PROOF: https://twitter.com/EricThurm/status/1641072995593605121

America is experiencing a concerted legislative attack on trans people, especially bills limiting gender-affirming care for minors. The way major media outlets cover these issues—what they choose to focus on, who handles the assigning, reporting, and editing, and how it’s displayed in the paper—is enormously influential. Unfortunately, The New York Times has not been up to the task.

In January, a group of freelancers came together to discuss how we as freelancers might be able to push back on consistent bias in the Times’ coverage. Some of us are contributors to the Times. Others are member-organizers with the Freelance Solidarity Project, a division of the National Writers Union that works to improve conditions for freelancers across digital media. Many of us are both.

In February, we published the result: an open letter to Times associate managing editor for standards Philip B. Corbett articulating specific editorial problems with the paper's coverage, placing it in the historical context of the Times' coverage of the AIDS epidemic, and asking for a serious discussion in response.

When the letter was published on February 15th, it was signed by over 170 Times contributors. As of this writing, it has garnered signatures from more than 1,200 Times contributors, as well as over 34,000 Times readers, subscribers, and other media workers. The public response to and widespread solidarity around the letter has been broadly positive. But the Times' response has been to dismiss our concerns, willfully and falsely conflate our letter with another letter from GLAAD and allied organizations, and intimidate and threaten staff who signed on in agreement.

Ask us anything about the process of organizing the letter, best practices for covering issues impacting trans, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people, and pushing for better standards and working conditions within media.

• Olivia Aylmer, member-organizer, Freelance Solidarity Project (she/her)

- Muna Mire, Times contributor (they/them) - Eric Thurm, campaigns coordinator, National Writers Union Times Contributor (he/him or they/them)

UPDATE: Muna won't be joining us due to a last-minute emergency, but Olivia and I are here and ready for your questions! - Eric

Edit: Alex is stepping away for a couple of minutes but will be back to finish answering questions!

PROOF: https://i.redd.it/8jcdjaslqyoa1.jpg

Hi everyone! My name is Devon Murphy-Anderson, and I’m excited to be here for our first-ever AMA! I’m originally from Maine, where I grew up in a hard-working, blue-collar community. I bought a small lobster boat when I was 15 years old (painted it pink!) and began fishing and waitressing to give myself a shot at going to college. I’ve seen firsthand how working-class people are left behind by our politicians who are disconnected from our everyday suffering and simple dreams of equal opportunity. I got into politics because I truly believe that each of us holds immense power to make a difference. And, against a lot of odds, I’ve done exactly that. I worked on a campaign that made it legal for parents running for office to use campaign funds for childcare, which helps break down barriers– especially for young moms– to run for office. I served as the Finance Director for the Florida Democratic Party, where I raised over $20 million in the 2020 cycle. I’ve never stopped fighting for what I believe is right, and I hope my story can inspire more young women to blaze their own trail despite what others think or say. I'm one of the youngest leaders in Florida politics, and I’m looking forward to answering your questions and discussing important issues with all of you today!

Devon’s tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@devonmurphyanderson](https://www.tiktok.com/@devonmurphyanderson) Twitter: https://twitter.com/devon_MA12

Hey Reddit, I'm Alejandro (Alex) Berrios, and I am excited to be here! A bit about me, I’m a Florida native of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. I boxed for 20 years before hanging up my gloves and turning to a bigger fight with higher stakes – the battle for a fair and equitable world where my son and future generations can live their best lives. Starting as a volunteer for the Democratic Party, I’ve held 8 different organizing roles, and worked my way to the top. Most recently, from August 2021 to March 2022, I returned to the Florida Democratic Party as a Senior Advisor and Campaign Director, where I managed five departments and took their voter registration program from less than 400 registrations to over 44,000 registrations before exiting back to Mi Vecino. I’ve also worked with organizations such as FRRC, Florida For All, New Georgia Project, and Somos Votantes, among others. I’ve run for Florida Democratic Party Chair and have even been recruited to run for Congress by national partners! Honestly, I'm fed up with the political leaders in Florida who are cashing in six-figure checks while regular folks pay the price for their failures. That's why I'm so passionate about creating change. Bottom line, I'm here to be real, take on the powers that be, and fight for real change. Let's get rid of the elites who want us to shut up and follow their disastrous lead. So, what do you want to know? AMA!

Alex’s socials https://twitter.com/Aberrios04 - https://www.instagram.com/aberrios04/

Mi Vecino's socials https://twitter.com/MiVecinoFlorida - https://www.instagram.com/mivecinoflorida/ and our website is [www.mivecinoflorida.com](www.mivecinoflorida.com)