@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 13: An earlier post incorrectly reported the European Parliament voted for women's equity resolutions which only had trans-inclusive language. EITM reports Item (y) specifically called for "full recognition of trans women as women" & passed overwhelming 340-141.

One year after removing all references to trans people from the Stonewall Monument, the Trump regime has now tried to remove the pride flag altogether. @alyssaur.bsky.social brings you this story of escalating queer erasure.

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social ASPS has also said nothing about the ~200+k cis teens who get non-top surgery affirming procedures yearly & their need to wait until age 19. Yet their regret rates are literally _exponentially_ higher than ours. The entire thing is a giant case of Trans Exceptionalism. 3/3

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social Meanwhile according to ASPS's own figures 10k cis minors get top surgeries yearly but it has made no statement abt _them_ delaying _their_ gender-related top surgeries until age 19 even tho FDA says 40% will develop at least 1 complication within 3 yrs. 2/3

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social Some perspective on recent cowardice by American Society of Plastic Surgeons on trans minors' surgeries which Trump is now weaponizing: Komodo Health surveyed 330m insurance claims from 2017-2021 & found less than 300 yrly w/ bottom surgeries virtually non-existent. 1/3

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social [bathrooms con't]: Weirdly enough, the UK judge ruled that trans employees being forced to out themselves at work by using unisex toilets did not amount to illegal treatment bec. it just amounted to them having to be bear gossip and comment. What planet does he live on?

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 13 PinkNews: In ruling on Equality & Human Rights Comsn's interim code, a British court rules trans women permitted to use women’s facilities and service providers are not required to exclude them...except at work (where it prbly matters most).

Coming soon:

ONLY on Assigned Media, a look at the experiences of discrimination trans and queer people in prison face, and how it is exacerbated by staff and state neglect. By B Speaks, a queer journalist who reports powerfully from the inside of a prison in GA. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12 AP: After Natl Park Service takes pride flag down from flagpole at NYC's Stonewall National Monument, city leaders -- including Manhattan Borough President -- and 100 activists & residents show up to raise it again.

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12: European Parliament priorities for gender equity pass overwhelmingly including resolutions containing language on "intersectionality" and "diversity" interpreted as referring to trans women as women.

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social [HHS cont] Trump already tried restricting fed funding for trans services from these, but some funding has been restored by courts. While hospitals have shuttered trans programs under such pressures, these were built to service the gay/trans communities. [2/2]

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12 EITM: HHS General Counsel announces 4 four federally-qualified health centers being referred to HHS's own Inspector General for investigation: DC's Whitman-Walker; NYC"s Callen-Lorde & Institute for Family Health, & LA"s LGBT Center. [1/2]

ONLY on Assigned Media, a look at the experiences of discrimination trans and queer people in prison face, and how it is exacerbated by staff and state neglect. By B Speaks, a queer journalist who reports powerfully from the inside of a prison in GA. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

I'm getting a subpar top surgery/double mastectomy due to being a trans guy with a history of breast cancer in his 30s. Can you imagine if I tried to sue the medical industry for encouraging folks to keep their tits despite what happened to me? Amazing.

Damn if one (1) nineteen year old regretting their choice means nobody should be allowed to do it, kids who got fucked up as a result of joining the Army should sue Uncle Sam so everyone else is prevented from making a choice they might regret, too.

Used to be in a large fb group for managing life after eye surgery bc of the [relatively minor] complications the surgery for macular degeneration gave me. That group was dominated by intense LASIK regret w/ a shockingly high suicide rate yet I never see arguments for legislating against eye surgery

“Minneapolis Shows Us Anarchism at Work” — an opinion by Emma Arcadia. Originally published at @assignedmedia.org; republished with permission.

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12: Must be Transgender Day at WSJ. After lead op-ed by adult detransitioner & her lawsuit, Editorial Board posts back-to-back pieces applauding $2m verdict against NY GAC doctors & condemning MD ruling Christian substitute teacher must use correct pronouns.

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social [Talarico con't] "Instead of allowing local officials & schools to make decisions abt whether trans athletes can play a sport if it maintains fairness & safety...Rep legislature passed a bill that wd ban it in every instance & every age group before kids even hit puberty.”

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb PinkNews: Telegenic Dem rising star James Talarico known for Christian faith who's locked in tight primary for TX Senate denounces Rep attacks on sports saying they're “not to solve a problem [but] score political points off the backs of a vulnerable community.”

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12 Advocate: IN Bureau of Motor Vehicles quietly sneaks in ban on changing gender markers on state ID with new notice to website saying it no longer accepts court orders OR medical documentation recognizing trans people's genders.

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12 Guardian: An MD performing GCS on trans woman was sentenced in 1965 for violating Japanese eugenics laws forbidding sterilization, making surgery illegal for next 33 years. Now trans male director is bringing this history back with film "The Blue Boy Trial."

