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· collected 2026-08-21 · by Fox News
The author of a sports column for the Seattle Times resigned after their latest piece, which argued that supporting the separation of biological females and males does not automatically make one transphobic, was spiked by the paper's editors without giving them feedback or explanation. The column was drafted on July 31, but the decision to run it was delayed multiple times before being ultimately rejected on Thursday afternoon. This incident is just one example of several columns written by the author that were spiked, which they attribute to their willingness to tackle "hot-button issues" and challenge prevailing newsroom narratives.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
I really wanted the column to run.
asserted
column → want → ?
I didn’t think it would, but I felt obligated to try to get it in.
asserted
I → think → it
Toward the end of last month, before the Seattle Storm hosted the Indiana Fever, I spoke to people attending a rally in support of Sophie Cunningham outside Climate Pledge Arena.
asserted
I → host → Arena
The Fever guard had recently taken a stance against biological males competing in women’s/girls sports, and a few dozen folks showed up to express their gratitude for her position.
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folks → take → position
One of them was 16-year-old Ahnaleigh Wilson, who’d lost to a biological male in a track and field race in eighth grade and was holding a sign reading "Thank You Sophie for Speaking up for Girls!"
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who → lose → Girls
I didn’t know if I was going to write something at that point, but after she allegedly got cussed out by a Storm co-owner during the game, I felt like I had to weigh in.
uncertain
I → know → game
One thing Wilson emphasized to me at the rally was that she wasn’t anti-trans.
asserted
she → emphasize → rally
Another student-athlete named Frances Staudt — who said she’s endured daily verbal abuse after refusing to play against a biological boy in a basketball game — echoed Wilson’s sentiment.
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she → name → sentiment
So that was the thesis of my column (which you can read here) — that supporting the separation of biological females and males doesn’t automatically make you transphobic, so let’s stop throwing those labels around.
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’s → read → labels
I sent a draft after talking to my editor the morning of Friday, July 31, telling him there was no rush to run it.
asserted
I → send → it
He told me later that day that he and others were looking at it, but that it wouldn’t be ready for Sunday’s paper.
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it → tell → paper
Monday night, I got an email saying that his boss was hoping to talk to the top two newsroom editors about it on Wednesday.
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boss → get → Wednesday
No feedback had been given to me.
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feedback → give → me
Thursday afternoon, my editor informed me that it wasn’t going to run because I didn’t tell him I was doing this in advance.
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I → inform → advance
I didn’t buy this reasoning.
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I → buy → reasoning
If that were the case, the piece would have been killed on the spot, not passed through the hands of multiple editors over several days.
asserted
piece → kill → days
That may come off as an emotional decision, but it was exactly what I was prepared to do.
uncertain
I → come → what
This, after all, was one of several columns of mine that had been spiked at the Seattle Times.
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that → spike → Times
One was a piece questioning whether players for the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team were really the victims of discrimination in their equal-pay lawsuit.
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players → question → lawsuit
The last, written shortly after George Floyd’s death, implored people to listen to state-champion basketball coach Mike Bethea — a black man urging the public not to stereotype cops.
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last → write → cops
All of these challenged prevailing newsroom narratives and likely would have triggered the outrage mob.
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All → challenge → mob
I’ve always thought that it was a columnist’s duty to generate discussion on the most hot-button issues.
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it → think → issues
To avoid such topics was to leave the reader shortchanged.
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avoid → avoid → reader
I guess in the end, I just didn’t feel like I could do my job properly anymore.
uncertain
I → guess → job
Right now, I’m in the tenuous position of trying to defend my resignation without sounding like a malcontent.
asserted
I → ’m → malcontent
So let me say — I’m very grateful for the 11 years I had at the Seattle Times.
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I → let → Times
The talent there is immense, and the editors let me have a lot of fun with other stories.
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me → let → stories
I also realize where the brass is coming from.
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brass → realize → where
The mob is frightening and does not forget.
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mob → forget → ?
Lots of seemingly brave souls have submitted once activists got their hooks in them.
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activists → submit → them
If I had more people depending on me, perhaps I’d act similarly.
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I → have → me
But in thinking about this decision, I kept going back to an Albus Dumbledore line: "We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy."
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what → think → choice
To be honest, I’m scared shitless right now.
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I → ’m → ?
I have no idea how the next few months or years are going to play out.
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months → have → idea
But that fear beats the indignity of being muzzled.
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fear → beat → indignity
The plan for now is to keep writing in this space.
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plan → keep → space
Maybe that will spawn a new career, or maybe I’ll be a dental assistant in two years.
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I → spawn → years
I genuinely don’t know.
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I → know → ?
All that’s certain is that I’m done holding back.
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I → ’ → ?
This column was originally posted on Matt Calkins' Substack.
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column → post → Substack
