The New York Times Editorial Board today released an opinion piece calling Trump's attacks on transgender Americans "shameful." The paper has been influential in fueling those attacks.
Through their promotion of the Cass Report, and Pamela Paul’s articles, the NYT, as the “paper of record,” on their own would have caused incalculable damage to the trans community, but they certainly contributed to the current administration’s seeming attempt at the “final solution” as regards us.
NYT opinion pages have been a cesspit for a while but they've really gotten worse in the last few years re: trans rights, the sheer audacity to publish that headline while pushing the idea that there are acceptable rights for us to lose is just mind boggling.
Cannot imagine its at all easy on you to wade thru all this to report on it, but it's so important; thank you so much for the work you do 🏳️⚧️🫡
The NYTs also committed numerous crimes of omission. Covering the Cass "report" in uncritical terms while refusing to give any significant time to several studies that undermine the Cass "report," such as the large CDC report on the harms of anti-trans legislation, the report in the prevalence of youth identifying as trans and most recently, the York Report that directly undermines the core elements of the Cass "report."
The NYTs has blood on their hands that will never be fully washed away.
This reminds me of the poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter," by Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice in Wonderland, in which it appears. It's a wonderful poem about hypocrisy, giving nuance to the phrase "crocodile tears." Here is a stanza from the middle that gives a flavor of its creamy goodness.
The executive order "attempts to deny that they exist as transgender people at all.” Really? F-ck you NYT. You've spent the last number of years doing exactly the same thing. And on sports, the NCAA - which has already rushed to bow down to Trump - itself confirmed that there are LESS THAN TEN transgender athletes competing nationwide. But of course we here in this space already know that. My favorite though is Trump taking over the Kennedy Center and banning drag. So I guess Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Cymbelline, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Taming of the Shrew are now out.
Honestly, it's hard to say whether this is "hypocrisy" or a change of position. An apology or a "we were wrong" in the editorial would have clarified this greatly.
Pamela Paul went bye-bye, and the coincidence of her "leaving" (being fired?) and this editorial are interesting. Has there been any change in the editorial staff? Have they cleaned house of the transphobic MFers?
I think before we shake our fists at the NYT about hypocrisy, we should try to figure out what's going on. Perhaps we COULD pry an apology and a retraction out of them, including for gender-affirming care for minors and (at the very least) the participation of trans female athletes who have never undergone male puberty.
I'm not criticizing any of our outrage, which I think is well-justified. I just think that we have so few friends right now that we need to be careful, diplomatically, with potential allies. That's my only point.
I think it's disengenuous of the NYTs to not acknowledge and apologize or recompense their own complicit actions as part of their sudden condemnation of the same abominable rhetoric they helped platform. Calling out others while avoiding taking accountability for their own is the problem for sure.
I do hope and think this newfound fervent denial of the anti-trans actions of Trump and legislators could be because the NYT has had a change in staff that tipped the majority attitudes towards better allyship, but they've always had a bit of playing both sides in their pieces even while PP was permitted to publish under them. So we'll see if a constency in support sticks, as I hope it does. Regardless they will earn and own the label of hypocrites until they take responsibility for their contributions.
"I think it's disengenuous of the NYTs to not acknowledge and apologize or recompense their own complicit actions as part of their sudden condemnation of the same abominable rhetoric they helped platform. Calling out others while avoiding taking accountability for their own is the problem for sure."
100%. Their condemnation is useless if it 1) doesn't acknowledge their complicity, and 2) still perpetuates false narratives about trans youth and women's sports.
Yes, we do need bolder allies now, and we should welcome them when they arise. But the NYT will have to go farther than this piece (and losing P. Paul?) to redeem themselves, IMHO.
I don't disagree. However, it's sort of an asymmetrical power structure. They don't need anything from us, but we need something from them. This could be an opportune time for them to say, publicly, "Whoa! This Paul person and one of our editors* really took us down a crazy rabbit hole. We've let them go, and we want to set the record straight, etc." But again, it's not something they "need" to do, other than to please us and perhaps woo back 0.6% of their lost subscribers. I wonder whether they could be persuaded that it's the right thing to do. If there has truly been a shakeup in the transphobic leadership and staffing, perhaps they might come around to a more forceful position.
I can confidently state that I just crossed the US/Canadian border and I'm now safely back in the USA with zero problems at the border. My passport does say "F" and not "X" so that was probably the reason why they didn't look at me twice.
