Department of Health and Human Services Updates Definitions of Female, Male

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. listens during a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz., on Aug. 23, 2024. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Feb. 19 issued new guidance updating its official definitions of terms such as sex, female, and male as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to restore “the concept of biological truth” in the federal government.

It is one of the first actions taken by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. following his confirmation last week.

The guidance was released to the U.S. government, external partners, and the public to “expand on the clear sex-based definitions” outlined in a January executive order signed by Trump, called “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

That order stated, in part, that the Trump administration “will defend women’s rights and protect freedom of conscience by using clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male.”

The new HHS guidance reiterates the Trump administration’s stance that male and female are the only two sexes and that they cannot be changed.

Specifically, it defines the term “sex” as “a person’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.”

Female is defined as “a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing eggs,” while male is defined as “a person of the sex characterized by a reproductive system with the biological function of producing sperm.”

A woman is “an adult human female.” A man is “an adult human male,” the guidance states.

A mother is described as a female parent and a father is described as a male parent.

The HHS will use these definitions and promote policies acknowledging that “women are biologically female and men are biologically male,” according to the guidance.

“This administration is bringing back common sense and restoring biological truth to the federal government,” Kennedy said in a statement. “The prior administration’s policy of trying to engineer gender ideology into every aspect of public life is over.”

Athlete Riley Gaines Praises Trump’s ‘Clarity, Decisiveness’

In conjunction with the new guidance defining the two sexes, HHS also launched a new website that includes information and resources for “protecting women and children.”

The website features a video from former National Collegiate Athletic Association competitive swimmer Riley Gaines defending a recent ban on men participating in women’s sports.

Gaines, who has regularly advocated for such a ban, can be seen in the video thanking Trump for taking swift action to protect female athletes.

“The clarity and decisiveness of this administration sends a strong, clear message to women and girls across the country that we matter,” Gaines said.

The website also features a blog post by Dr. Dorothy Fink, an endocrinologist who served as acting HHS secretary before Kennedy assumed his new role, on the various sports-related conditions faced by women and girls competing in athletics.

“In health care, sex distinctions can influence disease presentation, diagnosis, and treatment differently in females and males,” Fink said in a statement. “HHS recognizes that biological differences between females and males require sex-specific practices in medicine and research to ensure optimal health outcomes.”

The latest guidance represents a shift from the previous administration’s stance on gender identity.

Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one of the agencies under HHS, defined sex as “an individual’s biological status as male, female, or something else,” while gender was defined as “the cultural roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes expected of people based on their sex.”

In the United States, 1.6 million people over the age of 13 identify as transgender, according to the Williams Institute.

Reuters contributed to this report.