Media top headlines May 27
USA Today changing 'male' to 'transgender' in a female athlete's column on competing against transgender females and more round out today's top media headlines
USA Today was the focus of intense criticism this week following its decision to edit an op-ed written by former female Connecticut high school track star Chelsea Mitchell opposing the participation of transgender athletes in girls' sports.
The liberal paper originally published Mitchell's op-ed on Saturday but updated it with an editor's note on Wednesday, apologizing for what it referred to as "hurtful language" and stating it was changed to reflect "USA Today's standards and style guidelines."
The language in question: Mitchell's use of the word "male" to describe the biologically male transgender athletes she was writing about. The updated version now reads "transgender" in each instance Mitchell used the word "male."
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Christiana Holcomb, legal counsel for the organization working with Mitchell and other female athletes to legally fight the inclusion of biologically born male athletes in girls' sports, released a statement on social media slamming the changes. She also linked to the original text of Mitchell's op-ed.
In response to Holcomb's revelations of the changes, USA Today was excoriated on social media with critics blasting the liberal paper's actions as "insane" and "very bad form." Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway called its actions "garbage."
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Mitchell appeared Thursday alongside Holcomb on "Fox & Friends" to discuss the changes to her op-ed, explaining she used the term "male" to make a clear distinction between biological males and females.
"When talking about this case, we want to be as clear as possible that this is simply about biology. So that's why we use biological terms when talking about it," Mitchell said. "For them [USA Today] to change it is really frustrating just because without that our case, kind of, just goes out the window."
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The lawsuit brought by Mitchell and other athletes against the Connecticut Association of Schools over its policy allowing athletes to participate in sports based on gender identity was dismissed by a federal judge in April. Holcomb told Fox News Thursday that the court was wrong and vowed to press forward with the case.
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