1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to speak out against the manufactured anti-trans bias that has gained traction in mainstream media and to actively protect transgender people in our community from coordinated disinformation campaigns. Recent testimony from Billie Jean Sweeney, a former New York Times editor who worked at the paper for over 11 years until mid-2024, reveals how one of America's most influential news organizations systematically promoted anti-trans coverage starting in Spring 2022 under publisher A.G. Sulzberger, executive editor Joe Kahn, and managing editor Carolyn Ryan. Sweeney, one of the Times' few trans staffers, documented how directives from the top three leaders launched a coordinated campaign challenging every aspect of trans existence, from medical science to gender-inclusive language. The consequences of this manufactured bias are severe. When the Times covered the controversial Cass review in April 2024, top editors reassigned a balanced story to reporter Azeen Ghorayshi, who then falsely portrayed it as part of a European trend restricting trans healthcare while ignoring contradictory reports from France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and Utah that found gender-affirming care has sound scientific basis. This selective reporting legitimizes medical falsehoods and directly harms transgender youth and their families. Sweeney notes that Sulzberger gave a March 2024 speech claiming the Times had "protected" young people through its trans youth coverage, adopting anti-trans propaganda language. The paper still employs no trans journalists covering trans news in the newsroom. When hundreds of Times contributors and the LGBTQ Employee Resource Group protested the biased coverage, management responded by shutting down internal discussion channels at the end of 2023. I ask you to publicly condemn anti-trans disinformation, support evidence-based healthcare for transgender people, and ensure your legislative work protects rather than targets this vulnerable community. Transgender constituents deserve representation that prioritizes their safety and dignity over manufactured controversy.