Assigned Media

Since 2020 the US has entered an “era of anti-LGBTQ politics” that has been “characterized by speed, breadth, extremism, and, perhaps more so than anything else, its near-laser focus on transgender people,” according to a new report by the progressive nonprofit think tank Movement Advancement Project.

Seven initiatives in five states would exploit trans people to promote a gender-policing surveillance state. This story was produced in partnership with the Accountability Journalism Institute. A political action committee in Washington state has promoted a stream of Republican measures since its founding in 2022, from tax relief for millionaires to repeal of controls on greenhouse gas emissions.

[Note: In accordance with National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) recommendations, guidance from fat activists and liberationists, and the American Chemistry Society’s Inclusivity Style Guide, this story uses the term “fat” as a value-neutral descriptor. When the term “overweight” is used, it is a self-description.] As fascism and far-right extremism rise, fat transgender people find themselves facing a culture that’s increasingly hostile to their bodies.

Detransition — the process of “stopping, shifting, or reversing” transition — can be a taboo topic in trans spaces. For many, it evokes Fox News-style images of figures like Chloe Cole or Maia Poet, who routinely partner with anti-trans orgs like Genspect to testify against gender-affirming care. They describe their bodies in terms of mutilation and irreversible damage and push conspiracy theories about mainstream medicine. But detrans people aren’t a monolith.

Our news tracker looked at coverage of trans issues in major US outlets and found one newsroom dominates the coverage while lagging behind peers in representing the perspectives of trans people themselves. Analysis, by Evan Urquhart As trans people see their rights eroded by the Trump administration, written news coverage of the trans community is dominated by a single outlet, the New York Times.

by Madisyn Parisi Detransition — the process of “stopping, shifting, or reversing” transition — can be a taboo topic in trans spaces. For many, it evokes Fox News-style images of figures like Chloe Cole or Maia Poet, who routinely partner with anti-trans orgs like Genspect to testify against gender-affirming care. They describe their bodies in terms of mutilation and irreversible damage and push conspiracy theories about mainstream medicine. But detrans people aren’t a monolith.

by Assigned Media The trans news doesn’t stop coming, and most of it is bad. Here are three stories from the past few days that show how Republican attacks on trans life continue to escalate. In Kansas, more than a bathroom bill is at stake for transgender residents as the extreme right legislature jam through a bill to mass-invalidate the driver’s licenses of every trans person in the state.

by Riki Wilchins Follow Riki’s trans news ticker at @rikiwilchins.bsky.social In 2015, Helen and Mike Webberley started GenderGP, a private telemedicine service providing hormone therapy prescriptions to patients in the UK. For a monthly subscription, patients can access a no-frills option for medical transition care on an informed consent basis. Webberley is a highly controversial figure in the UK and has been the subject of frequent sensationalized tabloid attacks.

by Evan Urquhart Activists from Protect Trans Futures arrived early to picket the Fenway Health Gala on Friday, November 14. Fenway Health’s Gala is an annual charity affair to raise funds for the Boston based LGBTQ+ focused community health center. Guests in long coats against the cold Boston November evening walked passed picketers chanting for hormone replacement therapy “safe, free, and on demand” in front of the SoWa Power Station, lit with rainbow lights for the event.

by Veronica Esposito Jude Doyle had established himself as a leading feminist voice when he decided to begin his medical transition and become a man. This left Doyle with an interesting quandary—how could he continue to explore feminist subjects now that he was entering the social space of those who oppress women in a patriarchy? Thus was born Doyle’s new book, Did I Leave Feminism? (DILF), where he explores his journey with feminism, offering field notes from where he currently stands.