What A Day - Breaking Down The "Anti-Trans Hate Machine"

Episode Date: February 14, 2023

For years, transgender activists and journalists have criticized the New York Times and other mainstream news organizations for their inadequate – and harmful – coverage of trans issues. Some of that reporting and opinion writing is now being cited in anti-trans state legislation across the country. Journalist Katelyn Burns, co-host of the Cancel Me, Daddy podcast, breaks down how it has a direct impact on trans livelihoods.And in headlines: tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated against bills that would overhaul the country’s judicial system, Ukraine’s military will bar aid groups from the city of Bakhmut, and Barney the Dinosaur is making a comeback.Show Notes:Twitter: Katelyn Burns (@transscribe) – https://twitter.com/transscribeXtra: The NYT’s trans ‘debate’ isn’t actually a debate – https://tinyurl.com/yxpt8dssCancel Me, Daddy podcast – https://www.cancelmedaddy.com/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Tuesday, February 14th. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And I'm Trevo Anderson. And this is What A Day, the only podcast written exclusively with conversation hearts. Yes, all day we'll be communicating with kindergarten level valentines, where everything is a loving pun. I'm gonna go buy my own Valentine's Day cards because they're probably on sale by now. On today's show, parts of a Georgia grand jury's report on alleged election interference by Donald Trump will be released this week. Plus, the purple dinosaur everyone loved to hate in the 90s is making a comeback. But first, the New York Times keeps

publishing anti-trans reporting and editorials, and I'm fucking tired of it. And no, it's not just the New York Times. Many other outlets are similarly proving themselves to be tools of what journalist Amara Jones calls the anti-trans hate machine, but the New York Times just might be the biggest and most consequential perpetrator of this issue. So let me catch y'all up. You already know that we are living through an unprecedented legislative assault on LGBTQ people, especially trans folks. In state legislatures across the country, conservative politicians are passing health care bans, restricting which sports teams trans youth can

play on, and otherwise minding the business of trans people when, you know, they could be addressing legitimate issues of health and safety for their constituents. At the same time, we've seen a lot of outlets aim to cover these developments, as well as the quote-unquote transgender issue. But time and time again, they prove they just don't have the range. By which I mean the reporting ends up parroting and emboldening the very anti-trans rhetoric that undergirds the transphobia that folks like myself deal with on a daily basis. Right. And as we've talked about before, these two things are connected, very connected.

This assault on trans rights, trans autonomy, and the kind of coverage we see in quote unquote mainstream media. And we know, for example, right, that at least two New York Times articles that have normalized anti-trans sentiment have actually been cited in state legislatures as they're debating the rights of trans folks. So what we actually have is a self-fulfilling cycle of transphobia on our hands, right? Outlets like the Times say they're just reporting on issues or that they're, quote unquote, investigating the impact of trans-related health care on youth. But because of, quote unquotequote objectivity, which

absolutely is a machination of white and cis supremacy and will always ensure that the experiences and perspectives of the most marginalized never get their due, anti-trans voices are being uplifted right alongside trans voices. That creates this idea that there's this huge debate going on, which politicians then use to justify their anti-trans policies, all under the guise of allegedly protecting women and girls, which then outlets like the New York Times report on often using the exact same voices that they shouldn't have used without proper vetting and interrogation in the first place. Right. While saying they're just asking questions. Right. So talk to us a little bit about what doesn't get covered as a result of this. We know what does get covered is this sort of one-sided bias, really harmful perspective, but what doesn't get

covered? Yeah, well, the result of all of this is that people end up thinking that trans issues start and stop at the healthcare some of us need and where we go to pee. We never get to talk about how housing and homelessness is also a trans issue, just like unemployment. We never get to talk about the toll on our mental health that this moment is having on us and the lack of resources to support the community. But even beyond all the trauma and strife, we end up not hearing the stories of trans folks that are out here experiencing a social issue in order to exploit the fears and lack of knowledge of cis people, and that's cis folks across the political spectrum, which in turn

