Latest news and developments in the national debate over gender ideology:
ACPeds joins in celebrating yesterday’s victory in the SCOTUS ruling in Chiles v. Salazar, protecting freedom of speech and rights of conscience for counselors seeking to provide talk therapy for minors struggling with sex-identity distress, rather than resorting to harmful sex-rejecting interventions. Read the full press release.
IOC Protects Women’s Sports: The International Olympic Committee announced a new policy aimed at protecting the female category in Olympic sports by restricting eligibility in women’s events to females only.
Defining Sex in Scientific Terms: In a new response to a scholarly critique, biologist Colin Wright further develops his argument and provides a clear scientific definition of sex.
AMA Continues Its Support for Sex-Rejecting Interventions: In its March newsletter, the American Medical Association confirmed that its policy supporting sex-rejecting interventions remains unchanged despite growing debate and evidence against these procedures.
Sincerely,
The Biological Integrity Team
The American College of Pediatricians
Olympic Committee Bans Male Participation in Female Sports
Last Thursday, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced a new policy aimed at protecting women in Olympic sports. Under the policy, eligibility for women’s events will exclude all male participants, verified through a one-time genetic test screening for the SRY gene on the Y chromosome.
The rule will take effect beginning with the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and will apply across Olympic sports and qualifying events. Athletes who do not meet the criteria will still be able to compete in male, mixed, or open categories.
This significant decision will ensure safety and fairness in female sports, given that male athletes have a physiological advantage. To learn more about biological differences between the two sexes, be sure to check out our factsheet on male participation in female sports.
Major Scholar Responds to a Critique with a Scientific Definition of Sex
Last week, Colin Wright—a biologist and academic advisor for the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine—published a detailed response to Dr. Dana Mahr’s critique of his 2025 article, “Why There Are Exactly Two Sexes.” In this new article, Wright further develops his argument and offers an excellent scientific definition of sex grounded in biological evidence.
While the article is important for understanding the definition of sex, it also worth highlighting the value of respectful scholarly dialogue between academics with opposing views. Despite supporting a pro-trans perspective, Mahr engages Wright’s argument without resorting to ad hominem attacks, demonstrating a level of academic civility that is often absent in activist debates.
AMA Continues to Support Sex-Rejecting Interventions
In a March newsletter, the American Medical Association (AMA) clarified that it continues to support sex-rejecting interventions for minors and that its policy is unchanged. Following a recent meeting with representatives from several organizations, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the AMA reaffirmed its support for these interventions despite increasing evidence documenting the harms of chemical and surgical sex-rejecting treatments.
In contrast, the ASPS released a statement after the meeting expressing opposition to such procedures. For many years, AMA has supported sex-rejecting interventions, advocating for medical organizations and insurance providers to adopt their policies.
