Mothers or ‘Egg Producers’? Top HHS Official Rachel Levine Praises Clinic with ‘Gender-Affirming’ Language

Rachel Levine, a transgender woman and Joe Biden’s assistant secretary of health, visited what Levine called an “inspiring” Alaska gender clinic that refers to mothers as “egg producers” this month.

Identity Alaska is an Anchorage nonprofit and healthcare clinic that aims to “advance Alaska’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, two-spirited + community through advocacy, education, health care and connectivity.” Levine thanked the clinic for providing “lifesaving medical care.”

Levine visits many gender clinics, and often lauds “gender-affirming care,” as “life-saving.” The health official has promised that medical transitions for minors has the Biden administration’s full support.

“You, the children that you serve, the young people that you serve, their families, and you all have support at the highest levels of the federal government,” Levine said at an event in March. “President Biden supports you. I as the Assistant Secretary for Health will support you and I talk about this topic, everywhere I go, to get the word out.”

Identity Alaska publishes resources that recommend replacing the word “mother” with “egg producer,” or “carrier.” The terms “gestational parent” or “birth parent” are also good words to de-gender language, the clinic mentions. Much of the clinic’s guidance comes from Gender Inclusive Biology, a curriculum guide that seeks to “adapt existing biology” to grow a “gender-inclusive curriculum.” Gender Inclusive Biology tells teachers to ask questions such as, “How can we affirm our transgender and intersex students when we talk about X and Y chromosomes,” “How will students with same-sex parents interpret and internalize our lessons about meiosis and sexual reproduction,” and “Can we create safe spaces of scientific exploration and protect trans youth in schools?” The curriculum is specifically designed for science teachers.

Men aren’t exempt from gender-neutral language changes: Identity Alaska’s resources recommend that men be called “testicle-having people” or “those with testicles.”

Levine is America’s highest-ranking openly transgender federal employee. A biological male, Levine became a husband and father of two before transitioning at the age of 54. He divorced his wife in 2013 and was confirmed by the Senate in 2021. He was named one of USA Today’s women of the year in 2022.