The opinion piece by Pamela Paul relies on routinely debunked disinformation and gets factual information wrong about transgender care. It is the latest NYT published piece to do so.
I can't believe that woman still has a column, and that she is continuing to use it to follow the TERF beat. Her screeds were probably my #1 reason for unsubscribing from them.
I generally stick to the NY Times for balanced reporting, but when I saw that treatise this morning, I felt sick to my stomach. And whatever you do, don't read the comments - a doomscroll of people thanking her for essentially affirming their own transphobia. And the idea that transpeople "attack"?! Hilarious. Pick any cis-person and ask them about all the trans people who have attacked them, ever. Then ask a transwoman how many times she's been physically or verbally assaulted in real life on, idk, a single day. We can thank the NY Times for adding another stitch to the pink triangles being legislatively sewn to transpeople across the country day in and day out right now. Unreal.
My personal regret rate after reading PP's articles is 100%. She seems to fancy herself a very high minded troll. Unfortunately, I read this article and looked at the comments. There is a section where you can see the comments that PP has responded to, which effectively brings them to the top of the comments pile. Of course, the first comment she responds to is from @LGB. I think the name pretty much sums up what this commentor had to say, so just want to express even more disgust with PP that she would elevate this comment. The commentor didn't touch on "the very important nuanced conversation" about youth care that PP is supposedly having in this article. It is just someone who doesn't want to be associated with trans people and says that sex is biological and that's that. I just think that PP elevating this pretty clearly reflects what she thinks and what she's really trying to push.
The "8 out of 10 desist" coming from Steensma 2013 has been abused to an amazing degree. Steensma himself said that his study should not be used as a measure of desistance. That was not the study's purpose. Here's the link to an article that quotes him on this. (https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/441784/the-controversial-research-on-desistance-in-transgender-youth). Thanks for the great work and activism Erin!
The NYT is every bit as callous and cruel as antitrans politicians. While politicians are sacrificing trans lives for votes the NYT is using it to solve its own identity crisis.
I cancelled my own subscription when they published an “ opinion” piece by Christopher Rufo.
I literally already got an unsolicited DM from a transphobe on Reddit with a link to this Opinion piece. Articles like these are the silver bullets that transphobes use to shoot our hearts. Nothing but lies and hate, couched in neutral sounding language in order to administer extremist eradication-focused views onto the general public, who doesn't know the reality of the situation.
Misinformation from the press is indeed one key factor in fueling the current anti-trans hysteria (a lie will travel a mile before the truth even gets out the front door), but so is pressure from right-wing hate groups. The influence from these groups is why the anti-trans bills in the various red states all tend to read the same.
Erin- I literally got the notification about your piece back to back with an email from a parent who read the NYT piece and was concerned about their kiddo. I was able to share a link to your article and offer to send more info later if they needed it. CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH for this critical work!! I also suggested she subscribe for ongoing content. @DrWhitr
What I would give to have figured everything out and come out to my family 4 years after I first started crying myself to sleep as a 12 year old, praying to god or any higher being that I'd wake up a girl. Instead I denied for another 20ish years. At least I got to figure it out. Knowing there are kids in oppressive states that may never make it that far, may never live their true lives, it's heartbreaking and devastating.
Also trying to scare kids with needles is fucking insane. I did not like getting injections or blood drawn before starting HRT. I can tell you that the need to live one's life quickly outweighs a fear of needles (for me anyway). I got over that fear real quick once I started on injection E and now needles don't bother me at all. And there are alternatives to injection meds...
Thank you Erin for covering this and keeping us all aware of what is going on.
Erin--I am so indebted to you for your measured and thoughtful response to the trash NYT clickbaity article. That “opinion” piece was forwarded to me by two colleagues who have been skeptical of my gender affirming care practice (I’m a doctor) with comments of “interesting! Let’s discuss!” I’ve felt sick to my stomach ever since reading the article and lost sleep last night trying to figure out how the hell to respond to them. You have given me a powerful tool to provide them with better information. I also feel validated in the work that I am doing with trans youth and adults. Nothing in that article reflected my lived experience with my patients over the last seven years. I appreciate you more than words can express. Stay strong.
I believe this type of article is carefully crafted to appeal to the emotions of parents, specifically targeting Generation X, who are either fearful of having trans children or worried that their children may become trans. It would be an understatement to say how dangerous this kind of rhetoric is, if left unchallenged. Unfortunately, the reputation of the NYT is being utilized to lend credibility to fear-mongering, which will ultimately harm the most vulnerable among us. I have contemplated writing an article on this subject but have not found the time. There must be a counter commentary published in the NYT to fact-check the bias of the NYT and the disingenuous articles like this one. If the NYT is unwilling to publish a fact-based counter-argument, this refusal can then be used to highlight their bias. However, we need to undertake this as a community (and with allies) by creating an open letter with the largest number of participants possible. I know this was attempted before , but I feel it is time to try again - peoples lives depend on it.
I cancelled my subscription after they doubled down after the first anti-trans piece. It’s sad because most of their writers there are not okay with it. The folks in charge are JK Rowling- level ego hurt and doubling down it seems. Sad. Thank you, Erin.
I can't believe that woman still has a column, and that she is continuing to use it to follow the TERF beat. Her screeds were probably my #1 reason for unsubscribing from them.
