The Trans Writers Union is calling on our trans comrades, our allies, and anyone disenfranchised with the recent Irish Times editorial decisions, to join us in boycotting the paper until they accept and meet the demands outlined.
We as members of the Trans Writers Union will not write for, pay for, nor read the Irish Times until these demands have been met. We as writers will not add prestige or financial support to a paper publishing anti-trans rhetoric, and we urge you to refuse with us.
We demand that:
- The Irish Times withdraw and apologise for their recent conversion therapy article, published August 9, 2021
- The Irish Times take practical, committed steps to adopting a trans-inclusive editorial line
By “practical, committed steps”, we mean more than empty promises from the Irish Times. We are tired of lip-service diversity, tired of asking for basic respect from our national media.
By “practical, committed steps”, we mean the Irish Times must accept that their recent editorial stance has been anti-trans, that this does not serve in the interest of debate, or journalistic balance.
By “practical, committed steps”, we mean the onus is on the Irish Times to actively integrate a trans-inclusive ethos into its publication, by working with the many available trans bodies to achieve this.
By “practical, committed steps”, we do not mean “hire one trans journalist”, or “have Zoom conversations with a trans writer”. This is not the aim of the boycott.
The aim of this boycott is to effect a long-term, genuine acceptance of trans people as deserving of fair and humane treatment, not abstract fodder whose healthcare is demonised and withheld by the colluding forces of state and media. Please join us in this demand, join us by demanding better from a national paper.