Headline Roundup • April 12th, 2022
Perspectives: Transgender Op-Ed Piece Fuels Partisan Divide Over Gender Issues
Conservatives,Gender,LGBTQ Issues,Media Bias,Media Industry,Polarization,Transgender Issues,Washington Post
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The polarization around gender transitions, particularly those that occur at a younger age, was recently accentuated by an op-ed published in The Washington Post (Lean Left bias).
In a column titled "What I wish I'd known when I was 19 and had sex re-assignment surgery," software developer Corinna Cohn expressed regret over a decision she now knows she "wasn't old enough to make." She highlighted how "few straight men" are interested in physical relationships with transgender women, and how she will remain "a medical patient" forever. Cohn notably didn't criticize the idea of transitioning genders, but rather urged young people to "slow down" and give sex "a chance before permanently altering your body."
Many prominent right-rated outlets highlighted the op-ed, but sometimes with different framing. Fox News (Right bias) highlighted voices who said the piece was "not bigoted" and applauded the Washington Post for publishing it. The Blaze emphasized how some on the left "objected" to the op-ed "on the basis that Cohn had been a vocal critic of the extremism from the transgender lobby." Some also labeled Cohn as a "biological man." Content from the Washington Post typically leans left, but the outlet does feature opinion pieces from across the political spectrum. Though other left-rated outlets didn't cover this specific op-ed, some left-leaning media voices have recently criticized conservative media figures for "falsely" labeling LGBTQ+ people as "groomers."
Featured Coverage of this Story
iStock/Washington Post
When I was 19, I had surgery for sex reassignment, or what is now called gender affirmation surgery. The callow young man who was obsessed with transitioning to womanhood could not have imagined reaching middle age. But now I’m closer to 50, keeping a watchful eye on my 401(k), and dieting and exercising in the hope that I’ll have a healthy retirement.
In terms of my priorities and interests today, that younger incarnation of myself might as well have been a different person — yet that was the person who committed...
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Transgender activists and their allies lashed out at the Washington Post on Monday after they published an opinion piece by a transgender woman who said her transition was harmful and unnecessary.
The piece was entitled "What I wish I'd known when I was 19 and had sex reassignment surgery" by Corinna Cohn who was born a male but transitioned at 19 years old.
“From the day of my surgery, I became a medical patient and will remain one for the rest of my life," wrote Cohn.
"I shudder to think of how...
Andrea Austria/Media Matters
Conservative talk radio and online show personalities are going all in on the smear by Republicans and others in right-wing media that LGBTQ Americans and others who oppose Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” law are “grooming” children to be gay or trans, or promoting sexual activity.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that House Bill 1557, which DeSantis signed into law on March 28, “prohibits instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade and potentially restricts such instruction for older kids.” It allows parents to sue...
