Full Breakdown
Seattle Times Sports Columnist Resigns Over Spiked Transgender-Athletes Column
8/21/2026, 4:54:52 AM
Core Event: Resignation After Editorial Rejection
Long-time sports columnist Matt Calkins announced his resignation from The Seattle Times after the newspaper declined to publish a piece he wrote about two female student-athletes who opposed competing against biological males. Calkins posted the resignation on August 20, 2026, noting the unpublished column had been submitted on July 31 following a rally outside Climate Pledge Arena on July 28.
Background & Context: Transgender-Athlete Debate and the Sophie Cunningham Rally
The column was inspired by a rally supporting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who opposes transgender women participating in women’s sports. At the rally, Calkins interviewed 16-year-old runner Ahnaleigh Wilson, who said she lost a track race to a transgender athlete, and Frances Staudt, a Tumwater High School basketball player who declined to play against a transgender opponent. Both emphasized they were not anti-trans, and Calkins framed the piece around the argument that supporting sex-separated competition does not automatically constitute transphobia.
Data & Statistics: Timeline of Draft Submission and Editorial Review
- July 28 – Calkins attends the rally and conducts interviews.
- July 31 – He sends a draft to his editor, stating there was “no rush to run it.”
- Early August – Editors review the draft over several days.
- Mid-August – Calkins is told the piece will not run because he had not informed editors in advance.
- August 20 – Calkins resigns and publishes the column on Substack.
Official Statements & Responses
No additional official explanation for the editorial decision was provided.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It was entirely my choice, and it was not an easy one. The impetus was the Times declining to run a column I wrote from the perspective of two female student athletes who were opposed to competing against biological males. It was one of several pieces of mine that had been spiked, and I no longer felt like I could properly do my job as a columnist. I lay out the situation in greater detail in the link below, but I want to say that I enjoyed my time with the paper, find the talent there to be immense, and have no animosity toward anyone who works there. It was just time for a change.” — Matt Calkins
- “So that was the thesis of my column … that supporting the separation of biological females and males doesn’t automatically make you transphobic, so let’s stop throwing those labels around,” — Matt Calkins
- “All they said was that, 'You didn't tell us you were doing this in advance, uh, so we can't run it.' But I didn't buy the excuse.” — Matt Calkins
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Calkins asserts the newspaper’s cited reason—failure to give advance notice—was a pretext, noting the draft underwent six days of editorial review before rejection. The paper’s silence leaves the internal decision-making process undocumented, creating a gap between the columnist’s account and any official record of editorial standards applied to the piece.
What’s Next
After resigning, Calkins posted the unpublished column on Substack and indicated he is exploring new writing opportunities, including interest from media entrepreneur Clay Travis. No further scheduled appearances or formal offers have been confirmed.
