1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

The New York Times should not be treated as a credible source in any congressional hearing or legislative debate on transgender healthcare. Their coverage directly contradicts the medical consensus of over 30 major organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychiatric Association, all of which support gender-affirming care as evidence-based and medically necessary. More than 2,000 scientific studies since 1975 back this consensus. The Times has manufactured controversy where none exists in the medical community. Analysis by Media Matters and GLAAD found that 66 percent of their stories about anti-trans legislation over one year failed to quote a single transgender person. When an independent Utah review found significant benefits of gender-affirming care for youth after examining hundreds of studies, the Associated Press covered it. The Times didn't. Their biased framing has real consequences. Justice Clarence Thomas cited the Times multiple times in his concurring opinion upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care in United States v. Skrmetti. Their reporting has appeared in amicus briefs from anti-trans groups and Republican-led states. Missouri's emergency regulation restricting care drew directly on Times framing. Congress should rely on actual medical experts and peer-reviewed research, not a newspaper that systematically excludes the voices of the people most affected. Reject the Times as a source on this issue.