--- title: "Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkins resigns over spiked transgender athletes column" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co" category: "Media" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-21T02:25:38.885Z" source_reported: "2026-08-20T22:55:54.000Z" updated: "2026-08-21T02:25:38.885Z" trust_score: 55 critic_score: 55 hype_score: 55 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-21T03:30:23.379853+00:00" --- # Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkins resigns over spiked transgender athletes column *Calkins said the paper refused to publish his piece on WNBA star Sophie Cunningham’s stance on women’s sports* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 55 of 100, higher is better. HuffPost report is the only full article; others are digests. - Craft 55 of 100, higher is better. HuffPost quotes affected parties; others lack detail. - Hype 55 of 100, lower is better. Several digests use loaded language not in HuffPost. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Matt Calkins resigned from the Seattle Times on 20 August 2026 after the paper refused to publish his column on transgender athletes in women’s sports. - Calkins said the column drew from interviews with student-athletes who oppose transgender girls competing in female sports, and that an editor told him six days after submission it would not run. - The Seattle Times has not commented on Calkins’ resignation or the spiked column. Calkins said the paper had declined to publish other proposed columns. - Sophie Cunningham, whose stance the column addressed, told ESPN she is ‘very much in the middle’ politically and denies hating transgender people. Matt Calkins resigned from the Seattle Times on 20 August 2026 after 11 years as a sports columnist. He said the paper refused to publish a column he wrote on transgender athletes in women’s sports, which included interviews with two Washington student-athletes who oppose allowing transgender girls to compete in female sports. Calkins said an editor informed him six days after he submitted the draft that it would not run. In a post on his Substack, Calkins said the column argued that supporting the separation of biological males and females in sports does not make someone transphobic. He said the Seattle Times had also declined to publish other columns he proposed, which he described as challenging "prevailing newsroom narratives". Calkins said he resigned because he could no longer perform the job he was hired to do. The Seattle Times has not commented on Calkins’ resignation or the spiked column. Sophie Cunningham, the WNBA player whose stance on transgender athletes the column addressed, told ESPN in July 2026 that she is "very much in the middle" politically and that she wants to "protect young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men". ## What the coverage left out None of the centre-rated digests mentioned that Calkins said the Seattle Times had declined to publish other proposed columns. None of the right-rated digests mentioned that Cunningham told ESPN she is "very much in the middle" politically. The HuffPost report was the only one to quote Calkins’ statement that he resigned because he could no longer "do my job properly". ## Who covered it Shares of the 13 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 8% (1) - Centre: 30% (4) - Right: 62% (8) 2 of 15 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-21T03:30:23.379853+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-21T03:45:29.337Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The HuffPost report led on Calkins’ claim that the Seattle Times spiked his column because it broached the subject of transgender athletes in women’s sports. It quoted Calkins’ Substack post, where he said the column drew from interviews at a rally supporting Sophie Cunningham, and that an editor told him the piece would not run because he had not informed the paper in advance. HuffPost also quoted Calkins’ statement that he resigned because he could no longer "do my job properly". - HuffPost included Cunningham’s comment to ESPN that she is "very much in the middle" politically and that she had received "negative feedback about me hating trans". The report described Calkins’ column as arguing that "supporting the separation of biological females and males doesn’t automatically make you transphobic". It also noted that the Seattle Times declined to comment on personnel matters. ### Centre - The three centre-rated digests all reported that Calkins resigned after the Seattle Times refused to publish his column on transgender athletes in women’s sports. The Hill and Awful Announcing digests mentioned that the column supported Sophie Cunningham’s stance. Awful Announcing noted that Calkins said the resignation was his decision after the paper declined to publish several of his columns. The Comeback digest described the spiked column as part of a broader conversation stemming from Cunningham’s comments. ### Right - The seven right-rated digests all led on Calkins’ resignation and the Seattle Times’ decision to spike his column. Twitchy, the New York Post, the Washington Times, NewsBusters, and ussanews.com digests described the column as opposing transgender girls competing in female sports. The Washington Times digest said the column posited that those who oppose biological men playing in women’s sports are not transphobic. - Fox News and nytimespost.com digests said the column centred on two Washington student-athletes who oppose allowing transgender girls to compete in female sports. NewsBusters quoted Calkins’ social media post, where he said the spiked column was written from the perspective of female student-athletes opposed to transgender participation in their sports. None of the right-rated digests mentioned Cunningham’s comment to ESPN that she is politically moderate. