40 Comments
User's avatar
Sandra's avatar

All of us are very glad, Erin, that you put the time and effort into exposing the rampant misinformation in the press wrt transgender medicine. It is pathetic that our country has come to this.

Erin Reed's avatar

It... takes a lot lol.

Iris's avatar

I can imagine. I was allowed to give a presentation at work about the disinformation and general picture media and politics tends to paint about transpeople in The Netherlands.

When my country banked hard extreme-right and within one month of a new part of our government upped it's transphobia by 700% in just motions and remarks alone, I suddenly realized I work at a TV station and decided I had a little bit of power to change things from the inside out.

The 30th of May was the presentation, but looking up all the sources and repeatedly glossing over the disgusting stuff I had to cite took a toll on me.

I have decided to now write about it on my website as well, including creating a paper that colleagues can look through and click on a subject they want to know more about.

We have our own misinformation researchers in The Netherlands unfortunately.

And I predicted how a House of Representatives member would show up at the anti-trans conference held at the 27th of June, along with predicting that another member formerly with a different party switched parties because she was such a rabid transphobe, and that turned out to be true as well.

Sometimes I hate my political compass...

Becky C's avatar

The amount of work put into this piece is astonishing. Thanks for all you do, Erin!

Erin Reed's avatar

Thank you. I worked my butt off on this today!

Becky C's avatar

That is extremely evident!

Ivy's avatar

I think this is the first email I had to click "see full article" or something like that in gmail to actually read the whole thing.

Well done. :)

Erin Reed's avatar

Yeah lol... I got the notification it was too long.

FkNzisFkSubstck's avatar

As a scientist, I find it hilarious how TERFs want to been seen as on the side of “science” and “biology”, yet their anti-scientific drivel is constantly getting dunked by the actual experts, because the science reinforces the efficacy of GAC for trans people who need it, unequivocally.

Enjoy your spot in the opinion section of the funny papers, Pamela 💅

allie's avatar

Unfortunately only a few of us are scientists and really understand that the New York times is publishing lies. New York times reputation hasn't completely fallen into the gutter yet so some people may actually think that this piece was based on fact.

Veda Cook's avatar

You do such important work. Progressives need to know that The Gray Lady is an unrepentant TERF.

Ivy's avatar

Damn she figured me out, I'm just pretending because (checks notes), I wanted to endanger the relationship I cherish deeply; the potential of loosing all my friends and family; making my work life more difficult; walking in public more dangerous; now, not being able to safely travel to many states in the US; wanting a large portion of the world to distort my existence for their personal political gain.

Damn she really figured me out.

Also needles as desistance... I mean I hated needles before transitioning, but I like HRT a hell of a lot more than I hate needles (and you don't actually need needles).

Fuck NYT for publishing this quack.

Shayne's avatar

Thanks for shredding another NYTs piece.

Same old story. You'd think the times would care more about repeatedly having their opinion writers shredded. That is, unless they don't care because there is some other secondary gain for them.

Janelle's avatar

Christ, not this shit again…

skirk's avatar

This is so iconically phrased:

"Like Paul’s previous work, her latest piece utilizes a “Gish Gallop” approach, spreading several false and misleading claims throughout a lengthy article, making a comprehensive fact check challenging. This fact-check will highlight clear examples of her most egregious errors and disinformation to illustrate the lack of consideration for truth that, some may argue, was intentionally woven into the article."

"She's trying to prevent a fact check. Welp. Here's my fact check."

Lmao hell yes Erin! Get her!

Ann's avatar

I also wonder about the motivation to publish this piece. You did what the NYT editors are supposed to do - fact check. Who benefits by publishing this article?

Shayne's avatar

They'll claim it's opinion, not needing to be checked, and at the same time claim this as evidence that they're "balanced."

Ivy's avatar

Rich people and Republicans benefit.

