NBC News issued an on-air explanation Tuesday about quoting the terms "biological male" and "biological female," language drawn directly from the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on transgender athletes in women's sports."Just a quick note here," anchor Craig Melvin said during the morning broadcast."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," he added.DEMOCRATS REVOLT OVER 'BIOLOGICAL' WORDING IN WOMEN'S HISTORY MUSEUM BILLThe U.S Supreme Court is seen on June 25, 2026 in Washington, DC.
(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)NBC News’ White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell had been on the air for a special report about the Supreme Court ruling to uphold state laws barring transgender girls and women from participating in school athletic teams, and she had used the "biological" terms several times.She went on to clarify and seemingly downplay the decision, telling viewers, "it is also notable that it is narrow in the sense of the numbers of transgender athletes who are seeking to compete — that that is a very small pool, in many ways."The decision by NBC to explain using the phrase drew ridicule online, with legal expert Jonathan Turley commenting, "This is how the press becomes a parody of itself."ABC’s Supreme Court reporter, Devin Dwyer, described the ruling as "a blow" to members of the transgender community "on this last day of Pride Month," and described the transgender-identifying plaintiffs who challenged the lower court’s ruling, saying they "bravely brought this case."EDUCATION SECRETARY LINDA MCMAHON RIPS CALIFORNIA TRANS ATHLETE ‘COMPROMISE,’ TELLS NEWSOM TO ‘PICK A SIDE’Defenders of female sports categories gather in front of the U.S.Supreme Court as they wait for rulings on June 30, 2026, in Washington,...