A Michigan Story Has Thrown Uncloseted Media Into the Culture Wars. We Don't Want to be Involved

Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter

Last Friday, we published a short clip of me interviewing Chet Hesson, the athletic director at Monroe Public Schools in Michigan. Hesson had recently been named in a Title IX complaint against the school district, which was spurred on by the participation of an allegedly trans girl on the girls’ volleyball team at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. Hesson spoke as an individual, saying his “heart goes out” to the girl for being at the center of a national controversy.

The very next day, the district put him on administrative leave.

Since then, Uncloseted has become the center of a media firestorm. For OutKick, reporter Dan Zaksheske called us a “radical pro-LGBTQ media outlet.” Substack journalist Dave Bondy misidentified our outlet as a “podcast” while covering Hesson being placed on administrative leave. And far-right activist Riley Gaines reposted part of the clip to X, saying it was “amazing to watch grown men [Hesson and me] act like calling a boy a boy is the worst atrocity a human is capable of committing.”

Having worked as a journalist in the U.S. for more than a decade, tit-for-tat journalism rooted in culture wars, angertainment and opinion rather than fact has always been central to how America covers the news.

But in 2025, it feels like that’s all we’re consuming: partisan opinions rooted in fluffy talking points rather than rigorous journalism and fact-driven reporting. Disproportionate coverage is given to stories that media outlets see as red meat, likely to rile up their base and generate lots of engagement.

In a way, I sympathize with the figureheads who do this because it makes sense: More engagement means more money, which equates to sustainability. It’s almost necessary for survival in for-profit journalism. And in the current media landscape, it’s so easy to be seduced by viral hits that result in three and a half hours of Twitter fame and dopamine bursts on what otherwise would be a boring Tuesday night.

But the thing is, these stories matter so much and the media aren’t getting them right. The people at the center of this story are children who didn’t sign up for this. So it’s critical that facts are correct and partisan puff words aren’t used frivolously for the sake of clicks.

Uncloseted Media intentionally launched as a nonprofit newsroom so we don’t have to depend on clicks for a return on investment. We still haven’t been perfect and I’ll admit it’s tempting to throw out Instagram slides that are almost guaranteed to go viral but that are not necessarily newsworthy. But we do our best every day to be balanced and accurate in the stories we tell, no matter who we’re interviewing.

All this is to say that we don’t want to engage in culture wars or gratuitous feuds with folks who are trying to use a debate with us to create an us-versus-them dynamic, as though you should be rooting for one team.

We should always, without question, be cheering on journalism that is rooted in a commitment to the truth and a focus on stories that are newsworthy and that matter to all Americans.

Let’s turn the temperature down.

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Meet Queen Suzie, the Bible Belt’s Biggest Ally

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• I joined the This News is So Gay podcast with host Ken Schneck alongside journalists from The Advocate and HuffPost to unpack the latest stories affecting LGBTQ Americans. Listen here:

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• House sets votes on gender-affirming care penalties (Axios)

  • The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on two bills this week that would crack down on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, including criminal penalties for providers and bans on Medicaid funding for treatments like hormone therapy and puberty blockers.

• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s trans care ban gets vote in House (The Washington Post)

  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s long-standing Protect Children’s Innocence Act, which would outlaw gender-transition care nationwide, has finally reached the House floor. Medical experts and LGBTQ advocates warn the bill could jeopardize the health and well-being of trans youth, even though it’s unlikely to pass in the Senate.

• Pam Bondi directs FBI to target “radical gender ideology” (Them.US)

  • A controversial Department of Justice memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi instructs the FBI to step up efforts against groups labeled as “domestic terrorists,” including some that support trans and nonbinary rights — and even offers cash rewards for tips. Civil liberties groups say the move could chill activism and free speech.

• San Antonio to remove rainbow crosswalks after state denial (San Antonio Express-News)

  • Texas transportation officials rejected San Antonio’s request to keep its rainbow pride crosswalks, forcing the city to plan their removal by January 15. Local LGBTQ advocates are exploring legal options, arguing the crosswalks are symbols of community identity and inclusion.

• Netflix cancels LGBTQ+ military drama Boots amid political backlash(Decider)

  • Netflix has axed its acclaimed LGBTQ+ military dramedy Boots after one season. The show faced public criticism from Pentagon officials who branded it “woke garbage,” illustrating how political pressures are affecting queer storytelling in mainstream entertainment.

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Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:

• 🆕 While the controversy around the allegedly trans volleyball player in Michigan may seem to have come out of nowhere, that’s not necessarily the case—it’s the product of several months of pot-stirring coverage by right-wing media outlets. We dug into the reporters who turned a random girls’ volleyball team into a national news story and spoke with top journalism ethics experts to see if their coverage holds up.

• 🆕 After a year marked by unprecedented attacks on LGBTQ rights, Uncloseted Media turns toward something brighter: hope. Drawing from our national “Messages of Hope” campaign, which we launched in September, you will hear voicemails from parents, allies, and queer elders and LGBTQ kids across the country. The culmination of our campaign was the installation of a rotary phone at the historic Stonewall Inn. This project delivers a clear message to LGBTQ youth: you are not alone, you are deeply loved and a better future is being built.

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Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!

Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com

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