New York Times
Status: đ´ The âpaper of recordâ has become the single most influential media platform laundering anti-trans talking points into the mainstream, cited 29 times in amicus briefs supporting Tennesseeâs gender-affirming care ban. Its coverage has been condemned in an open letter signed by 370+ current and former contributors, a GLAAD/Media Matters study found it failed to quote a trans person in 66% of anti-trans legislation stories, and internal LGBTQ employee groups reported years of management resistance to reform.
Overview
The New York Timesâ anti-trans coverage represents a decade-long pattern of platforming anti-trans activists under the guise of âboth sidesâ journalism. While the Times employs some trans contributors (and formerly employed Jennifer Finney Boylan as a columnist), its newsroom management has systematically prioritized the voices of anti-trans activists, conservative legal groups, and âgender criticalâ ideologues over the trans community and the medical consensus.
The impact has been direct and measurable: Times articles have been cited in court documents and legislation to justify bans on gender-affirming care nationwide.
Key Reporters
- Azeen Ghorayshi â Science reporter covering âsex, gender, and science.â Most frequently cited journalist in Skrmetti amicus briefs (14 citations). Profiled Jamie Reed in a 6,000-word article that FAIR called a âgreatest hits albumâ of bad trans coverage. Sources from SEGM board member Julia Mason regularly on background; Mason admits her views are âtoo extremeâ for Ghorayshi to quote on the record. Promoted LGB Courage Coalition as being âfrom the left.â
- Pamela Paul â Opinion columnist who has written extensively opposing gender-affirming care and framing trans rights as a threat.
- Bari Weiss â Former opinion editor and writer, later founded The Free Press which published Jamie Reedâs original allegations.
Major Controversies
Open Letter from 370+ Contributors (2023)
In February 2023, more than 370 current and former NYT contributors signed an open letter criticizing the paperâs coverage of trans issues as âan eerily familiar mix of pseudoscience and euphemistic, charged language.â The letter highlighted:
- Coverage of adolescent gender-affirming care was being cited in court by states seeking to ban treatments
- Disproportionate focus on detransition and regret cases
- Failure to include trans voices in stories about trans people
The Timesâ initial response was dismissive, and management subsequently cracked down on internal dissent.
GLAAD/Media Matters Study (2024)
A joint study found the Times failed to quote a trans person in 66% of its stories about anti-trans legislation from February 2023 through February 2024. Other findings:
- 18% of articles included anti-trans misinformation in quotes without adequate fact-checking
- 6 articles neglected to report the anti-trans background of sources
- Only 1 of 19 articles about anti-trans legislation from JulyâSeptember 2023 quoted a trans person
- The coalitionâs demands (stop printing anti-trans articles, meet with trans community leaders, hire trans writers and editors) were all unmet one year later
Skrmetti Supreme Court Case (2025â2026)
In the landmark Skrmetti case that upheld Tennesseeâs ban on gender-affirming care for minors:
- NYT articles were cited 29 times in amicus briefs defending the ban â the most of any source
- Only 4 times in briefs opposing the ban
- Azeen Ghorayshi was the single most cited journalist with 14 citations across 7 articles
- The day after the decision, the Times published six stories about the case, many framing the result as consequence of âoverreachâ by the trans rights movement â described by journalist Erin Reed as âdancing on the graves of the transgender youth it has repeatedly thrown to the wolvesâ
Internal Staff Revolt
The Timesâ LGBTQ employee resource group (TimesOut) repeatedly tried to raise concerns about anti-trans coverage starting as early as 2021:
- A review of Helen Joyceâs anti-trans book Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality by Jesse Singal in September 2021 prompted TimesOut to draft an internal letter calling the publication âa failure of the companyâs D.E.I. initiativesâ
- Managing editor Carolyn Ryan (the highest-ranking LGBTQ newsroom employee) reportedly deterred the group from speaking up, fearing it would âbe used against herâ
- A planned internal letter was never circulated after management agreed to a meeting
- When the external open letter in 2023 triggered management backlash, staffers were reprimanded
Jamie Reed Profile (2023)
Ghorayshiâs 6,000-word profile of Jamie Reed, a former Washington University clinic worker with no medical credentials, became a flashpoint. Despite:
- 20+ parents and patients directly disputing Reedâs account
- A Washington University investigation finding her claims âunsubstantiatedâ
- Local media reaching opposite conclusions
The Times portrayed Reed as a truth-teller caught between âwarring factionsâ and amplified her allegations to a national audience.
Coverage of Detransition and Regret
The Times has published a disproportionate number of articles focused on detransition and regret. Ghorayshi has said trans people are ânot the only people with a stake inâ coverage of trans healthcare, reflecting the paperâs framing of trans existence as a debate to be adjudicated by cisgender observers.
Patterns in Coverage
- Both-sides framing: Consistently presents anti-trans activists as a legitimate âother sideâ rather than fringe voices
- False equivalence: Equates politicians banning care with advocates for trans people
- Source laundering: Quotes anti-trans activists (like LGB Courage Coalition) as âfrom the leftâ without disclosing their extremist positions
- Misleading statistics: Implies large numbers of trans youth receiving medical treatment without distinguishing between social transition, puberty blockers, and hormones
- No trans voices: Routinely publishes articles about trans people without interviewing any
See Also
- Azeen Ghorayshi â Lead reporter on trans healthcare coverage
- Pamela Paul â Anti-trans opinion columnist
- Bari Weiss â Former editor, launched Jamie Reedâs allegations
- Jamie Reed â Whistleblower platformed by the Times
- Julia Mason â SEGM board member sourcing background to Ghorayshi
- Chloe Cole â Detransitioner frequently cited in coverage
- James Cantor â Discredited expert witness cited by the Times
Sources
- GLAAD/Media Matters â NYT Fails to Include Trans Voices in 66% of Articles
- NYT Contributors Open Letter
- NPR â NYTimes Accused of Biased Coverage of Transgender People
- Objective Journalism â NYT cited 29 times to justify decision limiting trans healthcare
- FAIR â NYT Publishes âGreatest Hitsâ of Bad Trans Healthcare Coverage
- The Daily Beast â NYT Trans Coverage Debacle Was Years in the Making
- Transgender Map â New York Times
- Erin in the Morning â After Getting the Ruling It Wanted
Related Pages