NYT sparks outrage over new sexist slur
The New York Times sparked outrage on Thursday when it referred to women as “non-transgender women.”
The article concerned the ongoing debate over whether men who pretend to be females should be allowed to compete against women in sports. The question has become more pressing as several women’s volleyball teams in recent months have refused to play against San Jose State University (SJSU), whose team contains a man calling himself Blaire Fleming.
Juliet Macur, who penned the New York Times article on the saga, included a paragraph where she called women “non-transgender women”:
On its website, the N.C.A.A. says trans volleyball players are eligible to play if their testosterone level is less than 10 nanomoles per liter — that’s at least four times more than what many experts say is the top of the range for non-transgender women, and in the typical range for adult men.
The sexist slur drew outrage from users across social media, including tennis legend Martina Navratilova.
“NYT — you stink. We are women, not NOT TRANSGENDER WOMEN. Just WOMEN will do in the future,” she posted on X.
“The newest word for women just dropped,” wrote another user. “Are you ready ladies? You are now ‘non transgender women’. Your complete erasure has been accomplished. You are no longer a category. You are non men.”
“Imagin[e] committing so fully to Orwellian Newspeak that you abandon the language that applies to 99% of the world in favor of new terms that elevate the 1%,” said another. “Billions of women aren’t women. They’re reduced to simply everyone else who ISN’T that 1%. They’re ‘non-transgender women.’”
“Hey @nytimes. Don’t call us ‘non-transgender women.’ Just stop it,” posted an account called WomenAreReal. “Stop all the offensive terms for us: birthing parent; uterus haver; menstruator; vaginal presenting (from the Olympus spa hearing). We are WOMEN!”
Where do most women stand on men in women’s sports?
A Napolitan News Service survey last month found that 75% of Americans believe men should not be allowed in women’s sports, bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers, while 13% say they should.
However, women tend to comprise the majority of those who support allowing men in women’s sports. Surveys of women in Western countries have found that the majority of female athletes support men competing against women and do not believe males hold an “unfair advantage” against females. Most men strongly disagree. A study published this year found that 81% of female athletes think governing bodies should be trying harder to include people who identify as transgender, and 66% believe transgender athletes are treated unfairly in sports. Most female athletes believe a man should be allowed to join all-female competitions.
According to a 2022 Pew Research poll, 62% of women feel “there is a great deal or a fair amount of discrimination against transgender people.” Only 52% of men agree. Women have also been more likely than men to say it is “extremely or very important” to use a person’s “new” name or “preferred pronouns.”
