Over 100 notable figures 'demanding change' to NYT 'bias' reporting on trans community

Celebrities, including Judd Apatow, Gabrielle Union, Tommy Dorfman and Wilson Cruz are four of over 100 other entertainers, activists, journalists and other public figures who signed a letter to The New York Times (NYT) alleging the publication uses "bias, fringe theories and dangerous inaccuracies" in its reporting on the transgender community, The Hollywood Reporter reports.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, others who signed onto the letter include LGBTQ journalists and NYT contributors Roxane Gay, and LGBTQ organizations GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), the Human Rights Campaign, National Black Justice Coalition, Women’s March, National LGBTQ Task Force, PFLAG National, the Transgender Law Center and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund.

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"The Times has repeatedly platformed cisgender (non-transgender) people spreading inaccurate and harmful misinformation about transgender people and issues," the letter says. "This is damaging to the paper’s credibility. And it is damaging to all LGBTQ people, especially our youth, who say debates about trans equality negatively impact their mental health, which is a contributing factor to the high suicide rates for LGBTQ youth."

Other public figures who added signatures, according to The Daily Beast, include "NYTculture reporter Dave Itzkoff, actress Cynthia Nixon, and whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who is trans."

Deadline reports President and CEO of GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, noted the NYT "coverage that reports 'concerns' over 'the fact that every leading medical organization affirms healthcare for trans youth as safe and necessary.'"

She said, "And even more dangerous, politicians are using biased Times’ articles to justify support for anti-trans legislation."

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The Hollywood Reporter reports:

The letter points to the recent hire of David French, a conservative attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, as a columnist. GLAAD notes that the ADF has been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as 'an anti-LGBTQ hate group that actively spreads misinformation about LGBTQ people and pushes baseless legislation and lawsuits to legalize discrimination.'

The letter also urges the publication to consider three ways it can approach its reporting of transgender people differently, such as by hiring trans people to oversee the outlet's Opinion section, by meeting with trans community leaders, and by stopping its "questioning of trans people’s right to exist," as well as "their access to evidence-based medical care."

The Hollywood Reporter's full report is available at this link. Deadline's is here. The Daily Beast's is here.

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