GLAAD holds second protest outside New York Times
empathy continues to be left on the cutting room floor.” The billboard truck is back. Hired by GLAAD, the vehicle blasting neon messages “I have tracked 430 bills targeting the trans community this year, and I have seen New criticizing the New York Times for its coverage of the transgender community returned York Times articles referenced in numerous hearings,” said journalist and researcher Erin to the newspaper’s Manhattan headquarters Monday. Reed. Just last week, Missouri’s attorney general cited a Times article in banning gender The LGBTQ media advocacy organization leads a coalition of more than 100 advoaffirming care for all transgender people, including adults. cacy groups, trans journalists and allies demanding the paper’s editors and leadership “Accurate and sensitive coverage from the New York Times is of paramount impor“stop printing biased, anti-trans stories,” meet with members and leaders in the trans tance,” said Reed. “They need to hire more trans staff, allow trans people to cover the community, and hire at least four trans writers and editors as full-time members of its biggest stories that relate to our care, and take restaff. sponsibility for ensuring their coverage is respectAlthough the Washington Blade received a reful and accurately portrays the scientific consensus sponse from Charlie Stadtlander, the director of around gender affirming care. I hope to see a real external communications for the Times, followcommitment to engaging with the community in ing the first protest on Feb. 15, GLAAD’s president the coming days.” and CEO says the newspaper has yet to respond “Their reporting on the transgender community to an open letter released on that date, or to its has been anything but accurate and fair,” said Jay demands. Brown, HRC’s senior vice president for programs, “It is outrageous and disrespectful that New research and training. “Gender affirming medical York Times leadership continues to ignore the care is widely supported by every major medical voices of trans community leaders, who have association — representing more than 1.3 million been sounding the alarm about the newspaper’s doctors — but they’re platforming anti-trans exirresponsible, inaccurate coverage for over a year,” tremists whose only goal is to push us all back into said Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement to the Blade. the closet. They aren’t experts and shouldn’t be “Trans people deserve to be respected and have treated as such. This isn’t a matter of giving equal their voices heard. Mainstream media publicatime to two sides of an issue. It’s about giving raditions, including the Times, have a responsibility to cals a platform that has been used by politicians to their readers to cover trans people and issues in a harm transgender people — and trans youth in parfair, accurate and inclusive way. ticular. The Times must do better and they should “Our coalition of more than a hundred organizaGLAAD billboard truck back outside the New York Times building on April 17. listen to those of us who are transgender when we tions and leaders asked that the Times meet with (Photo courtesy of GLAAD/Twitter) are telling them their reporting is dangerous.” trans community leaders within two months. Two In his Feb. 15 statement emailed to the Blade, Stadtlander had this to say in response months have come and gone without a word from the Times. What are they afraid of?” to the coalition, the open letter and the protest: said Ellis. “It is beyond unacceptable for the Times to use sensational, inaccurate stories “We received the open letter delivered by GLAAD and welcome their feedback. We about trans people for clicks, yet refuse to speak with leaders in the trans community.” understand how GLAAD and the co-signers of the letter see our coverage. But at the GLAAD’s coalition letter was released the same day as another letter co-authored same time, we recognize that GLAAD’s advocacy mission and the Times’s journalistic by contributors to the newspaper. ”Some of us are trans, nonbinary, or gender nonmission are different. conforming, and we resent the fact that our work, but not our person, is good enough “As a news organization, we pursue independent reporting on transgender issues for the paper of record. Some of us are cis, and we have seen those we love discover that include profiling groundbreakers in the movement, challenges and prejudice faced and fight for their true selves, often swimming upstream against currents of bigotry and by the community and how society is grappling with debates about care. pseudoscience fomented by the kind of coverage we here protest.” “The very news stories criticized in their letter reported deeply and empathetically “I am forever inspired by how generous and courageous NYT contributors and emon issues of care and well-being for trans teens and adults. Our journalism strives to ployees involved with the letter have given of their time, energy, heart and belief of explore, interrogate and reflect the experiences, ideas and debates in society — to help potential that our media landscape can serve as a catalyst for change,” said one of the readers understand them. Our reporting did exactly that and we’re proud of it.” signatories, writer and activist Raquel Willis. “I am also grateful for the numerous organiDAWN ENNIS zations that have bolstered the efforts of our journalists in a time when not just facts, but
Miami Beach holds Pride, despite travel advisory
The annual Miami Beach Pride parade took place in Miami Beach on April 16. (Screenshot from video courtesy of Yariel Valdés González)
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More than 170,000 people attended the annual Miami Beach Pride parade that took place on the city’s Ocean Drive last Sunday. The parade took place against the backdrop of the Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed expansion of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law and banning gender-affirming care for transgender children in the state. The Republican-controlled Florida Legislature is also considering a bill that would prevent children from attending drag shows. Equality Florida and the Florida Immigrant Coalition last week issued a travel warning for the state. “As an organization that has spent decades working to improve Florida’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive place to live work and visit, it is with great sadness that we must respond to those asking if it is safe to travel to Florida or remain in the state as the laws strip away basic rights and freedoms,” said Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith. State Rep. Fabián Basabe (R-Miami Beach) is among those who participated in the Miami Beach Pride parade. Protesters confronted the Miami Beach Republican over his support of anti-LGBTQ bills in the Florida House of Representatives. YARIEL VALDÉS GONZÁLEZ