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Seattle Times sports columnist resigns over spiked trans athlete story

Calkins said the paper rejected his column on transgender athletes, and he resigned after 11 years, publishing the essay himself on Substack.

  • On Thursday, Seattle Times sports columnist Matt Calkins resigned after 11 years, citing the paper's rejection of his column about transgender athletes in women's sports.
  • Calkins submitted the column titled "Agreeing with Sophie Cunningham's stance doesn't make you transphobic" Friday, July 31, arguing that separating biological females and males in sports doesn't automatically signal transphobia.
  • An editor rejected the piece six days later, claiming Calkins failed to pitch it in advance—reasoning he disputed. The rejection marked one of several columns the Seattle Times declined to publish in recent years.
  • Calkins published the rejected column on Substack and expressed feeling "scared" about his future, noting "The mob is frightening and does not forget" in his essay.
  • WNBA star Sophie Cunningham, whose stance on transgender athletes inspired the column, has drawn praise from conservatives like Tomi Lahren, though she resisted the "MAGA Barbie" label in an ESPN interview last month.
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The Big Lead broke the news on Thursday, August 20, 2026.
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