Stephen A. Smith Supports Riley Gaines in Simone Biles Transgender Sports Debate

Stephen A. Smith publicly supported Riley Gaines' stance against transgender women competing in female sports during a discussion on "The Stephen A. Smith Show," emphasizing fairness and the protection of women's rights under Title IX. While Smith agreed "one thousand percent" with Gaines' viewpoint on excluding biological males from women's sports, he criticized Gaines for invoking the disgraced former Olympic doctor Larry Nassar in her argument, calling that reference "going a bit too far" and cruel. Gaines described her discomfort with men in female locker rooms under trans inclusion as a form of sexual abuse, a point Smith ultimately acknowledged as valid based on her personal experiences. The dispute between Gaines and Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles began after Biles defended transgender athletes and made personal attacks on Gaines following Gaines' criticism of a Minnesota girls' softball team featuring a transgender player. Smith noted that many women share Gaines' concerns about fairness in sports, citing the example of Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete whose performance shift sparked debate. Overall, Smith balanced his agreement with Gaines' policy position with a call for respectful discourse, distancing himself from Gaines' more controversial comments.