ESPN reporter Katie Barnes recently expressed skepticism that there is sufficient scientific evidence to support claims that transgender athletes should not compete against biological women due to unfair advantages.
Appearing on CNN’s “The Lead” with Jake Tapper, Barnes was asked about the commonly held argument that transgender competitors in women’s leagues have biological advantages and whether there is scientific evidence to back it.
Barnes claimed that based on her journalistic insights, she acknowledges the inherent differences between males and females and their implications for athletic performance. However, the ESPN host claimed it is “challenging” to argue that restrictions have scientific support.
“I think it depends on what you mean by support that,” Barnes stated. “From my reporting, the reality is that from a scientific perspective, we know that there are differences in sexes, and we know the differences do tend to lead to athletic performance differences as well. However, when we look at broad-based restrictions at all levels of sport, it’s very challenging to say that scientifically that is supported in all cases.”
Barnes suggested that universal restrictions may not be efficacious, as some sports might have different requirements. Barnes emphasized her opinion that there isn’t enough “literature” to support the idea that transgender women have an unfair advantage “in all sports at all times.”
“Meaning that, something that might be appropriate for swimming does not necessarily apply to basketball, when it comes to individual sports versus team sports, as well as level of competition. So, I think the idea that transgender women have an advantage in all sports at all times regardless of any kind of medical transition, I don’t think that the scientific literature supports that at this time.” Watch the interview below:
Disgusting. CNN's Jake Tapper brought in a non-binary ESPN writer (who uses "they"/"them" pronouns) to denounce the #NAIA's new policy to protect women's sports from biological men.
The guest, Katie Barnes, claims that it's not scientifically proven that biological men would… pic.twitter.com/sI4unT2aKM
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 9, 2024
The British Journal of Sports Medicine published a study in 2021 concluding that transgender female athletes sustain an advantage over biological women up to a year after hormone therapy treatment. However, additional expert opinion has suggested it may take even longer for hormone therapy to negate advantages, particularly at the elite level.
Dr. Timothy Roberts, the director of the adolescent medicine training program at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, stated, “For the Olympic level, the elite level, I’d say probably two years is more realistic than one year. At one year, the trans women on average still have an advantage over the cis women.”
Barnes further commented on the recent decision from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which banned transgender athletes from competing against women in the sports it has authority over.
“I think it’s reflective of the times that we are in terms of, for the last 3 or 4 years, we have seen most policy updates, when it comes to transgender athletes, be reflective of restriction and this seems to fall right in line with that,” Barnes said.
The American Tribune reported on the recent NAIA ban, which has garnered praise from conservatives and female sports activists. “We know there are a lot of different opinions out there,” NAIA President Jim Carr told CBS Sports. “For us, we believed our first responsibility was to create fairness and competition in the NAIA. … We also think it aligns with the reasons Title IX was created. You’re allowed to have separate but equal opportunities for women to compete.”
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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