A Harvard University professor who refuses to use the term 'pregnant people' has been met with criticism.
Carole Hooven has said staff at the top university are being encouraged not to use the words 'male' and 'female', which she says is 'frustrating'.
Speaking to Fox News last week, Hooven said: "I've been feeling pretty frustrated over the last five years or so. It's been gradual.
"This kind of ideology has been infiltrating science. It's infiltrating my classroom, to some extent.
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"Part of that science is teaching the facts.
"And the facts are that there are in fact two sexes - there are male and female - and those sexes are designated by the kind of gametes we produce.
"Do we make eggs, big sex cells, or little sex cells, sperm. And that's how we know whether someone is male or female.
"And the ideology seems to be that biology really isn't as important as how somebody feels about themselves, or feels their sex to be."
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Hooven urged other educators not to 'back away from using certain terms' that they may think others will 'find offensive'.
However she went on to say that these 'facts' don't prevent people from treating others with respect.
She added: "You know, we can treat people with respect and respect their gender identities and use their preferred pronouns.
"So understanding the facts about biology doesn't prevent us from treating people with respect."
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But not everyone at Harvard agrees with Hooven.
Shortly after the interview, Laura Simone Lewis tweeted: "As the Director of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force for my dept @HarvardHEB, I am appalled and frustrated by the transphobic and harmful remarks made by a member of my dept in this interview with Fox and Friends.
"Let's be clear: if you respect diverse gender identities & aim to use correct pronouns, then you would know that people with diverse genders/sexes can be pregnant incl Trans men, intersex people & gender nonconforming people. That isn't too hard for medical students to understand.
"Inclusive language like 'pregnant people' demonstrates respect for EVERYONE who has the ability to get pregnant, not just cis women. It is vital to teach med students gender inclusive language, as they will certainly interact with people that identify outside the gender binary."
Featured Image Credit: Fox NewsTopics: US News