USA Today Removes References To Transgender Athletes As ‘Male’ In High School Track Star’s Op-Ed, Calls It ‘Hurtful Language’

USA Today edited an op-ed it published earlier this week to remove all mention of transgender student athletes as biologically male.

Former high school athlete Chelsea Mitchell wrote Saturday in USA Today about her ongoing legal battle against the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) to ban biologically male athletes from girls’ sports. The outlet edited Mitchell’s work Wednesday, taking out every instance that Mitchell referred to transgender competitors as male. USA Today tacked on an editor’s note to the top of Mitchell’s piece saying it had been edited to remove “hurtful language.”