has created a situation where we as trans people have to not only be wary of politicians who seek to do us harm, but also, quite frankly, many of you likely well-meaning liberals listening to this podcast right now, because we can't even trust that the news you're getting that's supposed to help you understand what the hell is going on has been written with the care, safety, and humanity of trans people in mind. But don't just take my word for it. I recently spoke with journalist Caitlin Burns about this issue. She's a columnist with MSNBC and Extra Magazine and was the first openly trans Capitol Hill reporter. She's also a member of the Trans Journalist Association and co-host of the podcast Cancel Me Daddy. I started by asking her about the faults of a recent article the Times published

about kids coming out as trans to their teachers rather than their parents, and their parents feeling quote unquote, betrayed. Take a listen. Well, I'm going to start with the fact that the story was written by a cisgender person, and it was written very much for cisgender perspective, which isn't on its own, I think, problematic, because obviously, the vast majority of readers of the New York Times are going to be cis. So they're going to relate more heavily to a parent than a trans kid. But it didn't really bother interrogating the perspective of trans kids who might be in danger from being outed by parents. It didn't mention at all that 40% of all homeless youth are LGBT and that

a large portion of those kids are trans and it's because of parental rejection. We know that being outed to unaccepting parents is a safety risk. And the New York Times just like didn't even grapple with that question at all. And what you had instead was this reporter who they make a big deal about it in the article itself where they're like, we interviewed 50 people for this story. So, you know, we're good on it. But then like you actually do research into who's quoted and they're all like members of this anti-trans parents group. And you get a little mention of it in the article

where they're like, this parents group has been criticized for saying that all trans kids are mentally ill, but they make like a mention of this and they're like, but do they have a point? And it's like, no, not really. No. Right. You're not being honest about who these people are. And that inherently biases the article. But if you don't, if you're not being honest about who these people are. And that inherently biases the article. But if you don't, if you're not in the fight every day, there's no way for like an average media consumer to even realize that they're being misled. And we see this over and over and over again, particularly with the New York Times. They had a story a few months ago that quoted extensively from this particularly heinous anti trans

organization. And there's no like grappling with who the organization is like there's mention of here's how this organization has been criticized. But then all of the sympathy in the piece goes to the members of this organization, just like in the parents piece with the school teachers, all the sympathy is supposed to be with the parents. And it's like, you are really short changing your readers by not even bothering to ask, am I asking the right questions? Right. You talked on your podcast about how anti-trans articles across a variety of outlets have a lot of things in common, particularly in regards to the perspectives that they choose to highlight when it comes to trans issues. Very few of them center trans youth, for example. Another example, there are a lot of articles out there that focus on people who detransition or regret transitioning

when we know that that is such a minuscule percentage of trans folks, but the coverage kind of makes it seem like there's all these trans folks who regret going through that particular part of the identities. Could you talk about some of those tropes that we see popping up in reporting on trans issues and how they contribute to the misconceptions about our community? Yeah, well, we know through research that the regret and detransition rate for trans people in general is extremely low. What you end up with in the coverage is five like celebrity detransitioners. I don't know another way to like explain this. But like these people are only known because they are detransitioners and they go out and campaign

against transition care for youth like none of them actually transitioned as youth they all transitioned in like their late teens like 18 19 or early 20s and then later came to regret it and like the anti-trans movement has tried to like force this narrative that these are former trans youth that were wronged by the medical system when in actuality they made all of their transition decisions as adults so like they should have some personal responsibility with this so what you end up with is this like class of four or five detransitioners who all get quoted by reuters new york times the ap when they're writing detransition stories they travel around to these state houses of these states that are trying to

ban transition care for minors, and they're all testifying and it's the same five names every single time. And credulous journalists will just treat them as if this is a larger phenomenon when it really isn't. As a trans person who has spent a lot of time sort of around media, there's a narrative that has been built and all of the coverage must reinforce this narrative. And if it doesn't fit the narrative, these outlets aren't really interested in it. Some of those particulars, right, of the specifics of this issue, don't get teased out, in my experience, in a lot of this reporting, allowing for so much room for misinformation. And so the impact then is not only is it harm for us as a trans community, but for me as somebody who's like deeply connected

to the title of journalist, it also to me seems to be a betrayal of these, you know, foundational tenets that we say our industry is supposed to be based on. I think you're absolutely dead on. But it also tells a story about society's anxieties over gender in general. All of these stories that sort of center the detransitioner are asking cis people to imagine themselves being forcibly put through a transition. And no one ever stops and actually thinks about if you force a trans girl to go through her natural male puberty, you are doing the same thing to this child. Like there's no consideration for the reverse scenario. So you have all of these now cis women who were detransitioners who are like, my body was irreversibly damaged by

