BBC presenter Martine Croxall corrects ‘pregnant people’ to ‘women’ and receives praise from J.K. Rowling

During a live broadcast on Saturday lunchtime, BBC News presenter Martine Croxall appeared to defy gendered language by correcting the term "pregnant people" to "women" while reading a report on advice for vulnerable people during heatwaves in the United Kingdom.

The correction, accompanied by verbal emphasis and an eyebrow-raising gesture, generated an immediate reaction on social media, including an endorsement from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.

The report, based on research into heat-related deaths, included a direct quote that used the term "pregnant people," inclusive language that acknowledges that some non-binary people or trans men may be pregnant.

However, Croxall added "women" immediately after reading the sentence, which was interpreted as a deliberate correction.

J.K. Rowling’s “new favorite”

J.K. Rowling, known for her critical stances toward transgender policies, shared a clip of the moment on her X account and wrote: "I have a new favorite BBC presenter."

The author, who advocates that the definition of a woman should be based on biological sex, has repeatedly questioned the use of gender-neutral terms such as "pregnant people" and the fact generated various reactions on X.

The BBC style guide

The BBC does not have a specific policy on the use of gender-neutral terms, but its style guide indicates that journalists should employ people's preferred pronouns, referring, for example, to a person born male living as a "transgender woman" and using the pronoun "she."

However, a recent ruling by the U.K. Supreme Court that women are defined by their biological sex and not their gender identity has called these guidelines into question.

Meanwhile, the BBC has not issued official comments on what happened, and the focus is on how the network will address these issues in the future, especially in the wake of the recent court ruling.