WASHINGTON – On Sunday, The New York Times reported that the Department of Health and Human Services is leading an effort to establish a government-wide legal definition of sex under Title IX as an objective, biological reality, reversing direction from the previous administration’s embrace of subjective “gender identity.”

The story spurred a cascade of strongly negative coverage from major media outlets, with dramatic headlines parroting progressive talking points, most notably that the administration proposal would “define transgender out of existence.”

Terry Schilling, executive director at American Principles Project, released the following statement reacting to the media’s spin:

“It’s certainly not a shock in 2018 when the media embraces left-wing talking points, but this recent effort by the vast majority of media outlets to advocate for President Obama’s radical position of interpreting the legal definition of sex to mean ‘whatever you feel like that day’ is beyond ridiculous. This is a politically fringe policy that was only recently implemented by the previous administration via bureaucratic fiat, and yet the media is behaving as if President Trump has unilaterally repealed the Civil Rights Act.

“The truth is this: sex is a biological reality – XX and XY, female reproductive organs and male reproductive organs. The science has long been settled on this question, and any effort to argue otherwise is clearly based in progressive ideology, not science. The Trump administration is blazing a clear trail on this issue – one which Congress should ultimately follow – and we applaud them for holding strong in the face of opposition from progressive ideologues.”

To schedule an interview with Terry Schilling, contact Paul Dupont at (o) 202-503-2010 or pdupont@americanprinciplesproject.org.