testosterone. I'm sitting over here like, yeah, me too. Like, right, you should let my people also have the option of not being damaged by testosterone. Right. But I'm not allowed to say that, like, I must be like, you know, some sort of perverted freak, because that's the other narrative about trans women. Right, right. Such a salient point there. I mean, it also gets me thinking about the fact that, you know, it's not just the New York Times. So many of the outlets that we look to, right, many of them don't have trans people on their staff at all. And if they do have one, it's one, you know. But one of the things I wanted to talk about is, you know, amid this chorus of anti-trans articles that we see coming in a place like

the New York Times and what's happening across the country legislatively. Can you paint that picture? Yeah, I mean, the things that are being written about trans people in the Times are the things that are being legislated. So we started this conversation off talking about a reported piece about whether teachers should be outing children to parents. And then you look in these state legislatures, and you see a whole host of conservative states proposing bills that would require schools to notify parents if their child is expressing doubt about their gender identity, or they want to be referred to by a different name. We also talked about the coverage of like detransitioners and whether or not gender transition for youth is an effective treatment, which we've seen multiple articles about. There's

a couple of dozen gender affirming care bans. It's all conservatives pushing their own political agenda. And one thing you get when the media is entirely controlled by people who aren't trans, you don't have any trans voices to counterbalance is you never actually get a discussion that's kicked off by trans people. It's always a conservative framework. You have a conservative claim and you have either trans people or liberals like butting back against it. But you never have trans people talking about like butting back against it but you never have

trans people talking about what would make their own lives better beyond just like please leave us alone and stop sticking the state between us and our health care even if you had a trans person on staff you have to give them the freedom to like write about the things that they want to write about and not necessarily just responding all the time to whatever conservative attack is coming down the road. As somebody who has been doing this for years, I can tell you the most boring, tiresome type of article that I write is responding to something that a conservative did. I don't get to write about like being a trans parent and raising two cis kids. I don't get to write about being a transgender sports fan, which I think would be a really interesting perspective to hear about.

Right. There's a much more expansive slate of stories that are trans stories that don't get told when everyone's hyper focused on bathrooms or healthcare or, you know, it ends up limiting the broader understanding and narratives about how we already exist and move through, right, space alongside cis people. Before I let you go, I want to talk, I know you're a member of the Trans Journalist Association. I'm a member as well, also a member of NABJ and its LGBTQ task force. And we're always talking about how publications like the Times can be better, can cover trans issues more responsibly. What are some of those things that are in your head that these publications should be doing to like accurately reflect what life is like for trans people. I think the biggest thing is just have more trans people on staff.

Hire us. Absolutely. Yeah, like more trans people on staff, even if it's not necessarily in a direct writing role, have them as editors. You know, a trans person can edit stories that aren't about trans issues, believe it or not. You know, trans writers can write about things that aren't trans issues, you know, really trust them when you're publishing something, and they're giving advice on how to cover it, or they're giving feedback on an article, like you trust the

lived experiences of all of your journalists and editors who are not trans, you should give that same respect to trans people. I hate that it's so simple, and yet so unobtainable, but I think that's just the reality we live in. That was my interview with journalist Caitlin Burns, co-host of the podcast Cancel Me Daddy. We'll include a link in our show notes to Caitlin's work as well as the Trans Journalist Association. Time for a quick break. We'll be back after some ads. Let's get to some headlines. Headlines. Over 100,000 people protested in front of Israel's parliament building yesterday to oppose President Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to weaken the country's Supreme Court.

Israel's legislative committee, the Knesset, held its first vote on a law that would allow the current governing coalition to override Supreme Court rulings by just a simple majority. It would also give the government more power to choose judges. This could be very bad news because as we've discussed on the show before, Netanyahu leads the most far-right government in Israel's history, so the proposed reforms could jeopardize its democratic foundations. Netanyahu is also facing criminal corruption charges and as critics say, the overhaul might also be an attempt to get him out of trouble. The situation has even led Israeli President Isaac Herzog to say on Sunday night that Israel is, quote, on the brink of constitutional and social collapse.

