inda mitchell

A clear example of why language matters in reporting on "men in women's sports." This weekend, biological male AB Hernandez — a California high school senior who previously competed in girls' volleyball — switched to track and field and dominated the girls' jumping events. Female athletes trained for years watched a male competitor take the podium and the victories that should have been theirs. A guest in this news clip this morning rightly described the scene as "discouraging" and "heartbreaking" for the girls who know they "cannot beat a male." Yet even on a conservative outlet, FOX News, the on-air host, @CarleyShimkus, repeatedly referred to Hernandez as "she," "her," "biological trans daughter," and "trans female daughter." The segment highlighted Hernandez's mother's claim that the impact on her child was so severe she had to take a leave from work to protect her "trans female daughter's safety and emotional well-being," framing the male athlete as the primary VICTIM. This is not an isolated slip. Mainstream outlets (PBS, NYT, ESPN, etc.) routinely use female pronouns and identifiers for male competitors as a matter of corporate policy, presenting them as women. That framing obscures the biological reality for viewers who aren't steeped in the debate: a male athlete identifying as female is competing in the female category, displacing girls from medals, podiums, scholarships, and records. The core issue is straightforward: Should biological males compete in women's and girls' sports? Fairness, safety, and the integrity of female categories depend on sex-based divisions, not self-identification. Decades of sports science, physiology, and performance data show consistent male advantages in strength, speed, power, and jumping events that do not disappear with testosterone suppression or identity. When even conservative outlets such as Fox adopt the preferred pronouns and "trans daughter" language without clear qualification, it muddies that simple reality for the broader public. Casual viewers hear "she won the girls' triple jump" and assume it's a female athlete — not a male one who just posted a three-foot advantage over the best girls. Accurate journalism doesn't require snark or cruelty. It requires precision: biological male, male athlete, competing in the girls' category. The girls who trained, competed, and lost opportunities deserve that clarity. So does the public trying to understand why this policy debate exists in the first place.

We at @DefendingEd filed a Title IX complaint against Smith College for taking federal funds, without compliance with federal law. You cannot have one without the other. Sex does not mean "gender identity," and the Supreme Court has never held otherwise.

A trans-identified male student took first place at a girls' track championship final in California last week, beating his own sister for gold. Paul "Lina" Haaga is the grandson of a former @NPR executive. reduxx.info/male-student-w…