A coalition of LGBTQ groups, prominent activists, journalists and New York Times staff are protesting what they call “irresponsible, biased” media coverage of the transgender community.
Judd Apatow, Ashlee Marie Preston, Gabrielle Union-Wade, Jameela Jamil, Jonathan Van Ness, Lena Dunham, Margaret Cho, Peppermint, Shakina, Tommy Dorfman and Wilson Cruz are among those who signed a letter in which the Times , platform anti- trans activists and portrays them as “average Americans with no agenda.” They are also urging the Times to meet with members and leaders of the transgender community and, among other things, hire transgender writers and editors to invest. Read the open letter here.
GLAAD, MRK, PFLAG, the Transgender Law Center, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and the Women’s March are among the groups signing the letter.
“The New York Times has long been the benchmark for excellence in journalism: a media outlet that New Yorkers, Americans and people around the world look to for its ethical, thorough reporting and thoughtful commentary,” the letter reads. “But for more than a year, The New York Times has stood for something else: irresponsible, biased reporting of transgender people. The Times has repeatedly highlighted cisgender (non-transgender) people who spread inaccurate and harmful misinformation about transgender people and issues.” malicious reporting from simply asking questions”.
Another group of more than 100 New York Times contributors sent a letter of their own to the Times, saying that the Times “treated gender diversity with an eerily familiar mix of pseudoscience and euphemistically loaded language when talking about trans children .” omitted relevant information about sources.”
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, referred to the Times’ reporting, which reported her “concern” that “every leading medical organization affirms that health care for transgender youth is safe and necessary.”
“And even more dangerous are politicians who use biased Times articles to justify their support for anti-trans laws,” she said in a statement.
A Times spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
LGBTQ groups and activists cite the Times Science Desk’s coverage of stories about medical care and support for transgender youth, among others. They pointed to an article published this week referring to doctors’ observations of a possible link between “tic disorders” and gender identity. The groups say the Times failed to include such “social contagion theories” that have been retracted in academic research journals. They also cited a range of other coverage, including stories about transgender people in sports, as well as the hiring last month of columnist David French, a former Alliance Defending Freedom attorney who has attacked LGBTQ rights. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the organization an LGBTQ “hate group,” but French called that characterization an “absurd claim.”
The groups cited cases from government agencies citing Times reporting in court. For example, last year the state of Texas referenced a story — “The Battle Over Gender Therapy” — in its effort to reach out to families of transgender youth receiving gender-affirming care.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
