The UK’s public broadcaster has faced harsh backlash and criticism from women’s rights groups after describing women as “people who are assigned female at birth.”
The remarks were made this week in a BBC article on the medical condition endometriosis, which affects a woman’s uterus-lining, ovaries and fallopian tubes.
The phrase “assigned female at birth” is a term commonly used in transgender activist circles. It implies that when a seemingly male or female baby is born, one cannot tell what their true gender is until they grow up and explicitly inform others that they identify as a man, woman or something else entirely.
In response, hundreds of women complained, including best-selling pregnancy author Milli Hill.
Dear @BBCNews, sex is not 'assigned at birth'. Saying '1 in 10 people' obscures the stat. Also, the reason there is 'no known cause or cure' is undoubtedly because this is an issue that only affects women, and has been consistently overlooked. https://t.co/z9z0gtzLbn pic.twitter.com/R7rketniua
— Milli Hill (@millihill) March 26, 2022
“Dear @BBCNews,” said Hill.
“Sex is not ‘assigned at birth’. Saying ‘1 in 10 people’ obscures the stat. Also, the reason there is ‘no known cause or cure’ is undoubtedly because this is an issue that only
affects women, and has been consistently overlooked.”
Hill previously was the subject of controversy in 2020 after she challenged the use of the term “birthing people.”
A UK best-selling author has told the @MailOnline how she was 'cancelled' for taking issue with the term 'birthing people' instead of women. 🤰 #InTheNewshttps://t.co/4wUxvHRPmS
— Christian Concern (@CConcern) July 13, 2021
Additionally, Conservative Party MP Nickie Aiken weighed in.
“Like 51% of UK population I was born not assigned a woman at birth,” said Aiken.
“And after circa 500 periods, two pregnancies & labours & now the menopause I can confirm it ain’t no picnic so I can’t imagine what it is like to live with #endometriosis as well. #womenshealth”
Good work @millihill
Like 51% of UK pop I was born not assigned a woman at birth. And after circa 500 periods, two pregnancies & labours & now the menopause I can confirm it ain’t no picnic so I can’t imagine what it is like to live with #endometriosis as well. #womenshealth https://t.co/UZdIhUMRTH— Nickie Aiken MP #TwoCities (@twocitiesnickie) March 27, 2022
After the backlash, the article was updated to read “women,” with the broadcaster apparently rolling back on their initial wording.
Thank you to the many people who complained about this article yesterday, @BBCNews have now updated it. Screenshots of before and after. https://t.co/z9z0gtzLbn pic.twitter.com/UKqmZW7bsb
— Milli Hill (@millihill) March 27, 2022
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