A Harvard biology professor has been deemed “transphobic” for rejecting the term “pregnant people.”
Carole Hooven, a Harvard biology professor for 20 years now, has spoken out about her frustration with the fact that she and other academics are being vigorously encouraged to use gender-neutral terminology instead of the words “male” and “female.”
“…the debate over sex differences has become over-politicized, leading to bad science…one of my takeaways from Hooven’s reality-based approach is that it makes culture even more important, not less.” Thanks for interesting convo @RichardvReeves https://t.co/XR4knMBMyW
— Carole Hooven (@hoovlet) July 19, 2021
As noted by Unilad, the biologist, claims that this shift in language has come in gradually over the last few years.
Hooven, who has also authored the book T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone That Dominates and Divides Us, told Fox News:
“This kind of ideology has been infiltrating science. It’s infiltrating my classroom, to some extent. I’ve been feeling pretty frustrated over the last five years or so. It’s been gradual.
Part of that science is teaching the facts. And the facts are that there are in fact two sexes – there are male and female – and those sexes are designated by the kind of gametes we produce. Do we make eggs, big sex cells, or little sex cells, sperm? And that’s how we know whether someone is male or female.”
The Harvard academic concluded:
“And the ideology seems to be that biology really isn’t as important as how somebody feels about themselves, or feels their sex to be.”
Laura Simone Lewis, director of the department’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, said she was “appalled and frustrated” by Hooven’s words.
Let’s be clear: if you respect diverse gender identities & aim to use correct pronouns, then you would know that people with diverse genders/sexes can be pregnant incl Trans men, intersex people & gender nonconforming people. That isn't too hard for medical students to understand
— Laura Simone Lewis (@LauraSimoneLew) July 30, 2021
According to Lewis, the Harvard professor’s remarks were “transphobic and harmful.” In a Twitter thread, she explained:
“Inclusive language like “pregnant people” demonstrates respect for EVERYONE who has the ability to get pregnant, not just cis women. It is vital to teach med students gender inclusive language, as they will certainly interact with people that identify outside the gender binary.”
Lewis also expressed respect for Hooven “as a colleague and scientist.” However, she noted that her “dangerous language perpetuates a system of discrimination against non-cis people within the med system.”
Do you agree academics should use gender-neutral terminology? What do you think of the term “pregnant people”? Let us know in the comment section!
