Seattle Times columnist resigns over transgender controversy

Awful Announcing • August 20, 2026 • sports

Key Points:

Matt Calkins, a longtime sports columnist, resigned from The Seattle Times after the paper declined to publish his column supporting Sophie Cunningham's stance on transgender athletes.
The column, written from the perspective of two female student athletes opposing competition against biological males, was rejected despite Calkins' belief it was his duty to address controversial issues.
Calkins revealed that this was one of several pieces that had been spiked by the newspaper in recent years, leading to his decision to leave after 11 years.
Following his resignation, Calkins published the disputed column on his Substack and has attracted attention from conservative media outlets, including a job offer from Clay Travis' new media venture.
The Seattle Times has not issued a public response to Calkins' resignation as of the announcement.

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