén leaked a pre-publication paper by Baxendale to anti-trans activist Bernard Lane. Baxendale’s academic literature review reflected Landén’s view that puberty blockade should be strictly controlled because of unknown risks, particularly cognitive effects.
On the day of publication, Baxendale published a piece in UnHerd about how this puberty blockade literature review was rejected by three journals as well as accepted by Acta Paediatrica, which previously promoted more gatekeeping of healthcare for gender diverse youth in Sweden’s healthcare system. Baxendale claimed, “it wasn’t the methods they objected to, it was the actual findings.” Of the rejection reasons that Baxendale shared, all were about the obvious bias of the author and the stigmatizing potential from how the material is tendentiously presented.
The obvious and simple answer is to skip puberty blockers and go straight to hormones. Baxendale cites studies about young people who experience central precocious puberty having more robust brain development and cognition, so Baxendale has made a strong case for use of puberty-inducing drugs in all minors who desire improved cognition and IQ.
References
Baxendale, Sallie (February 19, 2024). Why did three journals reject my puberty-blocker study? Trans children deserve to know the facts. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2024/02/why-did-three-journals-reject-my-puberty-blocker-study/
Baxendale, S. (2024). The impact of suppressing puberty on neuropsychological function: A review. Acta Paediatrica. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.17150
- Gender diverse youth studies cited:
- Staphorsius AS, Kreukels BPC, Cohen-Kettenis PT, Veltman DJ, Burke SM, Schagen SEE, Wouters FM, Delemarre-van de Waal HA, Bakker J (2015). Puberty suppression and executive functioning: An fMRI-study in adolescents with gender dysphoria. Psychoneuroendocrinology (Vol. 56, pp. 190–199). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.03.007
- Arnoldussen M, Hooijman EC, Kreukels BP, de Vries AL (2022). Association between pre-treatment IQ and educational achievement after gender-affirming treatment including puberty suppression in transgender adolescents. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry (Vol. 27, Issue 4, pp. 1069–1076). SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591045221091652
- Schneider MA, Spritzer PM, Soll BMB, Fontanari AMV, Carneiro M, Tovar-Moll F, Costa AB, da Silva DC, Schwarz K. Anes M, Tramontina S, Lobato, MIR (2017). Brain Maturation, Cognition and Voice Pattern in a Gender Dysphoria Case under Pubertal Suppression. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (Vol. 11). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00528
Baxendale, Sallie (January 21, 2024). Research Raises Concerns About the Impact of Puberty Blockers on the Development of Cognitive Function. CAN-SG https://can-sg.org/2024/01/21/puberty-blockers-and-teenage-brain-development/
Lane, Bernard (January 17, 2024). Evidently correct: New support for brain studies: the WHO steers clear of paediatric transition. Gender Clinic News https://www.genderclinicnews.com/p/evidently-correct
Manning, Sanchez (January 13, 2024). Puberty blockers given to children who say they were born in the wrong body and want to ‘change gender’ may lower their’ IQs. Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12960869/Puberty-blockers-given-children-say-born-wrong-body-want-change-gender-lower-IQs.html
Baxendale, Sallie (July 7, 2023). Doctors have failed detransitioners. UnHerd https://unherd.com/2023/07/doctors-have-failed-detransitioners/
Baxendale, Sallie (July 26, 2023). Has Gids learned from its failure? UnHerd https://unherd.com/2023/07/has-gids-learned-from-its-failure/
Baxendale, Sallie (July 1, 2021). The Teenage Brain. Transgender Trend https://www.transgendertrend.com/teenage-brain/
Media
Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (January 16, 2024). SEGM NYC23 – Sallie Baxendale – The Effect of Puberty Blockers on the Teenage Brain. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ZnRKqqByg
Resources
University College London Hospitals (uclh.nhs.uk)
- Sallie Baxendale
- uclh.nhs.uk/our-services/find-consultant/professor-sallie-baxendale
Ivan D. Florez is a Colombian pediatrician and anti-transgender activist.
Florez was an invited speaker at a 2023 anti-trans conference organized by anti-transgender hate group the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine.
