The Daily Mail just ran a hateful, transphobic column that claims to be “common sense.” Columnist Sarah Vine claims that the rise in counseling sessions with youngsters questioning their gender identity is because the “LGBTQ lobby” has pushed its “fanciful” ideas into schools.

There’s too much vile transphobia in this one short column to know where to start. Apparently, Vine thinks that creating an open environment for kids to think about gender and sexuality amounts to “indoctrination.” The piece also intentionally misgenders celebrity and high profile trans advocate Caitlin Jenner.

Tell the Daily Mail to take down this transphobic column and stop ridiculing trans people.

It’s taken decades of advocacy to get to today’s level of inclusivity -- and trans people continue to face institutional and interpersonal violence every single day. But the Daily Mail is trying to turn the clock back with a dangerous narrative that paints trans people as disingenuous or devious for simply wanting to express their gender identity on their own terms. We need to hold the Daily Mail accountable for using its platform to spread ignorance.  

Daily Mail’s decision to run Vine’s column is even more vile given the paper’s history of transphobia. After trans school teacher Lucy Meadows took her own life in 2013, the Daily Mail was accused of “character assassination” for printing a column claiming that Meadows’ was unfit to be a teacher because she was trans. Have the Daily Mail editors learned nothing from that tragedy?

It’s irresponsible for the Daily Mail to use its platform to spread ignorance and hate. Trans inclusion in schools doesn’t “threaten the sanity of normal children,” as Vine offensively claims. It’s about creating a safe and open space for all children to explore their gender identity. The Daily Mail needs to stop denigrating trans rights and take responsibility for this column now.