As mainstream media outlets go, the New York Times leans pretty far to the Left, in both opinion and hard news reporting. That goes for coverage of trans issues as well, overall. Here are some recent offerings from the Opinion section:
“Living in authenticity makes me a stronger, better man. Being trans is one of the least interesting things about me,” writes Iszac Henig, a varsity swimmer and senior at Yale University. https://t.co/BapQornVE5
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) January 5, 2023
“For transgender kids to have one place where they can truly be themselves is potentially lifesaving. With repeated studies showing extremely high risk of suicidality among trans youth, it’s foolhardy to defer to parental choice.” #NYTLetters https://t.co/cl0nKR8lKS
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) February 4, 2023
And there was this one, too:
Times Opinion asked 12 transgender Americans how they felt about debates around trans issues. “I think it’s just sensationalized,” one person said. “It’s a sort of dog whistle that you can use to garner more votes and create more fear and more division.” https://t.co/qHCVXDfBTV
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) February 9, 2023
We spoke with 12 transgender Americans from across the country and the political spectrum to try to better understand what their lives are like.
Here’s what the New York Times means by “across the country and the political spectrum”:
See any Republicans among the bunch? Nope. Because trans conservatives and Republicans don’t exist as far as the New York Times is concerned. No need to inconvenience readers with opinions from trans people who might be fed up with the radical trans movement.
Anyway, we showed you all that because it’s important to understand where the New York Times is usually coming from with its coverage of trans issues. They’re pretty solidly coming from the Left.
But once in a great while, they don’t. Like when they published a piece giving oxygen to the notion that some parents out there don’t want schools to be socially transitioning their kids without their knowledge:
Educators are facing new tensions over whether they should tell parents when students socially transition at school — changing their name, pronouns or gender expression. https://t.co/FnMHIYBPcl
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 22, 2023
The Times got a lot of blowback from radical trans activists for that. How dare they venture outside of their bubble for once and present both sides of an issue?!
The NYT is a woke, leftist rag. But it is never, ever woke enough. https://t.co/zzx2NeDUKn pic.twitter.com/XZOuwQpUfV
— Amy Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) February 15, 2023
Anyway, it should come as no surprise that the thugs at GLAAD — the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation — are among those angry at the Times for their “irresponsible, biased coverage of transgender people.” And they’ve written an open letter to express their outrage:
Irresponsible reporting has real-world consequences. Sign here: https://t.co/ORwVNnC1Za (2/2)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
Among GLAAD’s beefs with the New York Times is that the Times hired David French, whose work with the Alliance Defending Freedom classifies him as part of a hate group according to the SPLC. David French, the guy who defended Drag Queen Story Hour, is too anti-trans for GLAAD. Chew on that.
The letter is full of thuggish demands (this is GLAAD, after all). Here’s how it concludes:
Repeatedly, the Times has shown a willful disregard of LGBTQ community voices and the concerns so many have shared about their inaccurate, exclusionary, often ridiculous pieces. We see media outlets like TIME, Vox, USA Today, and even Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and smaller local outlets, doing a much better job covering the trans community than the New York Times. We are not having this conversation with other mainstream media outlets about problematic coverage – only the Times.
For those of us who truly treasured the Times coverage for so many years, it is appalling to see how the news and opinion pages are now full of misguided, inaccurate, and disingenuous “both sides” fearmongering and bad faith “just asking questions” coverage. We won’t stand for the Times platforming lies, bias, fringe theories, and dangerous inaccuracies. We demand fair coverage, we demand that the Times platform trans voices as both sources and full-time writers and editors, and we demand a meeting between Times leadership and the transgender community.
In short, GLAAD is completely and utterly insane. News at 11.
I don't read the NYT or really care what they do, I just think it's funny watching the LGBTQ left treat them like Fox News for daring to step out of line.
— Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) February 15, 2023
That’s pretty much what’s happening here. And just in case you need more evidence to support the case that GLAAD won’t rest until the New York Times turns all its operations over to trans people, here’s GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis with a 15-part thread shaming the Times for insufficient wokeness.
