How the transgender rights movement bet on the Supreme Court and lost
The inside story of the case that could set the movement back a generation.
The New York Times Magazine
June 22, 2025

This week, Nicholas Confessore, investigative reporter for The Times and a staff writer for the magazine, published an investigation into the push by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Biden administration to take a case on gender-affirming care for minors to the Supreme Court in United States v. Skrmetti. The Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday was a crushing blow for the trans rights movement.

For some trans activists and their allies, the case was the culmination of a powerful Trump-era backlash against trans people, artfully stoked by right-wing politicians and abetted by biased media coverage. But some civil rights experts and veterans of the L.G.B.T.Q. movement view the Skrmetti case as a tragic gamble built on flawed politics and uncertain science.

On the cover this week: our special issue on learning to live with A.I., featuring Kevin Roose and Casey Newton on everyone using A.I.; Susan Dominus on the family that created an A.I. avatar of a dying father; Bill Wasik on how A.I. will change the way history is written; Robert Capps on the jobs for humans A.I. will create; Charley Locke on the patterns A.I. can see in human behavior; Kim Tingley on therapy chatbots; and more.

Illustration by Christoph Niemann

FEATURES

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Illustration by Christoph Niemann

Everyone Is Using A.I. for Everything. Is That Bad?

Either way, let’s not be in denial about it.

By Kevin Roose and Casey Newton

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Elinor Carucci for The New York Times

He Has Months Left. His Son Hopes an A.I. Version of Him Can Live On.

After Peter Listro was diagnosed with blood cancer, his family decided to make a virtual avatar they can talk to after his death.

By Susan Dominus

A digitally altered photo of a painting featuring a book, a globe, a compass and other printed materials.

Photo illustration by enigmatriz

A.I. Is Poised to Rewrite History. Literally.

The technology’s ability to read and summarize text is already making it a useful tool for scholarship. How will it change the stories we tell about the past?

By Bill Wasik

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Artwork by Daniel Savage

A.I. Can Already See You in Ways You Can’t See Yourself

Some of the technology's most startling new abilities lie in its perception of humans.

By Charley Locke

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Illustration by Hoi Chan

Kids Are in Crisis. Could Chatbot Therapy Help?

A number of companies are building A.I. apps for patients to talk to when human therapists aren’t available.

By Kim Tingley

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A.I. Might Take Your Job. Here Are 22 New Ones It Could Give You.

In a few key areas, humans will be more essential than ever.

By Robert Capps

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The senator from Alaska reflects on her many years in Washington and what is happening in the country right now.

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Photo illustration by Najeebah Al-Ghadban

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A Zombie Apocalypse Infected by Brexit, the Manosphere and Trump

“28 Years Later” leaps forward through time — into a world that has changed in worrisome parallel to ours.

By Chris Norris

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The Ethicist

The House Next Door Has Black Mold. Do I Tell Potential Tenants?

The issue was serious enough to cause health issues for the previous residents.

By Kwame Anthony Appiah

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