Transgender

Is Nikki Hiltz a biological man as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: Hiltz was assigned female at birth. Hiltz has openly identified as transgender and nonbinary, opting for they/them gender pronouns, since 2021. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 2, 2024. Above an image of Hiltz…

While discussing a flash poll after CNN's June 27, 2024, presidential debate, did CNN Political Director David Chalian use a name for former first lady Michelle Obama that implied she is a transgender male? No, that's not true: Chalian did not call Michelle Obama "Big Mike." The 31-second-long video clip used to make this claim includes AI-generated fake audio. While…

Did the Canadian Cancer Society "apologize" for using the word "cervix" instead of "front hole"? No, that's not true: The organization added a note to one of the articles published on its website explaining a rationale for the Society's current stand on the matter. The disclaimer did not contain any explicit wording indicating that the purpose of the note was…

Has Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship Division I title, been exclusively banned from competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, as a post on Facebook implied? No, that's not true: The International Olympic Committee outlined a framework for all transgender and intersex athletes. However, national committees oversee athletic participation in their respective…

Did the U.S. Olympic Committee say that American swimmer Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship Division I title, is "welcome to try out for the men's team," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: The spoof article that made the claim was published by SpaceX Arena, a satirical website. SpaceX…

Does an image show a legitimate "pedosexual" acceptance flyer that lumps pedophilia into the acronym LGBT? No, that's not true: The "flyer" is a fabricated document designed and spread by online networks that are biased against LGBTQ+ causes. Pedophilia is not an accepted sexuality under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly Twitter,…

Does a video at a hospital show a transgender man being handed and then holding his surrogate baby? No, that's not true: The man in the video, Joseph Hughes, identifies as gay but not transgender. The video shows Hughes with his newborn baby at the hospital. He is a father to twins, born via in vitro fertilization and surrogacy. The…

Did Germany pass a law that includes fines of up to 10,000 euros for using a wrong pronoun while referring to a transgender person? No, that's not true: The law specifically says that what is punishable is a malicious disclosure of that person's birth gender or of their deadname (the name they used prior to transition) without their consent. It…

Does eating the inside of a burnt orange mixed with brown sugar repair a person's sense of taste and smell? No, that's not true: An ear, nose and throat surgeon told Lead Stories that "no treatment ... has been shown to repair the sense of taste and smell." Restoring those two senses typically requires addressing underlying health issues, consulting with…

Did a video showing a man asking a city council to legalize sports gambling after he made money betting on transgender athletes capture a real-life, authentic story? No, that's not true: The man participated in the production of a comedy show hosted by a comedian known for orchestrating bizarre appearances at various public meetings. Both men spoke on the same…