New York Times, We're Begging You

We expect truthful reporting on gender medicine. You were once "the paper of record." Now you are letting conservatives own the truth.

Dear New York Times,

You have just printed yet another misleading article about the rise of new gender identities in children. While I appreciate the passing nod to the fact that social contagion may be at play, I’m deeply saddened by the overall lack of balance and journalistic integrity.

As a lifelong leftist feminist and mother to a trans-identifying child, I know that I am deeper into the research on this topic than most. I, like thousands of other parents, feminists and lesbians I interact with in gender critical women’s rights and parenting groups, have been deeply entrenched in the research on the harms of childhood transition as well as the dire implications that gender ideology has on the safety of women and girls. Due to the lack of balanced reporting in the media about the facts around these harms, I might be able to excuse a paper for getting it wrong—even The New York Times, which was once considered “the paper of record.” After all, dissenting perspectives and medical evidence are dismissed as right-wing bigotry. However, in this case, I believe that The New York Times is being deliberately misleading. Why do I think that?

Over a month ago, I met with a reporter from The Times for over two hours to tell her the story of how our family had been harmed by gender ideology. That story is a blog post of its own. However, I also shared information about why the media is getting this story wrong. I explained my reasons for taking the time to meet with her:

• I wanted to help direct The Times to real medical information about the downsides of childhood transition, which leads to sterilization, loss of sexual-function, osteoporosis and more.

• I wanted to let the world to know that this childhood transition is not a left/right issue, and that there are enormous numbers of left-wing people who also believe that telling children they can change sex is not only unkind but also dangerous. After all, it is not progressive to tell people that if their personalities don’t fit the stereotypes associated with their bodies, then their bodies must change.

• I explained that there is an articulate and coherent liberal/progressive critique of gender ideology as a concept that’s well-stated and clear. Sex is real, material and fundamental to our rights and lived experiences as humans.

• I begged her to raise the alarms around predatory medicine and to make sure people understand that the gatekeeping is not strong. I let her know how frightening it is that children as young as 12 are able to access puberty blocking hormones without parental consent—or even knowledge in some states.

• I wanted her to let the readers know that it’s not hard to get surgery and classified as a “trans” and that children coach each other on how to get a dysphoria diagnosis on Trevor Project and Reddit and direct them to where they can get hormones illegally.

• I asked her her to report on the fact that the most liberal places on Earth like Sweden, Finland, France, UK and New Zealand are now reversing course and changing their stance on whether gender medicine is helpful to children.

• I wanted her to consider my husband’s brilliant advice to me: “always be worried if you think you’re doing something progressive and Sweden isn’t.”

• Most of all, I wanted honest, balanced reporting on the subject of gender medicine.

I have been trying to get through to The New York Times on this issue for months. Every morning, I turn to the headlines hoping there will be some sunlight on these issues. Every day, more children are sterilized. Every day, more young women are convinced by unethical doctors on TikTok to slice away their healthy breasts. Every day, the medical establishment carves up pieces of our children and returns them to us harmed, incomplete and unable to procreate or possibly ever orgasm.

This trend of keeping our heads in the sand in the name of so-called “inclusivity” does not bode well for our beautiful nonconforming autistic, depressed and dysphoric children. It does not bode well for the ability of future generations to have children of their own. It does not bode well for The New York Times. It does not bode well for a democratic society.

Please hear our voices. Please tell the truth. Please save our children from predatory medicine.

We’re still waiting,

A devastated reader and loving mother

Here are some vital resources for your education.

Genspect, The Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine, Stats for Gender, Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans, Detrans Voices, Gender: A Wider Lens Podcast, Deborah Soh  Lisa Littman, Post-Trans Transpsyche TransparencyPod The Detransitioners @SashaLPC @stellaomalley3 @ThoughtfulTs @MicllMackness @TaniaAMarshall @KnownHeretic @GDSNsupport @GETAtherapy @widerlenspod @Aaron_GDAC @sometherapist http://thoughtfultherapists.org

photo credit: Sydney Sims @fairytailphotography