Background
Ivan D. Florez-Gomez lists the following affiliations:
- Pediatrician, M.Sc. Clinical Epidemiology, Ph.D. in Health Research Methodology
- Full (tenured) Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia
- Pediatrician (PedsICU), Clinica Las Américas-AUNA, Medellin, Colombia
- Adjunct Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Canada
- Leader of the Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch & Evaluation (AGREE) Collaboration
- Director, Cochrane Colombia
- Editor-In-Chief: Clinical & Pub Health Guidelines (Guidelines International Network-GIN)
- Editorial Board: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology; Journal of the American Heart Association, Cochrane Evidence Synthesis Methods, & Pediatric Discovery)
- Membership: SPOR-EA, GIN, Cochrane & the GRADE working group
Resources
X/Twitter (x.com)
ORCID (orcid.org)
Stephen Beck is an American healthcare executive and anti-transgender activist. Beck is a member of anti-trans group Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine (SEGM).
Background
Stephen Richard “Steve” Beck was born May 22, 1967. Beck earned a medical degree from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1992. Beck practices internal medicine in Ohio.
Anti-transgender activism
Beck coathored a 2021 letter with SEGM members William J. Malone, Paul W. Hruz, and Julia W. Mason critical of clnical guidelines published by endocrinology groups.
References
Abby Walch, Caroline Davidge-Pitts, Joshua D Safer, Ximena Lopez, Vin Tangpricha, Sean J Iwamoto (2021). Proper Care of Transgender and Gender Diverse Persons in the Setting of Proposed Discrimination: A Policy Perspective. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Jan 23;106(2):305-308. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaa816.
William J. Malone, Paul W. Hruz, Julia W. Mason, and Stephen Beck (2021). Letter to the Editor from William J. Malone et al: “Proper Care of Transgender and Gender-diverse Persons in the Setting of Proposed Discrimination: A Policy Perspective” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 106, Issue 8, August 2021, Pages e3287–e3288, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgab205
Abby Walch, Caroline Davidge-Pitts, Ximena Lopez, Vin Tangpricha, Sean J Iwamoto, Joshua D Safer (2021). Response to Letter to the Editor from Malone: “Proper Care of Transgender and Gender Diverse Persons in the Setting of Proposed Discrimination: A Policy Perspective.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 106, Issue 8, August 2021, Pages e3295–e3296, https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgab206
Jones, Zinnia (January 11, 2023). Anti-trans group SEGM’s cofounder Stephen Beck is an executive at Bon Secours Mercy Health, the fifth-largest Catholic healthcare network in the US. Gender Analysis https://genderanalysis.net/2023/01/anti-trans-group-segms-cofounder-stephen-beck-is-an-executive-at-bon-secours-mercy-health-the-fifth-largest-catholic-healthcare-network-in-the-us/
Julie Maxwell is a British pediatrician and anti-transgender activist.
Background
Child Health Services, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Winchester, UK
Anti-trans activism
Via Trans Safety Network:
As recently as April 2021, NHS paediatrician Julie Maxwell was one of their “Clinical and Academic Advisors”. She was1, and is very open about working for Christian anti-LGBT and anti-abortion sex education charity LoveWise UK. Recordings of her training seminars for LoveWise are available publicly, where she offers to help push abstinence based and anti-LGBT sex education resources into secular schools.
Maxwell was also involved with a DVD campaign run by Creationist science think tank Truth In Science sent last year to every sitting MP and school on the so-called “Transgender Agenda”. We covered this last year when we heard about it originally. Creationism is the anti-scientific belief that humans were intelligently designed, and did not evolve as part of biological evolution.
Since 2012, Maxwell has also been, a director for the Family Education Trust, a religiously “family values” campaigning charity who promote anti-LGBT views and smacking children contrary to a growing body of evidence that children are harmed by the use of physical assault as a form of discipline. SEGM launched publicly in early 2020, and so far as we can tell Maxwell was part of their organisation from their inception.
References
Moore, Mallory (August 26, 2021). SEGM uncovered: large anonymous payments funding dodgy science. Trans Safety Network https://transsafety.network/posts/segm-uncovered/
Christopher Richards, Julie Maxwell, Noel McCune. Use of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria: a momentous step in the dark. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2018-315881
Julie Maxwell, Katherine Clyde, Lucy Griffin (2019). Gender dysphoria: a question of informed consent BMJ 2019; 367 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l6442
Media
Living Out (August 31, 2023). Thinking About Transgender feat. Dr. Julie Maxwell (Youth Leaders’ Crash Course #6). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THT_5OQ4g9o
Resources
Christian Action Research and Education (care.org.uk)