I think those of us with correct documents dating back years (it's worth remembering that Hillary Clinton in an early action as Secretary of State made that "F" possible) are okay for now. I do fear that the Muskrat (thank you Robert Reich) will turn his personal attention to it given his animosity toward his daughter. That may be paranoid, but I live in the haunts of Andy Grove, where "only the paranoid survive."
It's too little too late, there's no denying the Times' culpability in savaging the lives of trans people or in creating Trump and Trumpism (But her emails!), but there does seem to be a shift in today's editorial, the piece in the Magazine on Trump and the global war on "transgender ideology," a positive article on Jennifer Finney Boylan and her new book and, of course, the long overdue departure of Pamela Paul. One can only hope it continues.
I concur. Not only did the Times endorse anti-Trans sentiment, from their highly influential platform, they also normalized and “sanewashed” the former hater in chief, throughout the crucial weeks leading up to his reelection. Complying with fascism, in advance, cannot be undone or remediated with a few nuanced words.
When you know a lot about a subject and you see how wrong they can get basic facts, how they can bend things to their own prejudices, it makes you question everything they say.
They have abrogated their role as a watchdog and have become little more than entertainment, a notch above Fox News to be sure, but they no longer deserve our trust in any subject.
I had been debating whether to cancel my sub to the NYT, then cane the Paul, articles and that nailed the lid on the coffin.
Previously, they had a few trans writers. They refused to change the writers dead names on previous articles. Despite repeated requests. I know some are proud to share that info. Some of these writers had other wishes.
Their attacks on us made me unsubscribe. This is way too little, way too late - and they still support torturing trans kids.
Me too
Same. I liked some of their investigative reporting but cancelled once I noticed their anti trans skew.
We love you Erin, thank you and Zooey so much for all that you do!❤️
Through their promotion of the Cass Report, and Pamela Paul’s articles, the NYT, as the “paper of record,” on their own would have caused incalculable damage to the trans community, but they certainly contributed to the current administration’s seeming attempt at the “final solution” as regards us.
NYT opinion pages have been a cesspit for a while but they've really gotten worse in the last few years re: trans rights, the sheer audacity to publish that headline while pushing the idea that there are acceptable rights for us to lose is just mind boggling.
Cannot imagine its at all easy on you to wade thru all this to report on it, but it's so important; thank you so much for the work you do 🏳️⚧️🫡
After years of punching down the bully has stopped punching. But I'm still on the ground and hurting. Plus,
Trans people are the lowest of the low-hanging fruit for the new black of knee-jerk hatred. McCarthyism only had one target; "Commies". But
this government has an array of minorities to distract the public with.
The NYTs also committed numerous crimes of omission. Covering the Cass "report" in uncritical terms while refusing to give any significant time to several studies that undermine the Cass "report," such as the large CDC report on the harms of anti-trans legislation, the report in the prevalence of youth identifying as trans and most recently, the York Report that directly undermines the core elements of the Cass "report."
The NYTs has blood on their hands that will never be fully washed away.
We remember. We’ll always remember
"The New York Times does not get to erase its role in how we got here."
You have that right!
This reminds me of the poem "The Walrus and the Carpenter," by Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice in Wonderland, in which it appears. It's a wonderful poem about hypocrisy, giving nuance to the phrase "crocodile tears." Here is a stanza from the middle that gives a flavor of its creamy goodness.
I weep for you,' the Walrus said:
I deeply sympathize.'
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
Here's the rest of the poem: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43914/the-walrus-and-the-carpenter-56d222cbc80a9
Thanks, I forgot how dark Carrol could be. How Victorian. Yep, clicked and read oh jeepy jeepers.
The executive order "attempts to deny that they exist as transgender people at all.” Really? F-ck you NYT. You've spent the last number of years doing exactly the same thing. And on sports, the NCAA - which has already rushed to bow down to Trump - itself confirmed that there are LESS THAN TEN transgender athletes competing nationwide. But of course we here in this space already know that. My favorite though is Trump taking over the Kennedy Center and banning drag. So I guess Twelfth Night, As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, Cymbelline, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Taming of the Shrew are now out.
Honestly, it's hard to say whether this is "hypocrisy" or a change of position. An apology or a "we were wrong" in the editorial would have clarified this greatly.
