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.
asserted
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!"
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
’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.
asserted
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.
asserted
boss → get → Wednesday
No feedback had been given to me.
asserted
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.
asserted
I → inform → advance
I didn’t buy this reasoning.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
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.
asserted
last → write → cops
All of these challenged prevailing newsroom narratives and likely would have triggered the outrage mob.
asserted
All → challenge → mob
I’ve always thought that it was a columnist’s duty to generate discussion on the most hot-button issues.
asserted
it → think → issues
To avoid such topics was to leave the reader shortchanged.
asserted
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.
asserted
I → let → Times
The talent there is immense, and the editors let me have a lot of fun with other stories.
asserted
me → let → stories
I also realize where the brass is coming from.
asserted
brass → realize → where
The mob is frightening and does not forget.
asserted
mob → forget → ?
Lots of seemingly brave souls have submitted once activists got their hooks in them.
asserted
activists → submit → them
If I had more people depending on me, perhaps I’d act similarly.
asserted
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."
asserted
what → think → choice
To be honest, I’m scared shitless right now.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
I have no idea how the next few months or years are going to play out.
asserted
months → have → idea
But that fear beats the indignity of being muzzled.
asserted
fear → beat → indignity
The plan for now is to keep writing in this space.
asserted
plan → keep → space
Maybe that will spawn a new career, or maybe I’ll be a dental assistant in two years.
asserted
I → spawn → years
I genuinely don’t know.
asserted
I → know → ?
All that’s certain is that I’m done holding back.
asserted
I → ’ → ?
This column was originally posted on Matt Calkins' Substack.
asserted
column → post → Substack
The Aporia