Rich people enjoy the benefits of a dividend society arguing about culture differences instead of being angry at the capitalists fleecing everyone's pockets (basically why MLK was assassinated, he started pointing out that poor black people and poor white people aren't so different (yes this is a gross simplification))

Republicans, well because they work for the rich people hoping they'll get a bit more rich themselves (See Clarence Thomas or my other favorite, Greg Abbott. Abbott got a massive pay day for being injured, he then proceeded to restrict the same type of payday he got for anyone else after he became governor)

Shayne's avatar

Judges and their emotional support billionaires.

It's touching to see how they work in unison, often wordlessly anticipating each other's needs. Each would be lost without the other.

allie's avatar

Plain and simple it's the Fox News formula for success.

Slack System's avatar

> "Especially given growing concerns about the risks and irreversible consequences of gender interventions for youths, including bone density loss, possible infertility, the inability to achieve orgasm and the loss of functional body tissue and organs including breasts, genitals and reproductive organs?"

Technically, these actually are growing concerns, Paul just leaves out the fact that the "growing concerns" are amongst laypeople who mistake Paul's articles as anything other than fiction. Pamela, you can't cite "growing concerns" as some sort of hand-waving "evidence" if they're concerns you're growing with your own disinformation

Joan the Dork's avatar

Right?! I can't believe there are concerns after these jackasses made raising concerns their entire purpose in life! How'd that happen?!

*𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮*

Some of these haters wouldn't be able to figure out how the living room caught on fire even if they were still holding the empty gas can and a lit Zippo.

Slack System's avatar

I don't give her credit for any technical accuracy, for the record, just pointing out the irony of her (Paul's) suggestion

Zoë Michelle's avatar

Imagine telling on yourself about your ignorance about trans people as badly as saying "transitioned people cant orgasm."

Also, what are we, desexualized husks of humans or infinitely lecherous monster predatora? Being both is kind of impossible.

Jayna Sheats's avatar

Well, I've posted this in three places on FB (my own page, an anti-DJT group with thousands of members, and an "LGBTQ+ for Democracy" group). I'll keep disseminating.

Joan the Dork's avatar

Once again, the New York Times is showing that its highest aspiration of journalistic integrity is to someday be mentioned in the same breath as Der Stürmer.

The White Abolitionist's avatar

I was a subscriber to the times for 25 years. I unsubscribed because of their awful coverage of trans issues. I've come to learn there is no "good" corporate media. There are just hacks who disseminate propaganda to the masses, swaddled in 'left' or 'right' wrapping paper. Thank you for combatting this misinformation from The Times. It's a grave injustice to folks just trying to exist.

John alderman's avatar

Also, has the NYTimes ever published one of your responses as a letter or an oped? Have you submitted it?

Gyula Bujdosó's avatar

Well it works for me and provenly for others. Made my whole life better. How come Paul and her ilk became such experts in transgender care?

Just grab the link of Erin's article, post it under Paul's article on NYT as a comment and lets like it en masse so that the comment is immediately visible to readers of this rag.

Sarah Davis's avatar

For Paul, and others, the threat is passable trans people. Because they have no way of discriminating against them and making their lives miserable. So they of course attack gender affirming health care at every turn, especially among the young. If they can force all trans people to live as badly-passing, laughable cross-dressers they can then intensify the hate and exclusion from public life and force detransition (or suicide, they don't care which).

Nothing makes any sense about the anti-trans movement except the recognition that they want complete elimination, and always have done.

And if you wonder how human beings got so hateful, I'm afraid they always have been, and trans people are just this decade's convenient target of the eliminationist hate. In another decade, they'll be targeting furries, or AIs, or some other group.

Gyula Bujdosó's avatar

It is just heart-wrenching to read, hope they fail miserably, I will fight on, escaping my home country where our care is already under attack.

There should be a way to make these people eat the consequences of their actions and put on trial after this all is over.

By the way I honestly think we should place these refutations Erin writes under articles like Paul's as comments and give them lots of likes in groups so that lots of people can see the refutation too and also the credibility of the 'journalist' will suffer.

As for suicide, this is what came into my mind, should they achieve their goals and dysphoria consumed my soul:

https://time.com/6835364/self-immolation-history-israel-hamas-war/