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 4 - mixed: 4 - high: 3 - unknown: 3 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Heavy](https://heavy.com/sports/wnba/sophie-cunningham-wnba-transgender) — Sophie Cunningham Supporter Quits Job Amid WNBA/Transgender Controversy - [The Western Journal](https://westernjournal.com/newspaper-columnist-quits-editors-kill-story-teen-sophie-cunningham-fan-thanked-speaking-girls) — Newspaper Columnist Quits After Editors Kill Story on a Teen Sophie Cunningham Fan Who Thanked Her for 'Speaking Up for Girls' - [HuffPost](https://huffpost.com/entry/seattle-times-writer-matt-calkins-sophie-cunningham-article_n_6a876965e4b0ca44601bd14f) — Longtime Columnist Resigns Over Spiked Sophie Cunningham Article: ‘I’m Scared S**tless’ - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/policy/sports-gaming/6042577-seattle-times-columnist-resigns-trans-athletes) — Seattle Times sports columnist resigns over spiked trans athlete story - [Twitchy](https://twitchy.com/brettt/2026/08/20/sports-columnist-resigns-after-paper-spikes-piece-featuring-girls-opposed-to-boys-in-their-sports-n2431500) — Sports Columnist Resigns After Paper Spikes Piece Featuring Girls Opposed to Boys in Their Sports - [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/sports/seattle-times-matt-calkins-quits-over-spiked-sophie-cunningham-column) — Seattle Times writer quits over spiked Sophie Cunningham column - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-after-paper-allegedly-refused-to-run-save-womens-sports-column) — Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper allegedly refused to run 'Save Women's Sports' column - NEW YORK TIMES POST - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/outkick-sports/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-paper-allegedly-refused-run-save-womens-sports-column) — Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper allegedly refused to run 'Save Women's Sports' column - [Awful Announcing](https://awfulannouncing.com/newspapers/seattle-times-columnist-transgender-athlete.html) — Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper scrapped Sophie Cunningham piece - [Pro Football Network](https://profootballnetwork.com/wnba/wnba-world-rips-seattle-times-columnist-resigns-sophie-cunningham-trans-column-scrapped) — ‘Horrendous Look’ – WNBA World Rips The Seattle Times As Columnist Resigns After Sophie Cunningham Trans Column Gets Scrapped - [Washington Times](https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/20/seattle-times-sports-columnist-resigns-editors-spiked-column-men) — Seattle Times sports columnist resigns after editors spiked column on men playing in women’s sports - [The Comeback](https://thecomeback.com/wnba/matt-calkins-quits-seattle-times-sophie-cunningham-transgender.html) — 'I’m done holding back': Columnist quits major newspaper over Sophie Cunningham piece - [NewsBusters](https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/08/20/sports-columnist-resigns-when-publication-spikes-his-piece) — Sports Columnist Resigns When Seattle Times Spikes His Piece Supporting Female Athletes - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/20/seattle-times-columnist-resigns-after-paper-spikes-column-arguing-cunninghams-stance-isnt-transphobic) — Seattle Times columnist resigns after paper spikes column arguing Cunningham’s stance isn’t transphobic - [The Big Lead](https://thebiglead.com/matt-calkins-seattle-resigns-sophie-cunningham-column) — Columnist resigns after editor spikes column on Sophie Cunningham fans ## Questions **Why did Matt Calkins resign from the Seattle Times?** Matt Calkins resigned on 20 August 2026 after the Seattle Times refused to publish his column on transgender athletes in women’s sports. He said the paper had also declined to publish other proposed columns, and that he could no longer perform the job he was hired to do. The Seattle Times has not commented on his resignation. **What was Matt Calkins’ spiked column about?** Calkins’ column argued that supporting the separation of biological males and females in sports does not make someone transphobic. It drew from interviews with two Washington student-athletes who oppose allowing transgender girls to compete in female sports. Calkins said an editor told him six days after submission that the column would not run. **What did Sophie Cunningham say about transgender athletes?** Sophie Cunningham told ESPN in July 2026 that she is "very much in the middle" politically and wants to "protect young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men". She denied hating transgender people and said she aims to extend love and truth. Her stance was the focus of Calkins’ spiked column. **Which outlets reported that the Seattle Times declined other columns?** HuffPost reported that Calkins said the Seattle Times had declined to publish other proposed columns that "challenged prevailing newsroom narratives". None of the centre-rated or right-rated digests mentioned this claim. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkins resigns over spiked transgender athletes column", https://mediabias.news/media/seattle-times-columnist-matt-calkins-resigns-over-spiked-transgender-athletes-co