Veteran sports reporter resigns after woke newspaper refused to publish column about opposing trans athletes
Veteran sports columnist Matt Calkins has announced his resignation from the Seattle Times after 11 years, claiming the publication refused to run a column addressing transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Calkins revealed his departure on Substack, explaining that the tipping point came late last month when editors held and ultimately spiked a piece he reported outside Climate Pledge Arena before a Seattle Storm game.
The column focused on a rally supporting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who voiced opposition to transgender women competing in female sports categories.
‘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,’ Calkins wrote.
‘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.’
While at the demonstration, Calkins spoke with 16-year-old Ahnaleigh Wilson, who held a sign reading ‘Thank You Sophie for Speaking up for Girls!’ after losing to a biological male in an eighth-grade track and field race.
Sports columnist Matt Calkins has announced his resignation from the Seattle Times after 11 years, claiming the publication refused to run a column addressing transgender athletes
The column focused on a rally supporting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who recently voiced opposition to transgender women competing in biological female sports
‘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,’ Calkins explained, adding that Wilson emphasized ‘she wasn’t anti-trans.’
Calkins noted that another student-athlete, Frances Staudt, shared similar feelings after enduring ‘daily verbal abuse after refusing to play against a biological boy in a basketball game.’
‘So that was the thesis of my column… that supporting the separation of biological females and males doesn’t automatically make you transphobic, so let’s stop throwing those labels around,’ Calkins wrote on Substack.
He submitted his draft on July 31, but after editors held it for days, he was informed that it would not run because he had not cleared the idea prior to writing it – a reason Calkins rejected.
‘My response? To resign on the spot,’ Calkins wrote. ‘That may come off as an emotional decision, but it was exactly what I was prepared to do. This, after all, was one of several columns of mine that had been spiked at the Seattle Times.’
Calkins cited previous spiked pieces on the US Women’s Soccer Team equal-pay lawsuit, cancel culture, and a post-George Floyd column featuring a Black basketball coach urging the public not to stereotype police officers.
Cunningham has been the center of debate after her comments about transgender athletes
He noted: ‘The common theme? All of these challenged prevailing newsroom narratives and likely would have triggered the outrage mob.’
Addressing his departure on social media, Calkins clarified that resigning ‘was entirely my choice,’ adding that he enjoyed his time at the paper, finds ‘the talent there to be immense, and have no animosity toward anyone who works there.’
‘I’ve always thought that it was a columnist’s duty to generate discussion on the most hot-button issues,’ Calkins reflected, invoking a line from Albus Dumbledore: ‘We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.’
‘To be honest, I’m scared s***less right now,’ Calkins admitted. ‘All that’s certain is that I’m done holding back. The best things in life are free – speech being at the top of the list.’
