‘I’m Ashamed!’ Malcolm Gladwell Says ‘Trans Athletes Have No Place in the Female Category’ — Claims He Was Publicly ‘Cowed’ Into Saying Otherwise

Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell said he is “ashamed” that he was “cowed” into staying silent about his belief that transgender women should never participate in female sports.

Gladwell, during an appearance on The Real Science of Sport podcast on Tuesday, admitted he regretted his participation in the 2022 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, in which he moderated a panel focused on the increase of transgender athletes; the panel, according to a Sloan blurb, aimed to find “the path forward for the inclusion” of transgender athletes.

“If we did a replay of that exact panel… it would be, I suspect, near unanimity in the room that trans athletes have no place in the female category. I don’t think there’s any question,” Gladwell said.

Gladwell, during his podcast appearance, said he believed 90% of people felt that way at the time — but only 5% were willing to publicly admit it.

Dr. Ross Tucker, one of the panelists on the 2022 Sloan panel that Gladwell moderated, is one of the co-hosts of The Real Science of Sport; he has previously said it is unfair for people who were born male to compete against women after they have transitioned.

“The reason I’m ashamed of my performance on that panel [is] because I share your position 100%, and I was cowed,” Gladwell told Dr. Tucker.

The Outliers author added the panel was the exact moment he realized the trans movement had “gone to the furthest extreme.”

“They’re not asking for, you know, a place at the table. They’re not asking to be treated with respect and dignity. What they’re asking is for no one to question the considerable physical, physiological advantage they bring to the sport.”

Trans activists, he continued, would yell “suck it up!” to those who dared question if it was fair to have trans women compete against women, even when they were smashing records and easily winning competitions.

Gladwell added he believed the whole debate is “much larger” than sports — it is a political and social issue that needs to be examined seriously.

You can watch the full interview via Youtube above; the trans discussion starts right away.