Pink News’s crime was sharing a tweet that accurately used ‘LGB.’ The problem was that omitting the ‘TQ+’ was exclusionary, divisive, even genocidal.
Pink News, a U.K.-based publication that claims to be “the world’s largest and most influential LGBTQ+ media brand,” covers every topic under the rainbow and dedicates a decent portion of its articles to transgender-related topics.
The homepage currently features a subsection called “Trans rights,” while the “News” tab has various subsections, such as “Health,” “Politics,” and “Trans” (as well as “Ukraine,” since the war is disproportionately killing queer people, or something like that). There’s enlightening content, such as the recent article “Historic all-trans rugby match sends a ‘big f*** you’ to transphobes,” and a much-needed profile on Dylan Mulvaney’s new blond hair. Yet radical activists have decided that Pink News is irredeemably transphobic.
Pink News’s horrific crime was sharing a tweet that said “LGB people more likely to experience mental health or substance abuse issues, report finds,” accompanied by a link to an article. The problem was not that it could be interpreted to suggest that self-identified gay people are more prone to mental illness. Rather, omitting the “TQ+” from “LGBTQ+” was exclusionary, divisive, even genocidal.
The publication used the abbreviated “LGB” acronym because the report in question explicitly confirms it did not include self-described transgender individuals: “this report does not present findings for transgender people, non-binary people, or those people with any other identity besides binary male or female, and it does not present findings on sexual identity for adolescents younger than 18.” Therefore, if Pink News had used the full “LGBTQ” acronym, it would have inaccurately portrayed the report’s finding.
But accuracy doesn’t matter to furious activists. They conflate inclusion — originally understood as a modest sense of welcoming — with deserving “representation,” even when they’re completely irrelevant. Some gender-critical groups and individuals occasionally use “LGB” to excise transgenderism from a movement united by sexual orientation rather than self-perception, therefore any use of the acronym is de facto “transphobic.”
One user tweeted, “Its kinda tone deaf to exclude TIQA+ people when the [LGB Alliance] a literal hate group that attacks TIQA+ people exists.” Another user wrote, “I guarantee you trans people also experience the same. There’s no need to separate the two groups, especially when it comes to the struggles we go through.” And yet another user requested new editorial standards, saying “Please use LGBTQIA+ pink news. Don’t encourage division.”
Today, everyone who isn’t straight forms a “community,” yet there are unique and mutually unintelligible sexuality subcategories within that so-called community, but recognizing any distinctions is akin to encouraging hate.
Although Pink News made a perfectly reasonable decision to abbreviate the acronym for the sake of accuracy, perhaps the publication deserves some of the pushback. Pink News modified the conventional “LGBTQ+” acronym, yet the paper has published plenty of articles repeatedly and emphatically affirming that transgender inclusion is non-negotiable.
Consider the following Pink News headlines: “Lesbian, gay and bi people tell Boris Johnson in no uncertain terms: There’s no LGB without the T,” “Labour MP Nadia Whittome on the urgent need for trans allyship: ‘There is no LGB without the T,’” and “Tom Daley urges UK to embrace trans people in Christmas message: ‘There is no LGB without the T.’”
Pink News carelessly throws around the word “transphobe” with such enthusiasm, like a monkey gleefully flinging its feces at the walls of the zoo. Perhaps now the writers will know what it’s like to be hit.