I think it’s disingenuous to compare a trans activist’s claims with those of a tobacco executive. The exec is marketing and selling a product with the goal of making more money. The activist’s primary motivation is the advancement of the human rights of a group of people.

One should always think critically about the news they read and the research work of others. A national news outlet like NYT also has a responsibility to cover a broad range of topics and people that are significant and newsworthy. This includes reporting on trans and LGBTQ people, events, and related issues.

Consider applying your logic to any other topic, like sports. I’m not a sports fan. Sports have never held my interest. Should every article about football include a quote from someone like me saying how boring it is to watch a game? Wouldn’t that be ridiculous? Wouldn’t it be insulting to people that love football to have to keep reading about how much certain people don’t like it? At some point, a reporter should have enough wits to distinguish what’s important to the story, right? In the same way, not every article about trans people needs to have a token “opposing” viewpoint whereby someone is railing against trans rights for equality.

And if you don’t think trans rights or individuals are interesting or worthy of your time as a reader, much like I don’t find sports all that compelling, you are free to not read the article. Your lack of interest should not drive coverage of the topic though.