Today, a powerful coalition of almost 200 journalists and writers released an open letter to the New York Times, voicing their deep concerns about the newspaper’s biased coverage of transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people. The letter accuses the Times of following the lead of far-right hate groups in presenting gender diversity as something to be punished, and cites over 15,000 words of front-page coverage debating the propriety of medical care for trans children in the last eight months alone.
The letter also references several op-eds and investigative features which have treated gender diversity with pseudoscience and euphemistic language, while omitting relevant information about their sources. These articles have been used by Republican lawmakers to pass anti-trans legislation.
Signees of the letter include some of the most prominent journalists and regular Times contributors, such as Ed Yong, Lucy Sante, Roxane Gay, Rebecca Solnit, Carmen Maria Machado, Alexander Chee, and Jia Tolentino.
If you’re concerned about the New York Times’ coverage of transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people, you can add your name to the open letter here. You can also read a Hell Gate interview with Jo Livingstone about the impetus behind the letter here. Let’s make sure our voices are heard and that the New York Times is held accountable for its biased coverage.
