Anti-Trans Narrative in Mainstream Media Raises Concerns About Journalistic Standards

A recent New York Times article by Jesse Singal titled “Medical Associations Trusted Belief Over Science on Youth Gender Care” has drawn significant criticism from healthcare experts and transgender advocates for what they describe as misleading claims and selective reporting on transgender healthcare.

Critics argue that Singal’s piece, which attempts to portray fractures in the medical consensus on gender-affirming care, contains serious factual errors and omissions that misrepresent the current state of transgender healthcare guidelines both in the United States and internationally.

At the center of Singal’s argument is a recent position statement from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), which he characterizes as evidence that the scientific consensus on transgender care is collapsing. However, this characterization fails to acknowledge critical context about how this statement was developed.

According to members of the ASPS’s own scientific review panel, the organization had established a gender surgery task force comprising experts in adolescent psychiatry, medicine, and research methodology in May 2025. This panel met monthly for nine months, working toward evidence-informed conclusions.

However, the ASPS board reportedly circumvented this expert panel, publishing an unauthorized position statement that underwent no consensus-finding process or scientific review. Seven task force members have published an open letter stating they don’t know who authored the statement.

Critics point to political influences behind the ASPS statement, noting that the organization’s president, Bob Basu, has made significant donations to both the Trump campaign and Ted Cruz. Furthermore, the statement’s age threshold of 19 for certain procedures precisely matches a January 2025 Trump executive order on transgender healthcare.

The article also claims European countries are “pulling back” on gender-affirming care, but omits major developments contradicting this narrative. In March 2025, 26 medical and psychotherapeutic organizations across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland released comprehensive guidelines spanning over 400 pages that explicitly recommend puberty blockers and gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Similarly, France’s Society of Pediatric Endocrinology released its first national consensus recommending transgender youth care and specifically rejecting the “wait-and-see” approach characterized by delaying treatment. The article instead cites a 2022 piece from the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM), an organization that has been criticized for its anti-transgender advocacy positions.

In New Zealand, where the article suggests restrictions are being implemented, medical organizations are actually challenging the government’s attempts to limit care. The Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa successfully sued to suspend enforcement of puberty blocker restrictions, with the High Court finding they had “a strong case.”

Healthcare professionals specializing in transgender medicine express concern that such reporting creates a distorted picture of medical consensus. They point out that major medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychological Association continue to support gender-affirming care as evidence-based treatment.

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between journalistic responsibility and the treatment of complex medical issues, particularly those affecting marginalized communities. Media critics note that inaccurate reporting on medical consensus can have real-world consequences on healthcare policy and public perception.

As debates about transgender healthcare continue in legislative chambers and medical institutions across the country, the responsibility of major publications to accurately represent scientific consensus remains a critical concern for both healthcare providers and the communities they serve.