And now for an update on the war in Ukraine. Ukraine's military yesterday said it will bar aid groups and civilians from entering the eastern city of Bakhmut. The move comes as Russian troops have reportedly surrounded the city and started to block access roads. Bakhmut has been under siege for months, and while Ukraine says it is holding control, experts warn it could fall in a matter of days. The U.S. State Department also issued a high-level advisory on Sunday, urging American citizens to cancel any travel to Russia and to leave the country immediately if they're still there. All this comes ahead of the one-year anniversary of the invasion next Friday and the possibility that Russia could escalate its attacks around that time. The College Board is pushing back against what it calls slander from Florida officials over its AP

African American Studies course. It's the latest salvo in the battle over the pilot program and its proposed curriculum, which Governor Ron DeSantis and his administration forcefully rejected last month, saying the course, quote, significantly lacks educational value. Hmm. Interesting. The nonprofit, which also oversees the SAT exam, issued a forceful statement over the weekend saying it should have denounced those remarks sooner and that, quote, our failure to raise our voice betrayed Black scholars everywhere and those who have long toiled to build this remarkable field. You may remember the board unveiled the final framework for the course two weeks ago, but omitted several key topics, such as intersectionality, the Black queer experience, and contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter. The board maintains it did not make those changes due to any political pressure from Florida. Sure, Jan.

Just a coincidence. If you need some time to mentally prepare yourself for more news about Donald Trump, mark your calendar for Thursday. That's when a judge in Georgia will release parts of a special grand jury report on Trump's alleged interference with the 2020 election results in the state. According to the eight-page order issued yesterday, we'll only get to see the report's opening and closing remarks, along with the section outlining the grand jury's concerns about some witnesses who lied under oath. Everything else in the report will remain under seal for the time being,

including any recommendations over possible criminal charges. It'll be up to Fulton County DA Fannie Willis to take those recommendations to a regular grand jury to actually issue any indictments. Willis said last month that decisions over who to charge and for what were imminent, but argued that the report should be kept secret for now to ensure that any future defendants will get a fair trial. To quote Jurassic Park, life finds a way. Barney the dinosaur is officially making a comeback. Mattel announced yesterday that the annoyingly iconic purple and green T-Rex

were returned next year as an animated TV series along with a whole new look. Let's just say Barney took the time off from the show to get some work done. The cheekbones are simply snatched. This is just the latest development in what we're calling the Barney Cinematic Universe, so help me God. It was announced in 2019 that Daniel Kaluuya was set to produce a live-action remake of

Barney and Friends, and just last year, Peacock released a two-part documentary series called I Love You, You Hate Me, chronicling the backlash from the original show, including testimonials from two actors who received death threats for donning the dinosaur costume. For any Barney haters out there, we'll just say, you and what asteroid? If you're looking for just the thing to get your malformed composer boyfriend who haunts the underground lake of the opera house this Valentine's Day, look no further. For one night only, Airbnb is offering an overnight stay at Paris' historic Palais Garnier, the theater that inspired author Gaston Leroux to write his 1910 novel Phantom of the Opera. of honor, normally reserved at performances for visiting dignitaries. The experience also includes a private ballet lesson, an exclusive opera recital, dinner in the Ornate Dance Rehearsal Hall, and even a tour of the Palais Underground Lake, the stomping grounds of the fictional Phantom.

The price? A casual $40. In this economy, booking opens on Airbnb's website March 1st at 9 a.m. Central Standard Time with only one reservation available. And you thought getting Beyonce tickets was hard. I hate this. As black people, this is not what we do. It's all I'm gonna say. I just think that this is not our style. I'm not going to tour an underground lake. Like, that's not. Yeah. This is what Ron DeSantis doesn't understand about us. This should be in AP African American Studies.

And those are the headlines. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, invite your crush to your haunted basement leak, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just love letters from your many admirers like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Trevelle Anderson. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And won't you say you love me too? They don't make hits like this anymore.

Yeah, they don't make bops like Baby Bob anymore either. What Today is a production of Cricket Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Jazzy Marine and Raven Yamamoto are our associate producers. Our head writer is Jossie Kaufman, and our executive producer is Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.