According to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) latest “depiction guidelines”, using the terms “biological male” and “biological female” to describe transgender athletes is “problematic”.
IOC updated The guidelines This week we featured how Olympic and external media should appropriately report on the diverse identities of athletes. This third edition also includes a list of “problematic” terms to avoid when reporting on transgender athletes competing in the Olympics.
In a section that lists “biological male” and “biological female” as “problematic terms”, the IOC guide states that “a person’s sex is not determined solely by genetic information and aspects of their biology may change as a result of undergoing gender reassignment medical treatment.”
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Ahead of the Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee released a language guide asking the media to refrain from referring to transgender athletes as “biological males” or “female.” (AP Photo/Aurélien Molissard, File)
The language guide was published on Thursday, just weeks before this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris, and a press release accompanying the guide explained its purpose as “raising awareness of female athletes and how their portrayal differs from that of male athletes.”
“The guidelines provide practical checklists and advice to ensure that all athletes are represented equally and fairly in all forms of media and communication,” it added.
The guide gives tips on how to overcome “gender-based preconceptions” and “stereotypes”, for example.
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The article briefly covered the “major barriers” to equal portrayal in sports, such as the “lower visibility” of female athletes compared to their male counterparts when it comes to media coverage, and also offered guidance on how to write about female athletes in a non-sexist way.
In one instance, the journalist was instructed to write, “She is an extraordinary athlete,” rather than, “She is the next Michael Phelps.”
The guide also touches on the reality of the gender pay gap and how female athletes are commented on more than their male counterparts, and includes comments from IOC officials condemning sexism.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, chair of the IOC Human Rights Advisory Commission, is quoted in the guide as saying that “stereotypes, discriminatory social norms and lack of representation remain some of the most pervasive barriers to gender equality around the world.”
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Promotional image for the Olympic Games in Paris. (NBC)
The “Language and Terminology” section offered advice such as using words like “mankind” instead of “humankind” and “partner/spouse” instead of words like “husband/wife.”
A “problematic language” section toward the end of the guide categorizes terms related to the biological reality of transgender athletes competing in the games as “harmful language to avoid.”
It said: “Terms to avoid: ‘born male’, ‘born female’, ‘biological male’, ‘biological female’, ‘genetic male’, ‘genetic female’, ‘male to female (MtF)’, ‘female to male (FtM)’.”
“Language such as the above can be dehumanizing and inaccurate when describing gender-diverse transgender athletes and athletes,” the entry said, adding that “it is always preferable to highlight an individual’s actual gender rather than potentially calling into question their identity by referring to the gender category listed on their birth certificate.”
The guide also included words such as “self-identify,” “transgender” and “transsexual” as “words to avoid.”
At the bottom of the page, the guide attributed the section to “GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide and Guide to Coverage of LGBTQ Athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian League Against Defamation) is one of the leading LGBTQ advocacy lobbying groups in the United States.
The IOC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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