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12 PinkNews: After repeatedly misgendering Swedish skier Elis Lundholm who made history as 1st trans man in Winter Olympics (& 2nd overall) but who competes in women's moguls, NBC apologized and now has _deleted_ the footage. Good for you NBC!

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 12: WSJ continues assault on GAC w/ anomalous lead op-ed by detransitioner who realized top surgery at age 19 was wrong bec. "there was no way to be born in the wrong body at all." Her lawsuit before TX Supreme Court seeks to overturn 2-yr statute of limitations.

Just to underscore: Trans people, we aren't "issues". Me, I'm not an "ideology". I'm a human, like anyone else. The only "ideology" here is those bigots who use such rhetoric in their effort to dehumanize trans people — because they want us gone.

It’s not every journalist there but I personally know that the New York Times has in recent years published lies without any fact checking And I know this with complete confidence because the lies were about me and I know that no fact checkers contacted me This is a huge problem

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 11 CNN: RCMP says the shooter in the Canadian incident at Tumbler Ridge was a trans woman who had transitioned 6 years ago. This is going to get ugly.

You all have done so much to harm trans people and platform bigoted individuals who have no other agenda than to harm us and restrict our lives. Please stop being defensive and engage in some actual retrospection on your role in things.

Imagine if there were regular polls on "diabetic issues", as well as breathless news articles on "diabetic ideology" and politicians giving speeches about the "diabetic agenda". Healthcare is healthcare, period.

Honestly, the "ideology " framework is intentionally used to flatten any kind of nuance and to roll everyone in said demographic into an imagined united front, which couldn't be any further from the truth ~ not to also mention trivializing the real issues at hand.

The framing of transgender existence as ideology is unscientific and bigoted. Just because it is widely used by the GOP and broader political right does not mean media and pollsters need to use the bigoted framing to be neutral. They shouldn’t. They should only ever note the scientific consensus.

1/2: This from @billiejsweeney.bsky.social in @assignedmedia.org . And while it needs to be said, it isn't surprising. If I asked folks should chaos theory-based fuzzy-logic algorithms should be used in national defense for threat ID, assessment, and removal, there would be a lot of uncertainty.

Wrong! You stated in your headline that they endorse restrictions on surgeries now. That’s not what either of them said! In fact, ASPS made it clear that they oppose legal bans/restrictions!

Ezra Klein, the nyt political commentator, used exceedingly slim evidence to declare last year that support for trans ppl had “collapsed.” His pronouncement was both premature and erroneous. We’re not dead yet nyt

Until now, the relatively scarce polling on trans issues has had an outsized effect on the political landscape. An issue that has been seized upon by pundits and supposed strategists as a weakness for Democrats may ultimately be a strength for the party.

Polling on trans issues is difficult to interpret. It becomes even more difficult when pollsters use politically charged terms like 'transgender ideology.' Great new analysis by @billiejsweeney.bsky.social, only on Assigned Media. www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Feb 11 OutSports: Swedish skier is Winter Olympics trans athlete. Elis Lundholm identifies as male but competed in women's moguls. IOC countries to set their own rules (USOC has banned trans women). NBC Sports repeatedly misgendered Lundholm & later apologized.

seeing the NYT PR team in the comments of this post

it's shit like this that made me stop doing Wordle and stop supporting NYT Cooking. Until some major cleanup at the top, I don't want to support the NYT in any way.

The Times has been quietly promoting transphobic viewpoints, treating the existence of trans people as a "question" or "debate," and spotlighting exclusively cisgender writers for years. It was bad enough for me to lose faith in the paper and cancel my subscription two years ago. Integrity lost.

That's not really true though. If you're feeling sensitive about the public perception of your trans coverage, perhaps you should hire a trans reporter to cover it more accurately than your current reporters are capable of.

one day people are going to look back on this era of the times as just truly deeply embarrassing, a stain on your legacy. that's assuming you stay in business lmfao

I won’t even play Wordle at this point.

hey while you're on the line here, just letting you know that it’s exactly these sorts of decisions that made me stop reading the NYT fullstop

Anyone in Lewiston Maine around today? I'm looking to meet queer folks who have been volunteering to support immigrant communities in particular! Currently posted up at Blue Jay Coffee - come say hi! (I'm definitely working but I won't use anyone's info who doesn't want to be in a story.)

Putting out press releases doesn’t change the factual record. The nyt misleadingly characterized policy statements here to conform to its anti-trans narrative. For years it’s ignored and misrepresented evidence to fit its bias. When you have to call in flacks, u are losing. The nyt is untrustworthy

even for the NYT, this is bizarre.

“One group stands out in having vigorously defended the rights of trans Americans: Blue state AGs have formed coalition after coalition, repeatedly filing lawsuits, amicus briefs, and official comments disputing the legality of discriminatory actions.” From @valorievandieman.bsky.social

For my newsletter this week I'm on the road, so planning to write a little sneak peek for our members at the reporting I'm doing from Portland and Lewiston. www.assignedmedia.org/newsletter