Pamela Paul went bye-bye, and the coincidence of her "leaving" (being fired?) and this editorial are interesting. Has there been any change in the editorial staff? Have they cleaned house of the transphobic MFers?
I think before we shake our fists at the NYT about hypocrisy, we should try to figure out what's going on. Perhaps we COULD pry an apology and a retraction out of them, including for gender-affirming care for minors and (at the very least) the participation of trans female athletes who have never undergone male puberty.
I'm not criticizing any of our outrage, which I think is well-justified. I just think that we have so few friends right now that we need to be careful, diplomatically, with potential allies. That's my only point.
I think it's disengenuous of the NYTs to not acknowledge and apologize or recompense their own complicit actions as part of their sudden condemnation of the same abominable rhetoric they helped platform. Calling out others while avoiding taking accountability for their own is the problem for sure.
I do hope and think this newfound fervent denial of the anti-trans actions of Trump and legislators could be because the NYT has had a change in staff that tipped the majority attitudes towards better allyship, but they've always had a bit of playing both sides in their pieces even while PP was permitted to publish under them. So we'll see if a constency in support sticks, as I hope it does. Regardless they will earn and own the label of hypocrites until they take responsibility for their contributions.
"I think it's disengenuous of the NYTs to not acknowledge and apologize or recompense their own complicit actions as part of their sudden condemnation of the same abominable rhetoric they helped platform. Calling out others while avoiding taking accountability for their own is the problem for sure."
100%. Their condemnation is useless if it 1) doesn't acknowledge their complicity, and 2) still perpetuates false narratives about trans youth and women's sports.
Yes, we do need bolder allies now, and we should welcome them when they arise. But the NYT will have to go farther than this piece (and losing P. Paul?) to redeem themselves, IMHO.
I don't disagree. However, it's sort of an asymmetrical power structure. They don't need anything from us, but we need something from them. This could be an opportune time for them to say, publicly, "Whoa! This Paul person and one of our editors* really took us down a crazy rabbit hole. We've let them go, and we want to set the record straight, etc." But again, it's not something they "need" to do, other than to please us and perhaps woo back 0.6% of their lost subscribers. I wonder whether they could be persuaded that it's the right thing to do. If there has truly been a shakeup in the transphobic leadership and staffing, perhaps they might come around to a more forceful position.
* I don't actually "know" this.
Let’s hope that the NYT has seen the light and is having an actual change of position. It should become clear in the near future if that is the case.
The sheer audacity and hypocrisy is mind numbing but sadly not unexpected.
I can confidently state that I just crossed the US/Canadian border and I'm now safely back in the USA with zero problems at the border. My passport does say "F" and not "X" so that was probably the reason why they didn't look at me twice.
Also, fuck the NYT. That is all.
"Safely back in the USA" may be a misnomer 😏...
I think those of us with correct documents dating back years (it's worth remembering that Hillary Clinton in an early action as Secretary of State made that "F" possible) are okay for now. I do fear that the Muskrat (thank you Robert Reich) will turn his personal attention to it given his animosity toward his daughter. That may be paranoid, but I live in the haunts of Andy Grove, where "only the paranoid survive."
Yeah "safely" back LOL. I don't think I've ever felt more apprehension crossing the border than this time around.
Thanks for sharing!
It's too little too late, there's no denying the Times' culpability in savaging the lives of trans people or in creating Trump and Trumpism (But her emails!), but there does seem to be a shift in today's editorial, the piece in the Magazine on Trump and the global war on "transgender ideology," a positive article on Jennifer Finney Boylan and her new book and, of course, the long overdue departure of Pamela Paul. One can only hope it continues.
I concur. Not only did the Times endorse anti-Trans sentiment, from their highly influential platform, they also normalized and “sanewashed” the former hater in chief, throughout the crucial weeks leading up to his reelection. Complying with fascism, in advance, cannot be undone or remediated with a few nuanced words.
When you know a lot about a subject and you see how wrong they can get basic facts, how they can bend things to their own prejudices, it makes you question everything they say.
They have abrogated their role as a watchdog and have become little more than entertainment, a notch above Fox News to be sure, but they no longer deserve our trust in any subject.
I had been debating whether to cancel my sub to the NYT, then cane the Paul, articles and that nailed the lid on the coffin.
Previously, they had a few trans writers. They refused to change the writers dead names on previous articles. Despite repeated requests. I know some are proud to share that info. Some of these writers had other wishes.