I said what I said.
On Transgender Healthcare
As seen in Rolling Stone:
People like Dylan Thomas Cotter — a publicist, author, and transgender rights activist — know what it’s like to grow up without gender-affirming care. For him, getting top surgery was a 14-year process. “Had I had access to the advanced gender-affirming care that now exists for transgender children, I would not have suffered so much in my life socially, physically, and mentally,” he tells Rolling Stone. “This is why transgender adults advocate so strongly for transgender children — because we know that they can and should have a better life experience than we have had.”
Read full article: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/trans-youth-hhs-report-conversion-therapy-1235332473/
As seen on NursingColleges.com
Dylan Thomas Cotter is a publicist, activist, author, and trans man who advocates for GAC access: “I was six years old the first time I tried to kill myself. I wasn’t able to transition until much later in life, and I can honestly say the care I received from the team of women at the LGBT Center in LAand all the organizations that made it possible, especially Queercare, saved my life.”
Regarding the politicization of his very existence, Cotter says, “My identity as a trans person has been politicized into a slur, so when nurses hear corresponding words like ‘cisgender,’ they may interpret it as a slur. I’ve had an exceptional situation where my healthcare providers have honored their oaths, but a lot of healthcare workers have been conditioned by the media to view us as a punchline.”
He goes on to say, “Trans people aren’t asking for special treatment. We just want to be able to access healthcare and experience the same respect and kindness that all patients deserve.”
“There are going to be days when you, as a nurse, treat a trans patient and you will be the only person who has treated that person with kindness or respect all day, or all week, or all month. We look forward to our healthcare appointments because that is supposed to be one of our only safe spaces in society,” Cotter says.
Read full article: https://www.nursingcolleges.com/blog/attacks-on-trans-healthcare
On Queer Representation in Media
As seen in Rolling Stone:
“Does it feel superauthentic to me as a queer, trans person? Not really,” says trans model and adult entertainer Dylan Thomas. “But it does follow a pattern as defined by Hollywood… I believe representation in the beginning, as portrayed through the lens of non-members of a community, often misses the mark, while the intention for visibility is good.” He compares Che to Max, a much-hated trans male character in the original The L Word, who was criticized by many members of the community for perpetuating harmful stereotypes until, 20 years later, giving way to a much more developed trans male character on the L Word reboot.
“I appreciate seeing a nonbinary character written with strength and confidence in mind rather than the played-out victim-type queer role we often see,” Thomas says. “Sara Ramirez plays this particular role with such charisma and that is maybe one of the best things I can see in this character — that Che is meant to not play small, so that they can help project an image of queer power that we do not often see in Hollywood.”
Read full article: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/che-diaz-just-like-that-1287117/
On Government Oppression and Transgender Rights
As seen in TruthOut:
In a statement sent directly to Truthout, Dylan Thomas Cotter, a transgender activist and author, decried the messaging as being “absolutely wild” and a “meritless accusation to make against an entire community.”
“It is my hope that the general public has begun to see through the nonsense and assess the facts as it relates to my beautiful community. … This administration and all that champion of it should be ashamed,” Cotter said.
Read full article: https://truthout.org/articles/usda-website-uses-transphobic-messaging-to-blame-dems-for-government-shutdown/
Advocating for Women
As seen in The Irish Star US:
With Trump being slammed for his comments, PR expert Dylan Thomas Cotter has suggested he should undergo mental competency testing. Speaking exclusively to The Irish Star, the expert said, “The personal attacks waged by the president upon Collins while expertly conducting her professional line of questioning is disgraceful and disturbing. It appears Trump has quite the level of insecurity that he himself apparently cannot contain when it comes to being rightfully questioned by female journalists on his ability to properly execute the functions of his role.
As for what should happen next, Cotter shared, “Until there has been an accurate mental competency investigation conducted regarding the president, many of the public will continue to question why this pattern of abusive language directed at female journalists ever happened even once and why it has continued.”
He warned, “This is not normal behavior, nor is it acceptable as Collins is one of the most talented journalists in the United States. Many of us respect her body of work and can see she’s continuing to do an excellent job.”
Read full article: https://techround.co.uk/artificial-intelligence/it-may-not-be-intentional-but-ai-bias-is-real-and-its-already-distorting-real-world-outcomes-experts-comment/
As seen in TechRound:
“Without laying the foundation for equality within developing and coding systems, this will negatively impact the quality of life for all. The ability to develop inclusive systems with non-discriminatory and/or non-stereotypical algorithms has always been a possibility; it seems, however, as if presently the AI industry has more of a misogynistic heteronormative agenda at play.
The uneducated and socially unaware masses may become distracted by technological advances; however, those of us who are socially aware have been sounding the alarms. The reality is that some people will code anything for a check, and that’s the tech industry’s problem right there, promoting capitalism over diversity, equity, and inclusion.
For individuals seeking much more in-depth research on the AI industry and this particular matter, I would suggest reviewing the DAIR Institute’s work and the backstory of why this particular organization was formed by a team of engineers, activists, and academic scholars, along with its mission in the Artificial Intelligence space.”
Read the full article: https://techround.co.uk/artificial-intelligence/it-may-not-be-intentional-but-ai-bias-is-real-and-its-already-distorting-real-world-outcomes-experts-comment/
On Performance Reviews
As seen in The Irish Star US:
Cotter addressed Trump’s comments as he told The Irish Star, “I view public admonishments by employers disseminated throughout the global media as an indication that anyone critiqued in this manner would be at risk of being relieved of their professional duties. It’s a very damaging look for all involved.”
The expert continued, “Considering the organizational lack of cohesive messaging released directly to the public relating to an employee’s job performance, I do not see unified communications, stakeholder management or crisis communications as strong suits that have been fully comprehended here which are essential functions of the role.”
