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John,
The New York Times is putting trans people’s lives at risk.
Our country’s most influential newspaper has consistently provided a platform for transphobic writers, with devastating consequences.
Texas has just entered at least one of these articles into evidence to support the Republican Governor’s push for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate “any reported instances” of gender-affirming care to minors as child abuse—in an attempt to criminalize supportive parents and to separate families.1
This goes against the guidance of all major medical associations, which have recognized that gender-affirming care is a life-saving medical necessity. What’s happening in Texas is part of a much larger, coordinated far-right attack against transgender and non-binary people. And they’re using the New York Times’ coverage as justification.
Please add your name now to tell the New York Times: Stop providing a platform for transphobic hate. Your articles have horrific, life-or-death consequences for marginalized people who are already targets.
As trans lawyer and activist Chase Strangio has said: “The NYT's horrible coverage of and fixation on trans people has been central to the progression of anti-trans bills and policies nationally… the stakes could not be higher than they are now.”
Trans people already face high rates of harassment, violence, homelessness, criminalization, suicide, and discrimination—particularly trans people of color. And now we’re in a whirlwind of escalating attacks on trans people, attempts to criminalize trans people for existing, and efforts to eliminate trans people from public life.
Fascist movements are fear-mongering and stirring up anti-trans hate to “make the case for authoritarian rule and censorship,” explained Judith Butler, an influential feminist philosopher who is non-binary.2
Many of the same groups behind anti-trans laws are also behind anti-abortion laws, and they aim to enforce patriarchal control over all of us—including policing our reproductive organs, our appearance, who we love (even in private!), and more.3
Our right to bodily autonomy—our ability to make decisions about our own bodies—is under threat. This affects ALL of us, no matter our body parts or gender identities. Our struggles are intertwined, as is our liberation.
By featuring non-trans (cisgender) writers who scapegoat trans people and debate whether trans people even have a right to exist, the New York Times is normalizing hate and further targeting vulnerable communities.4 Because their platform is so powerful, widely read, and legitimized, this is incredibly dangerous.
Please sign the petition now to demand that the New York Times stop providing a dangerous platform for transphobic hate, and instead amplify trans voices.
To trans and non-binary readers, I see you. You deserve not only to exist, but to thrive and be safe as your full authentic selves. I’m going to keep fighting for your rights and dignity. Thank you for expanding possibilities for all of us. If you need resources or support, this may be a good place to start: https://translifeline.org.
In love and solidarity,
Rashida
1 https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/06/16/new-york-times-magazine-trans-article-backlash/
2 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2021/oct/23/judith-butler-gender-ideology-backlash
3 https://truthout.org/audio/attacks-on-trans-rights-and-abortion-rights-are-bound-together/
4 https://newrepublic.com/article/166991/pamela-paul-new-york-times-trans-great-replacement-theory
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