DOE probing athletic associations over transgender athlete policies
ESPN star Stephen A. Smith made his stance on trans inclusion in girls and women’s sports clear during an interview on radio row in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl LIX.
Smith appeared in an interview for Bloomberg last week to talk about his political aspirations. The clip was published on Saturday. He said he considered himself to be a “centrist” when it came to political leanings, but when it came to trans athletes playing in women’s sports, that’s where he took a different line.
Sadie Schreiner holds a transgender flag after finishing third in the finals of the 200m race at the NCAA DIII outdoor track and field championships on May 25, 2024. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“So that’s how I look at it. LGBTQ rights and all that stuff, I’m in full support of that, but when transgender athletes, men are transitioning to women and they’re competing in female sports, that’s a different animal to me,” he said.
“That’s not just about LGBTQ rights. That’s about prying on the rights of females out there everywhere who were born female, and they’re at a decided disadvantage.”
Smith’s stance came as President Donald Trump signed an executive order to bar transgender athletes from competing against women and girls.
CA LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL PROTECTING GIRLS FROM TRANS ATHLETES AFTER STATE REFUSES TO FOLLOW TRUMP’S ORDER
Stephen A. Smith on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on Oct. 23, 2024. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
The NCAA followed Trump’s executive order and changed its policy.
Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick for education secretary, also said she didn’t believe trans athletes should compete against women and girls in sports.
“I do not believe that biological boys should be able to compete against girls in sports, and I think now that certainly not only have the people spoken, because that was something that Trump ran very heavily on, but I believe the court has spoken,” McMahon said.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s or girls’ sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America (CWA) legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of “Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls and women’s bathrooms,” as important to them. And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was “very important.”
