Last Father’s Day weekend, a New York Times article on fatherhood garnered a lot of attention online.
However, it wasn’t about traditional fatherhood at all. Instead, it featured a woman who transitioned genders and refers to herself as a father.
“Really? Is this actually the topic the New York Times chose in 2026? I thought we had moved past these discussions. We thought we had convincingly argued against tying children to such ideas,” said Blaze TV host Allie Beth Stuckey when discussing her ability to empathize with these perspectives.
The headline of the article was: “My gender was never complicated for my daughter.”
The piece featured illustrations that depicted the father-daughter relationship, including one where the daughter innocently inquires, “How long have you had boobs, Dad?”
“That’s such a heartbreaking statement for a child to express. Then when my daughter was at school with her friends, they said, ‘You shouldn’t have a beard; you’re a girl.’ My daughter responded, ‘So was your dad, and he was a girl,'” Stuckey recounted.
“The article suggests this is a simple concept. But honestly, a child who believes in magical beings and fantastical tales can’t be expected to grasp all the complexities of identity,” she remarked.
But it isn’t just the New York Times that strays from celebrating traditional fatherhood.
“There was also a piece in the Toronto Star titled ‘A Small Proposal: Why It’s Time to Abolish Father’s Day,’” Stuckey noted, describing the article as somewhat misleading.
The author contends that what matters is spending quality time together rather than focusing on gift-giving.
“If materialism is the concern, that’s a different issue altogether. Or if you believe Father’s Day is just a ploy to sell cards, that’s fine, too,” she added. “But the title reinforces this idea that we shouldn’t honor fathers and the role they play. It feels like we’re continually prompted to question the need for Father’s Day or even Mother’s Day, under the guise of addressing supposed burdens.”