I generally stick to the NY Times for balanced reporting, but when I saw that treatise this morning, I felt sick to my stomach. And whatever you do, don't read the comments - a doomscroll of people thanking her for essentially affirming their own transphobia. And the idea that transpeople "attack"?! Hilarious. Pick any cis-person and ask them about all the trans people who have attacked them, ever. Then ask a transwoman how many times she's been physically or verbally assaulted in real life on, idk, a single day. We can thank the NY Times for adding another stitch to the pink triangles being legislatively sewn to transpeople across the country day in and day out right now. Unreal.
More importantly - thank you Erin for your work.
My personal regret rate after reading PP's articles is 100%. She seems to fancy herself a very high minded troll. Unfortunately, I read this article and looked at the comments. There is a section where you can see the comments that PP has responded to, which effectively brings them to the top of the comments pile. Of course, the first comment she responds to is from @LGB. I think the name pretty much sums up what this commentor had to say, so just want to express even more disgust with PP that she would elevate this comment. The commentor didn't touch on "the very important nuanced conversation" about youth care that PP is supposedly having in this article. It is just someone who doesn't want to be associated with trans people and says that sex is biological and that's that. I just think that PP elevating this pretty clearly reflects what she thinks and what she's really trying to push.
The "8 out of 10 desist" coming from Steensma 2013 has been abused to an amazing degree. Steensma himself said that his study should not be used as a measure of desistance. That was not the study's purpose. Here's the link to an article that quotes him on this. (https://www.kqed.org/futureofyou/441784/the-controversial-research-on-desistance-in-transgender-youth). Thanks for the great work and activism Erin!
The NYT is every bit as callous and cruel as antitrans politicians. While politicians are sacrificing trans lives for votes the NYT is using it to solve its own identity crisis.
I cancelled my own subscription when they published an “ opinion” piece by Christopher Rufo.
I literally already got an unsolicited DM from a transphobe on Reddit with a link to this Opinion piece. Articles like these are the silver bullets that transphobes use to shoot our hearts. Nothing but lies and hate, couched in neutral sounding language in order to administer extremist eradication-focused views onto the general public, who doesn't know the reality of the situation.
Misinformation from the press is indeed one key factor in fueling the current anti-trans hysteria (a lie will travel a mile before the truth even gets out the front door), but so is pressure from right-wing hate groups. The influence from these groups is why the anti-trans bills in the various red states all tend to read the same.
Erin- I literally got the notification about your piece back to back with an email from a parent who read the NYT piece and was concerned about their kiddo. I was able to share a link to your article and offer to send more info later if they needed it. CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH for this critical work!! I also suggested she subscribe for ongoing content. @DrWhitr
What I would give to have figured everything out and come out to my family 4 years after I first started crying myself to sleep as a 12 year old, praying to god or any higher being that I'd wake up a girl. Instead I denied for another 20ish years. At least I got to figure it out. Knowing there are kids in oppressive states that may never make it that far, may never live their true lives, it's heartbreaking and devastating.
Also trying to scare kids with needles is fucking insane. I did not like getting injections or blood drawn before starting HRT. I can tell you that the need to live one's life quickly outweighs a fear of needles (for me anyway). I got over that fear real quick once I started on injection E and now needles don't bother me at all. And there are alternatives to injection meds...
Thank you Erin for covering this and keeping us all aware of what is going on.
The same "facts" every time 🙄 TERFs really need new material. Or the could just mind their own business.
Thank you for meticulously going through Pamela Paul's points. Great job!
Erin--I am so indebted to you for your measured and thoughtful response to the trash NYT clickbaity article. That “opinion” piece was forwarded to me by two colleagues who have been skeptical of my gender affirming care practice (I’m a doctor) with comments of “interesting! Let’s discuss!” I’ve felt sick to my stomach ever since reading the article and lost sleep last night trying to figure out how the hell to respond to them. You have given me a powerful tool to provide them with better information. I also feel validated in the work that I am doing with trans youth and adults. Nothing in that article reflected my lived experience with my patients over the last seven years. I appreciate you more than words can express. Stay strong.
I am so sick of that woman and the NYT who has also basically ignored all of the horrible things going on at the state level.
I believe this type of article is carefully crafted to appeal to the emotions of parents, specifically targeting Generation X, who are either fearful of having trans children or worried that their children may become trans. It would be an understatement to say how dangerous this kind of rhetoric is, if left unchallenged. Unfortunately, the reputation of the NYT is being utilized to lend credibility to fear-mongering, which will ultimately harm the most vulnerable among us. I have contemplated writing an article on this subject but have not found the time. There must be a counter commentary published in the NYT to fact-check the bias of the NYT and the disingenuous articles like this one. If the NYT is unwilling to publish a fact-based counter-argument, this refusal can then be used to highlight their bias. However, we need to undertake this as a community (and with allies) by creating an open letter with the largest number of participants possible. I know this was attempted before , but I feel it is time to try again - peoples lives depend on it.
Pamela Paul is back on her bullshit. Yet again.
I cancelled my subscription after they doubled down after the first anti-trans piece. It’s sad because most of their writers there are not okay with it. The folks in charge are JK Rowling- level ego hurt and doubling down it seems. Sad. Thank you, Erin.