It’s safe to say Trump’s comments didn’t sit well with Cotter. “In terms of shaping public perception, managing reputation, strengthening media relations, and disseminating factual information to the public, I’m not impressed,” he told us.
The publicist concluded by looking at what’s next for Leavitt, sharing, “In terms of a political future, if we look at the court of public opinion, public trust has declined following numerous US press conferences, that would not be considered a ‘win’ in the PR world but a massive loss that is beyond quantifiable and yet highly negative in qualitative metrics.”
Cotter’s comments come after Trump told reporters, “A person that gets 97% of bad… maybe Karoline’s doing a poor job, I don’t know,” before directly telling her, “You’re doing a terrible job.”
Read full article: https://www.irishstar.com/culture/entertainment/karoline-leavitt-pam-bondi-trump-36963759
On Festival Planning
As seen in The Irish Star US:
A number of performers have pulled out of the festival, claiming they were misled about the nature of the event. With Kid Rock left off the lineup completely, PR expert Dylan Thomas Cotter has suggested it could be due to the struggles his own tour has faced. This comes after Kid Rock’s true roots were recently exposed.
Kid Rock’s Rock The Country festival struggled to sell tickets, with the 55-year-old even slashing prices. Dylan told The Irish Star, “If the festival planners are concerned with presenting a highly entertaining event, they’d want to include acts that perform well.
“That said, it’s an interesting exclusion considering Rock’s long-standing affiliation with the present administration; however, it is plausible that this particular event inclusion omission would make sense if, in fact, it were based on recent poorly performing ticket sales.”
The PR expert suggested poor ticket sales “would be a good risk assessment at that point to consider omitting the act from performing as there would be a concern on if they would draw in an actual crowd of paying spectators or not.”
Read full article: https://www.irishstar.com/culture/entertainment/kid-rock-donald-trump-festival-37225549
On Entertainment Ticket Sales
As seen in The Irish Star US:
Publicist Dylan Thomas Cotter agreed as he told The Irish Star, “When the general public witnesses a music festival cutting ticket prices in half, it usually signals something is amiss in terms of sales and overall demand.”
Read full article: https://www.irishstar.com/culture/entertainment/karoline-leavitt-pam-bondi-trump-36963759
On Event Communications
As seen in The Irish Star US:
With multiple artists now having dropped out of the Freedom 250 event, PR expert Dylan Thomas Cotter warned it doesn’t look good for organizers.
Speaking exclusively to The Irish Star, the PR expert said, “It showcases a significant lack of cohesive event planning and internal communication when an entertainer has to publicly announce that they were in fact incorrectly announced as an event participant. The festival organizers appear to lack the operational capacity needed to manage festival communications effectively.”
Read full article: https://www.irishstar.com/culture/entertainment/donald-trump-maga-festival-cancellations-37220361
On Expert Entertainers
As seen in the Express US:
Industry authority Dylan Thomas Cotter has now offered perspective on why Colbert may have chosen to deny the commander-in-chief any screen time during his closing moments hosting the program that David Letterman launched in 1993. Dylan noted, “There can be a few things at play here. It comes after a former Trump staffer revealed his 4 chilling predictions for what the president will do next.
As a nation, the public has clocked Trump’s pattern of emotional retaliatory outbursts and actions following the slightest of critiques from both the entertainment world and the general public at large, so it is plausible that Colbert could have had that in mind as one reason.
“It is far more plausible to assume that Colbert, the expert entertainer that he is, wanted to go out on a celebratory high note and perhaps avoid and/or minimize any legal ramifications from the network, and/or also halt the opportunity for Trump to create further reactive media headlines.”
He then offered another convincing explanation for why Colbert may have chosen to disregard President Trump’s existence entirely. He said, “It could also be as simple as Colbert has already accomplished that work. For many years, Stephen Colbert and his entire staff at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert have consistently entertained audiences by spectacularly holding Trump’s feet to the fire,” reports the Express US.
Dylan concluded, “Last night was not Trump’s moment; it was The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s. Many of us in the entertainment business admire Colbert for his talent and professionalism, as he rose to the occasion last evening.”
Read full article: https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/tv/stephen-colberts-decision-not-mention-1850938
ABOUT DYLAN THOMAS COTTER:
Rebel with a cause, driven by authenticity, self-expression, and liberation for all.
Dylan Thomas Cotter is a strategist, public relations leader, and brand communications executive with more than fifteen years of experience at the intersection of entertainment, media, and technology.
Cotter is known for securing numerous Tier 1 (top-tier) and Tier 2 media placements across key markets including but not limited to GQ, Rolling Stone, Out Magazine, The Advocate, Pride, Inked Magazine, Real Simple, VICE, KTLA, Reader’s Digest, Mashable, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Life UK, Newsweek, Men’s Health, Parade Magazine, Betches, U.S. News & World Report, Women’s Health Magazine, NursingColleges.com, Women.com, South China Morning Post, Truthout, MIC, The Manual, Curl Magazine, International Business Times UK, TechRound, GB News, The Irish Star US, The Mirror, MSN and AOL.
Cotter is an advisor to founders, artists, and executives on brand positioning, reputation, corporate social responsibility, and strategic communications. As an openly gay transgender professional, Dylan Thomas Cotter is committed to fostering inclusive, respectful, and affirming work environments.
His latest book, THINK LIKE A TRANSGENDER THOUGHT LEADER, is out now, and his memoir, TRANSGENDER & TRIGGERING THE LIFE OF DYLAN THOMAS COTTER, is available now at Barnes & Noble, Harvard Book Store, Book Soup, and Skylight Books, amongst other fine retailers, and is distributed worldwide through IngramSpark.