The Federalist
The Federalist is an American online magazine covering politics, culture, and religion, founded in 2013 by Ben Domenech and Sean Davis. The publication is openly conservative and primarily publishes commentary and analysis.
What you can find
Gender is the subject of numerous opinion pieces and background articles, covering gender-affirming care for minors, the WPATH Files, parental rights, schools, and legislation in U.S. states.
Why it is on this list
The Federalist is a widely read platform in conservative America and offers insight into the arguments used there against gender-affirming care for young people. The magazine is controversial: it has been criticized for making inaccurate claims about topics including the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election. Its articles are opinion pieces, not reporting. See science and debate for the substantive discussion and medical for information about the care itself.
Founding and editorial staff
The Federalist went online on September 1, 2013. Alongside founders Ben Domenech and Sean Davis, David Harsanyi and Mollie Hemingway are well-known members of the editorial staff, serving as senior editors. In addition to the online magazine, there is a podcast. According to observers, the publication actively seeks out the culture war, publishing articles that describe recognition of transgender identity as a problem. One author who writes about detransition is Walt Heyer.
Funding
The Federalist does not disclose its funders. The question of who pays for the publication became a recurring joke online. According to reports, Dick Uihlein, a packaging entrepreneur and Republican donor, is one of its major funders. In 2020, the publication received at least $200,000 in COVID relief through the Paycheck Protection Program. The parent company also receives support from the Conservative Partnership Institute.
Controversies
In 2020, The Federalist published articles promoting gatherings to deliberately spread the coronavirus and achieve herd immunity. Twitter temporarily suspended the publication's account. In June 2020, the publication removed its comments section after Google warned about racist comments. A judge on the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Domenech had unlawfully threatened his employees in a tweet about unionization. A federal appeals court later overturned that ruling on free-speech grounds. In November 2020, the publication made inaccurate claims about election fraud in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
How to use and assess this source
Read the articles as arguments. They show which arguments are common in conservative America, but the undisclosed funding and previous inaccurate reports mean that every fact in the original source should be checked. The WPATH Files dossier has its own profile on this list: City Journal on the WPATH Files.