One of ESPN’s biggest stars has spoken out against the Biden administration’s plan to reform rules around transgender participation in sport – breaking with her network and arguing that allowing trans women to compete alongside biological women was unfair.
ESPN has been supportive of trans women in competition, and last month included transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in their segment devoted to Women’s History Month.
But Samantha Ponder, host of Sunday NFL Countdown, said she did not agree with trans women in competition.
She spoke out amid a heated debate sparked by the Biden administration’s proposed reform of Title IX.
Samantha Ponder, a ESPN reporter, on Wednesday spoke out against the Biden administration’s proposed reform of Title IX, arguing it would allow trans women to compete against biological women, which she felt was unfair
Riley Gaines (right) is seen in March 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia, having swam against Lia Thomas (left) at the NCAA championships
Title IX, introduced in 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.
The Biden administration proposed reform to the law, which would prevent a blanket ban on trans people in school sports. Any school which introduced such a ban would no longer receive federal funding.
The Biden administration say that they find it unlikely there would ever be justification from banning trans children at elementary school from competing.
The plan would, however, allow for a ban on trans athletes for ‘fairness in competition’ – paving the way for a potential ban on athletes such as Lia Thomas.
The vague nature of the ruling has managed to anger both those backing the inclusion of trans people in sport, and those campaigning against it.
Lia Thomas said the proposed change to the law did not go far enough in guaranteeing trans people the right to compete.
Riley Gaines, a swimmer who raced Thomas in 2022, and has since become an outspoken campaigner against trans women in sport, said the Biden plan did not do enough to block trans athletes.
‘The Biden Admins proposed bill denies science, truth, and common sense,’ Gaines tweeted.
‘This take is selfish and shows an utter disregard for women.
‘The Biden Administration is actively and aggressively working to pass laws that erase decent and fair treatment for women in sports. @POTUS.’
Lia Thomas is seen in the ESPN clip describing how transitioning was the only option for her
Texas-born Thomas is seen in action for the University of Pennsylvania
Ponder agreed with Gaines, tweeting on Wednesday: ‘This would take away so many opportunities for biological women and girls in sports.
‘It is a shame that we are needing to fight for the integrity of Title IX in 2023 and the reason it was needed in the first place. #savewomensports.’
In April 2016, ESPN fired Curt Schilling, a baseball analyst for ESPN and former Boston Red Sox pitcher, over his comments about transgender bathrooms.
Schilling shared a Facebook post that mocked critics of recent laws passed in North Carolina and other states restricting transgender men and women from using the public restrooms that correspond with their gender preferences.
Schilling added his own comment to the post, criticizing transgender people.
‘A man is a man no matter what they call themselves,’ Schilling wrote.
‘I don’t care what they are, who they sleep with, men’s room was designed for the penis, women’s not so much. Now you need laws telling us differently? Pathetic.’
Gaines has become one of the most outspoken critics of trans women in sport, joining the likes of Martina Navratilova and Caitlyn Jenner to say it is unfair.
Gaines on Tuesday night appeared on Piers Morgan’s show to discuss the hostile reception she received when invited to give a speech at San Francisco State university, and to talk about her activism.
Gaines swam for the University of Kentucky, ending her college career in 2022 as ‘one of the most decorated swimmers in program history,’ according to the UK website. She became a 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and a five-time SEC champion.
Gaines competed against Thomas, a University of Pennsylvania swimmer, in the NCAA championships in March 2022, and said the experience of racing Thomas – who raced in the men’s competition until 2019 – ‘felt like I was going into the race with my hands tied behind my back.’
Last month Gaines took issue with ESPN’s decision to praise Thomas’s contribution to women’s sport, and tweeted the hashtag ‘Boycott ESPN’.
‘Lia Thomas is not a brave, courageous woman who EARNED a national title,’ Gaines tweeted.
‘He is an arrogant, cheat who STOLE a national title from a hardworking, deserving woman. The @ncaa is responsible.
‘If I was a woman working at ESPN, I would walk out. You’re spineless @espn #boycottESPN.’
ESPN’s segment was titled: ‘Celebrating Women’s History Month’.
A voiceover explained how Thomas made history by becoming the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division One championship, in 2022, in the 500 freestyle.
The Texan-born athlete swam in men’s competitions until beginning their transition in May 2019, and made her debut in the women’s races in December 2021.
‘Being trans is not a choice,’ said Thomas. ‘I didn’t have any other choice because not transitioning was not getting me anywhere.
‘People will say, ‘Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage so she could win.’
‘I transitioned to be happy.’
DailyMail.com has contacted both ESPN and Thomas’s representative, and is yet to hear back.
Thomas became the first trans athlete to win a NCAA Division One championship title
Gaines is seen at a rally in January this year outside of the NCAA Convention in San Antonio
Thomas’s competing as a woman was highly controversial.
The swimmer had been hoping, after graduating, to try for the Paris 2024 Olympics – but that is now looking unlikely given new rules requiring trans athletes to have transitioned before the age of 12, by June 2022.
Gaines, who studied public health and is now beginning dental school, has become one of the most outspoken advocates against trans women in sport.
‘Whether they have different lung capacities, their height, testosterone levels whether they’ve used testosterone blockers or not — it doesn’t suppress going through puberty as a male. Especially Lia, who swam for three years as a male,’ Gaines told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson in April 2022.
‘Lia Thomas has shown extreme selfishness and a major lack of awareness — and just an utter disregard for women.’
Gaines said Thomas’s participation in women’s collegiate swimming is a part of a wider problem in society.
‘We’re watching the denial of the most basic of truths,’ she said.
‘When you can’t acknowledge what a woman is, there’s a huge problem.
‘This is deeper than just sports. This is a systematic erasure of what a woman is.’
