MercatorNet
MercatorNet, referred to simply as Mercator in its later years, was an English-language opinion platform based in Sydney, Australia, published by the New Media Foundation. It published commentary on ethics, family, culture and politics from the standpoint of human dignity and fixed moral principles.
Background
The platform has ceased operations. In its final article, dated 11 March 2025, the editorial team announced that it was closing its doors after twenty years. The website is still accessible and now serves as an archive; no new articles are being published.
What you can find there
The archive contains articles on subjects including bioethics, marriage and family, demography, religion and technology. Under the heading sex and society, it features many opinion pieces on gender identity and gender care for minors, written from a conservative and often Christian perspective. See also gender and religion. These are commentaries, not news reports. See also archive and critical perspectives.
Who was behind it
MercatorNet began in 2005. Its founder and editor-in-chief was Michael Cook; Carolyn Moynihan was a co-editor. Regular contributors included Kurt Mahlburg, Marcus Roberts, John Robson, Louis T. March and Steven Tucker. The platform described itself as the world's only dignitarian magazine and said it was guided not by the divide between left and right, but by fixed moral principles, common sense and evidence. It relied on subscriptions and donations and, according to the editorial team, was never intended to make a profit. As reasons for closing, the editorial team cited increased competition from newer conservative media outlets and its inability to keep up technologically.
Sections and tone
The archive's sections show where the emphasis lay: abortion, bioethics, culture, demography, the environment, euthanasia, human dignity, marriage and family, politics and policy, religion, technology and a section called Wokeness. Articles on gender identity fit within that framework. The subject is treated as an ethical and cultural issue, alongside topics such as abortion and euthanasia. For medical questions, such as those concerning puberty blockers, the platform is therefore not a first source.
How to assess this source
Because the site is no longer updated, the articles offer a snapshot of the debate up to early 2025. Developments after that point are not covered, and links in older articles may be dead. The commentaries are useful for understanding how conservative Christian authors reason about gender. A related publication on this list is First Things. Those looking for facts would be better served by the overview of systematic reviews on gender care.