so the athletic ran another story by a cis straight writer about a person who identifies as "queer" and "a crossdresser," and leads it with an anecdote about how the queer person made the straight writer a better human. https://theathletic.com/2370311/2021/02/10/nfl-bengals-jack-brennan/?redirected=1

I am thrilled that Jack Brennan is coming out on his own terms & is working on a book. but a trans or queer writer would have known what follow-up questions to ask to create clarity around Brennan's identity in this story, which currently reads as conflating gender & orientation.

our stories deserve better than this!!!! if you are not part of the community, hire a sensitivity reader!!! ask someone who is to read your story first! you clearly don't have the range or knowledge to cover this & that's ok. but let someone who does help!

last year, two straight writers for the athletic worked on a piece about queer acceptance in MLB and promoted it by saying that working on the story made them better people. OUR PAIN IS NOT FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH. seriously, how dare you.

another thing this story is missing is context about what it means to be a crossdresser & how that differs from other identities under the trans umbrella, & is distinct from a queer identity. there is so much misunderstanding & stigma, this story should be explaining more clearly

I want to be really clear that this criticism comes from a place of wanting our stories told well. I want more of them! I want all of them! I want them at every single outlet! And I want them to be told with the framing & clarity they deserve. I want us all (me too!) to be better