NBC apologizes for biology after Supreme Court Title IX ruling

NBC apologizes for biology after Supreme Court Title IX ruling


NBC’s Title IX disclaimer may have said more than the Supreme Court ruling itself.

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision upholding state laws that restrict girls’ and women’s sports to biological females was expected to ignite fierce political debate.

What many Americans probably didn’t expect was to see a national news network effectively issue a disclaimer before repeating the language used by the Supreme Court itself.

In a ruling involving challenges to laws in Idaho and West Virginia, the Court determined that states may separate athletic competition on the basis of biological sex without violating Title IX or the Equal Protection Clause. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, emphasized the longstanding role of sex-based classifications in athletics and the state’s interest in protecting competitive fairness for female athletes.


The decision was immediately praised by advocates for women’s sports, including former NCAA swimmer Paula Scanlan and other athletes who have argued that biological differences matter in competition. Supporters called the ruling a major victory for Title IX and for the female athletes the law was originally designed to protect.

But while the legal battle may have reached a milestone, another battle quickly erupted in the media.

During NBC’s coverage of the decision, a reporter paused to tell viewers:

“Just a quick note here. The terms that we’re using here during our reporting, biological male, biological female, the high court put those terms in quotations in their decision and their dissent. But just so you know, we’re using those terms from the decision itself, biological male, biological female.”

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