15 tweets and not a single substantive objection to the Times’ actual reporting. https://t.co/n0WbWGsEWy
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) February 15, 2023
It’s true, though. See for yourselves:
The @NYTimes has long had a reputation as a leader in the world of media, but the example they are setting for coverage of transgender people is downright shameful. 🧵(1/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
From the front page to the opinion page, readers are too often getting an inaccurate view of transgender people and issues important to them, (2/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
with poor reporting that elevates and equates LGBTQ opponents’ harmful opinions and ‘concerns’ to actual facts that have widespread scientific and medical consensus. (3/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
“‘Concerns.'” Nice scare quotes, Sarah.
The Times’ inaccurate coverage has been cited in legal documents used to justify discrimination and targeting of trans people. This is chilling, and it should give every reader and every leader of the New York Times pause. (4/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
The LGBTQ community, especially the trans community, is under attack. (5/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
Radical trans activism hurts the Ls and the Gs, too, but Sarah and GLAAD clearly aren’t too broken up about that.
It’s time for the Times to stop this relentless misinformation disguised as disingenuous ‘just asking questions’ reporting and ridiculous and harmful opinion pieces that do not represent the reality of trans people’s experiences. (6/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
It is time for the Times to listen to trans people and LGBTQ community members who are appalled at what is unfolding in the world and inside the Times. (7/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
It’s time for the Times to hire more trans and nonbinary people. (8/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
It’s time for the Times to see trans people as people, report on their lives as they would any other human being, and not as a ‘side’ in political debates. (9/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
Sarah doesn’t want the New York Times to report on trans people’s lives as a “side” in political debates. Fair enough, as that kind of reporting really isn’t necessary when you don’t present both sides of an argument. How can trans people be a “side” when GLAAD says only one side — the radical trans activist side — deserves to be covered?
The Times must earn back the LGBTQ community’s trust. (10/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
Not the general public’s trust, but the LGBTQ community’s trust. That’s not how the media are supposed to work, but Sarah doesn’t care.
Start by listening, hiring, and reporting accurately and inclusively on trans people. Anything less than an intentional and meaningful effort to reach out to and listen to transgender experts is unconscionable, and unacceptable, and a violation of the public trust. (11/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
Misinformation about transgender people and issues isn’t just bad journalistic ethics, it is also dangerous and has real-world consequences: (12/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
irresponsible Times coverage contributes to the current anti-trans climate and gives cover to extremist politicians out to exploit and destroy trans lives. (13/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
.@GLAAD and other advocates have tried to educate reporters and editors at the Times about their pattern of biased articles that push misinformation about trans people, particularly trans youth. (14/15)
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
“Educate,” i.e. bully into submission.
But our youth, and our community broadly, can no longer wait for the Times to do the right thing. We need to see action now: stop printing anti-trans stories, meet with trans leaders, and hire trans journalists. (15/15) https://t.co/WJrUKwrpaQ
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
Did we mention that GLAAD is just a bunch of thugs masquerading as human rights activists?
Today, the team at @GLAAD delivered a letter to the @NYTimes to send a clear message to stop printing their harmful & inaccurate reporting about transgender people & issues. Join us by signing the letter to let the NY Times know that enough is enough. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Wuv9hiG883
— Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) February 15, 2023
We’ve had enough. We’ve joined over 100 organizations and leaders to demand that @nytimes stop printing inaccurate and harmful misinformation about transgender people and issues. Today we are outside of the Times building to send a clear message. https://t.co/IkQocpsG5q pic.twitter.com/bBVnFoqOjD
— GLAAD (@glaad) February 15, 2023
Oh, they’ve definitely sent a message. And that message is “We’re garbage.”
“We will bully you into supporting us” continues to be the MO of GLAAD and their allies. pic.twitter.com/2s5BaK98hG
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) February 15, 2023
If the New York Times has even a trace of self-respect and integrity left, they’ll tell Sarah and GLAAD to take their list of complaints and shove it. Because Sarah and GLAAD really don’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to this or pretty much anything else.
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