Bari Weiss’s appointment as editor-in-chief of CBS News is being heralded by some as a watershed moment for LGBTQ+ media representation. She is the first openly gay person to lead the iconic network, and her visibility in such a prominent role, at least on paper, marks real progress.

But I’m not applauding.

As an openly gay working journalist who covers LGBTQ+ issues, I’m not encouraged by this promotion. I speak with sources on a daily basis including transgender student organizers, queer civil rights leaders and LGBTQ+ academics. A consistent message emerges from those conversations: representation alone isn’t enough.

Weiss’ identity as a lesbian doesn’t negate the harm she has done by amplifying voices hostile to trans people, giving oxygen to transphobic rhetoric and framing bigotry

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