We all know that Fox News guests (and anchors, for that matter) are no strangers to promoting wildly anti-science perspectives on the network. In fact, rhetoric pushed by Fox can be downright dangerous. You might remember Dr. Pierre Kory, for example, for his time on Fox (and everywhere else) promoting ivermectin (a drug approved by the FDA to fight parasites, like worms and lice) as a “first-line” agent to treat COVID-19. (If you’re not familiar with ivermectin, or you think there’s some merit to the drug in terms of the pandemic, I highly recommend taking some time to check out this deep-dive by my colleague, Mark Sumner.)
On Sunday, Jan. 9, Kory appeared on Sunday Morning Futures to talk again about COVID-19, as highlighted by Media Matters. In speaking to Fox host Maria Bartiromo, the ICU physician advised viewers to go to the website for Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), a fringe group of physicians who believe in ivermectin as treatment or prevention for the virus, to check out his suggested treatments for the virus. In addition to ivermectin, the website lists “second-line” treatments, including “dual anti-androgen therapy” of spironolactone plus either finasteride or dutasteride. What’s that? A combination frequently used by trans women to combat gender dysphoria by suppressing testosterone levels. The levels the drugs are listed at are roughly in line with what one would take for gender-affirming reasons, too, if not even higher.
We know Fox has a long, long history of promoting, amplifying, and pushing hateful, anti-trans agendas. We’re told again and again that trans youth in particular can’t have access to gender-affirming health care. We’re told that medical intervention can be damaging or even irreversible. There’s endless fearmongering thrown around when it comes to trans people trying to affirm their gender and make their own medical choices—but when it comes to bizarre COVID-19 treatments, apparently these drugs are just fine.
It’s dangerous, it’s hypocritical, and it just underlines how incredibly exclusionary and discriminatory this sort of rhetoric is. Is this combination of drugs at this level a treatment for COVID-19 that the mainstream media is keeping from us? Or is it so dangerous we need to scare generations of trans folks away from using it? It can’t be both, after all, no matter how badly conservatives want to write their own rules.
Twitter users—and especially trans folks—have done a lot of labor in making sure this point gets a lot of attention online.
Hypocrisy knows no bounds—and that’s a real problem not just ideologically speaking, but because it can contribute to serious harm. Gender-affirming medical care is necessary care. It is life-saving. No media outlet should be spreading anti-trans hysteria about life-saving treatment… and for the same network to promote the same medicines as part of anti-science fearmongering is just shameful.
Have you had luck talking to someone against or apprehensive about the COVID-19 vaccine and changing their mind, or even just opening up their perspective? Disproving a dangerous treatment option? The world can feel deeply exhausting at this point, so it’s extra important to celebrate the wins where we have them, and reading one another’s successes can add to our arsenal should we find ourselves in the position to educate a friend or loved one, too.
Sign the petition: Demand the Senate pass the Equality Act and protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination.
On Sunday, Jan. 9, Kory appeared on Sunday Morning Futures to talk again about COVID-19, as highlighted by Media Matters. In speaking to Fox host Maria Bartiromo, the ICU physician advised viewers to go to the website for Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC), a fringe group of physicians who believe in ivermectin as treatment or prevention for the virus, to check out his suggested treatments for the virus. In addition to ivermectin, the website lists “second-line” treatments, including “dual anti-androgen therapy” of spironolactone plus either finasteride or dutasteride. What’s that? A combination frequently used by trans women to combat gender dysphoria by suppressing testosterone levels. The levels the drugs are listed at are roughly in line with what one would take for gender-affirming reasons, too, if not even higher.
We know Fox has a long, long history of promoting, amplifying, and pushing hateful, anti-trans agendas. We’re told again and again that trans youth in particular can’t have access to gender-affirming health care. We’re told that medical intervention can be damaging or even irreversible. There’s endless fearmongering thrown around when it comes to trans people trying to affirm their gender and make their own medical choices—but when it comes to bizarre COVID-19 treatments, apparently these drugs are just fine.
It’s dangerous, it’s hypocritical, and it just underlines how incredibly exclusionary and discriminatory this sort of rhetoric is. Is this combination of drugs at this level a treatment for COVID-19 that the mainstream media is keeping from us? Or is it so dangerous we need to scare generations of trans folks away from using it? It can’t be both, after all, no matter how badly conservatives want to write their own rules.
Twitter users—and especially trans folks—have done a lot of labor in making sure this point gets a lot of attention online.
Hypocrisy knows no bounds—and that’s a real problem not just ideologically speaking, but because it can contribute to serious harm. Gender-affirming medical care is necessary care. It is life-saving. No media outlet should be spreading anti-trans hysteria about life-saving treatment… and for the same network to promote the same medicines as part of anti-science fearmongering is just shameful.
Have you had luck talking to someone against or apprehensive about the COVID-19 vaccine and changing their mind, or even just opening up their perspective? Disproving a dangerous treatment option? The world can feel deeply exhausting at this point, so it’s extra important to celebrate the wins where we have them, and reading one another’s successes can add to our arsenal should we find ourselves in the position to educate a friend or loved one, too.
Sign the petition: Demand the Senate pass the Equality Act and protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination.