Stephen A. Smith Voices Opposition to Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has made his position clear in the ongoing discussion about transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports. During an appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Smith stated, “Biological males should not be competing against biological girls in sports.” His comment came after a discussion on the policies regarding transgender women in the Olympics.

He emphasized the need to protect young women, expressing concern over the implications of allowing biological males to compete. “What about protecting young women? Young women standing up to biological men, biological men, and there’s no excuse for that,” he said.

Smith referenced Leah Thomas, a former swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania. He pointed out her previous ranking, noting that “Leah Thomas was a man, but he was over 400th in the world rankings. … And then he became a woman. … And he came in at No. 1. Well… does it really take Einstein to realize that there’s something wrong with that picture?”

In past comments, Smith has conveyed similar sentiments regarding women’s sports and transgender participation. In a February 2025 interview, he remarked, “So, that’s the way I look at it. LGBTQ rights and all that stuff, I fully support that, but when you have transgender athletes, men transitioning to women and participating in women’s sports, it’s a different animal to me.” He stressed that while he supports LGBTQ rights, the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports disadvantages biological females.

His comments arose around the same time as former President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aimed to limit transgender women from competing in women’s sports, directing federal agencies to interpret Title IX based on biological sex at birth. This move led to changes in NCAA policies to align with Trump’s order.