Major news orgs slammed for not quoting trans people when reporting trans issues
Fri. October 17, 2025 7:56 PM by Gerald Farinas
Trans Journalists Association and Berkeley Media Studies Group cite lack of representation
The report looked at coverage from major outlets like The New York Times, ProPublica, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and the National Review during the first 100 days of the administration. It found that about 70 percent of the articles did not quote a single transgender person, even though the stories were about policies that directly affected their lives.
Instead, reporters mostly quoted government officials and politicians. Around 78 percent of the stories used quotes from these sources, with 36 percent specifically quoting someone from the Trump administration. In the cases where Trump administration officials were quoted, only 17 percent of those same articles included a transgender person’s voice.
The study found that stories often focused on the political fight over transgender rights rather than the human impact.
Transgender youth were especially underrepresented. Only 6 percent of articles included quotes from young trans people, even though many of the executive orders targeted youth issues such as education, sports participation, and health care.
Trans-led organizations were quoted in just 24 percent of the stories, while family members or lawyers appeared in 14 percent.
The first major order under the new Trump administration redefined sex and gender in strict binary terms, claiming that there are only two sexes and that gender cannot be changed. That framing carried through much of the media coverage. Without trans people being part of those stories, the study said, readers were left without the context or lived experience necessary to understand the real impact of such policies.
Professional concert organist Rowen Erickson, who is openly transgender, spoke about why this kind of representation matters.
“As a trans person, I think it is extremely important to quote us in the media, and I say this for these reasons,” Erickson said. “There are mostly cisgender, heterosexual people writing these articles without having actual knowledge about the trans community, who we are, etc. They gather information from secondhand sources, other cis and straight people, to seem like they know what they are talking about when it comes to knowing things about trans people or fighting trans oppression when, in reality, they don't."
Erickson also pointed to the lack of LGBTQ support in media because of the current political climate.
“The hate that is being spread by our government makes it severely unsafe for people to speak out against or even affiliate themselves with the oppressed party, therefore making it very difficult to actually ask trans people their views on stories revolved around their community,” they said.
“Not only that, but because there has been an uprising in LGBTQ hate crimes, it makes it even more unsafe for us to voice our concerns for the fear that if we do, our safety is in complete jeopardy,” Erickson continued.
“That being said, it is extremely important to quote trans people's responses because one, the people writing these articles have no experience living as a trans individual, let alone face the discrimination we do. And two, for media sources to hear from the community directly on what or who we are and what needs to change within society and the media."
The researchers said journalists need to be deliberate about including transgender voices when reporting on issues that affect them.
They recommend that newsrooms track who they quote and evaluate whether their so-called experts on transgender topics actually have experience in those communities.
Reporters are also encouraged to be transparent about what is still uncertain in fast-moving policy stories and to avoid speculation that can add confusion or harm.
The Trans Journalists Association said including transgender perspectives is not just about balance but about accuracy.
When stories rely too heavily on political sources, the public gets a narrow and often distorted view of reality.
By amplifying trans voices, journalists can provide a fuller picture of what these laws and orders mean in daily life and help restore trust in the news.