The New York Times published a guest essay on Father's Day featuring a transgender parent's account of raising a daughter while navigating questions about gender identity, drawing immediate criticism from conservative commentators, media personalities, and President Donald Trump. The piece, titled "To My Daughter, My Gender Was Never Complicated," was written by Zach Ellams, a biological woman who identifies as male, and formatted as an illustrated comic strip. The timing of publication — Father's Day Sunday — became the primary target of critics.
What the Essay Said
The comic-strip format depicts a series of everyday scenes in which Ellams' daughter asks candid questions about her parent's gender transition. In one panel, the child asks while walking down the street, "How long did you have breasts for, Dad?" In another, set at a pool, she asks, "How did you grow a mustache if you were a lady?" A third panel shows the daughter on a playground telling another child she wants to grow a beard when she grows up — echoing what she observed in her parent.
The essay frames the child's curiosity as a form of acceptance, and Ellams writes that the daughter's ease with the situation helped the author more fully embrace their identity.
The Critics' Responses
The publication drew swift reaction from a range of conservative voices. Katie Miller, a podcaster and former Department of Government Efficiency aide, wrote on X that the Times published "cartoons about being a trans dad for Father's Day," calling it an attempt at "corrupting our children."
Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, was more pointed, accusing the newspaper of using the holiday to celebrate what he described as "playing daddy dress-up" as the "true embodiment of fatherhood."
Seth Dillon, CEO of The Babylon Bee, called the piece an example of "wokeness" that remains active despite recent cultural shifts, writing that the Times used Father's Day to celebrate "gender confused mothers." Tim Young, a media fellow for strategic communications at The Heritage Foundation, wrote that the paper "hates actual fathers."
Broader Context for the Times
The Father's Day backlash landed on the same day Trump separately attacked the newspaper on Truth Social, accusing it of "FAKE & MADE UP 'FACTS'" in its coverage of Iran and threatening to add the reporting to what he described as a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against the outlet.
The episode is the latest in a series of recent controversies for the Times. Earlier this year, an opinion column by Nicholas Kristof drew condemnation from critics and the Israel Foreign Ministry. Together, these incidents illustrate the degree to which the newspaper has become a recurring proxy in broader disputes over media, identity, and cultural authority — a role that shows no sign of diminishing regardless of the specific subject matter involved.