Batya Ungar-Sargon vs. transgender people

Batya Ungar-Sargon is an American writer and anti-transgender activist. Ungar-Sargon has written for many anti-trans publications, including The Free Press, Spiked, Forward, Compact, Tablet, The New Republic, Newsweek, New York Times, NewsNation, New York Post, and UnHerd.

Second Class (2024)

In a promotional piece for the book in the Free Press, Bungar-Sargon wrote:

Democrats tell us Republicans hate gays and Republicans tell us that Democrats want every child to be queer. Yet average Americans believe that sex is determined at birth and that trans people should be protected from discrimination, though when it comes to sports, trans people should compete on teams that match the sex they were born with. This is how six in ten of us feel.

In a review, Tim Gill wrote:

In the introduction and conclusion of the text, Ungar-Sargon claims for instance that workers are “worried about the spread of transgender ideology.” Yet, she never explains what this apparent “ideology” is and cites only one individual who says that she wishes politicians would focus on other issues besides transgender rights – not that she is “worried” about them.

This all leaves one puzzling why she would centralize such a claim. In addition, in my own work when asked directly, most working-class folks I’ve interviewed have said that transgender individuals should have the same rights as everyone else. A few, however, have voiced reservations about minors transitioning and the use of bathrooms. But by and large, there is no “worry” that has turned up in any interview about transgender rights writ large.

References

Gill, Tim (January 2, 2025). Exploitation, Marx, and the American Working Class: A Misunderstanding. Cleveland Review of Books https://clereviewofbooks.com/batya-ungar-sargon-second-class/

Graham, Jennifer (October 6, 2025). How Batya Ungar-Sargon went from coastal elite to ‘MAGA lefty.’ Deseret News https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2025/10/06/batya-ungar-sargon-newsnation-free-press-donald-trump/

Johnson, Ted (August 26, 2025). NewsNation To Launch Weekend Show With Opinion Host Batya Ungar-Sargon. Deadline Hollywood https://deadline.com/2025/08/newsnation-batya-ungar-sargon-opinion-1236497854/

Weisberg, Nate (April 9, 2025). Who Is Batya Ungar-Sargon? Washington Monthly https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/04/09/who-is-batya-ungar-sargon/

Zonszein, Mairav (February 5, 2020). What happened to The Forward? Columbia Journalism Review https://www.cjr.org/special_report/the-forward.php/

Selected writing by Ungar-Sargon

Ungar-Sargon, Batya (February 27, 2023). The Gray Lady Finds Her Backbone. Compact https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-gray-lady-finds-her-backbone/

Ungar-Sargon, Batya (February 15, 2023). The left has given up on ordinary Americans. Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2023/02/15/the-left-has-given-up-on-ordinary-americans/

Media

Megyn Kelly with Batya Ungar-Sargon (May 1, 2024). Biden Education Secretary vs. GOP Senator Over Trans Ideology in Schools, with Batya Ungar-Sargon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtjkGlsuhsk

PBS / One on One with Steve Adubato and Batya Ungar-Sargon (August 3, 2024). Episode 2748: Batya Ungar-Sargon. https://www.pbs.org/video/batya-ungar-sargon-70thqx/

Sky News Australia (January 28, 2025). Transgender military members sue Donald Trump over executive order ban. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcmeHD0fF5Y

The Hill with Robby Soave and Batya Ungar-Sargon (March 3, 2023). Batya Ungar-Sargon: Trans Activists Demand CENSORING Of NYT Reporting On Gender-Affirming Care. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoN35ldk-Y4

The Free Press with Bari Weiss, Batya Ungar-Sargon, and Brianna Wu (January 24, 2025). DEBATE: Trump Reverses Biden-Era Transgender Policies | Batya Ungar-Sargon & Brianna Wu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1ZCEsgpqmE