A methods explanation for our latest big investigation: into Erin Reed and AI based journalism.

Much of what she has written for Erin in the Morning since Spring 2023 has been written and/or influenced by AI. The resulting articles are full of unacknowledged and unretracted errors.

These errors include deadnaming a fellow trans journalist who has not published since and often contribute to making things look worse than they are for our community.

By requiring trans people to identify themselves by their sex assigned at birth, and with a looming threat of prosecution for noncompliance, the Trump Administration is compelling every trans person to out themselves to the Federal Government.

The Needle is issuing a voluntary retraction for our article “Kansas' Investigations of Trans People in Bathrooms Personally Overseen by Democrat Appointee Adam Proffitt,” which was published Aug 22. We regret these mistakes.

Anti-trans politics aren’t popular, and they aren't supported by the will of the people.

There is no statutory requirement that Secretary Proffitt personally investigate all claims, yet his department reserved the power to investigate trans people for him personally.

We obtained internal communications between SEGM and McMaster University detailing what SEGM wanted out of anti-trans medical studies, and why it was willing to pay over CA$300,000 (US$215,300) to produce them.

The Needle has concluded that the State Department is likely asserting the power to deem U.S. citizens who they determine to be ideologically "far-left", and who seem to be especially active in transgender advocacy, as "national security" risks, and consequently revoking their passports.

How legislative risk isn't lethal risk for trans women, and why the numbers we have are only a small part of the story.

The rule isn’t set in stone yet. It could still be dropped by the ATF, and the public comment period is a critical way to create pressure to stop it.

In Kansas Attorney General Kris W. Kobach’s arguments in support of revoking trans people’s IDs, he stretched jurisprudence to its breaking point.

The full consequences of this decision are wide, and will be hard to predict, but it is safe to say that every trans person has had their rights reduced.

While all of these changes are excellent, removing testosterone from the controlled substance list is a unique policy that many have wanted for years, but which has not been accomplished until now.

“If there's a team to root on, to vote for, it's us. We're going to do everything we can to make sure that every single person that needs help gets help to the best of our abilities. And our abilities are pretty great! So, trust in us.”

Another case of bad anti-trans science has been used to restrict rights and dignity for trans people.

Having HRT can mean the difference between security and being driven from your home.

This is a case to watch. The result of the injunctive relief decision will determine whether the executive branch’s efforts to seize lists of trans kids, adults, and parents of trans kids will go through on June 10 or not.

This proposal is the most comprehensive such attempt to be floated.

This will result in widespread de facto discrimination against trans people. The number of legal justifications which can be used to alter or refuse services to trans people are vast, and the methods available to trans people looking to contest this treatment are slim.