Celebrated author says he was ‘cowed’ into supporting trans athletes
Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell on Tuesday publicly reversed his support for allowing transgender-identifying men to participate in women’s sports, saying he was “cowed” into it.
In 2022, Gladwell led a panel discussion on trans athletes at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, where he came out in support of allowing men to compete against women. It wasn’t until Tuesday that he recanted his position.
“If we did a replay of that exact panel at the Sloan conference this coming March, it runs in exactly the opposite direction,” he said on “The Real Science of Sport” podcast. “And 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 . . . I'm ashamed of my performance at that panel because I share your position 100%. And I was cowed. The idea of saying anything on this issue . . . I was objective in a dishonest way.”
Gladwell’s remarks were welcomed by many on social media, though some withheld praise.
“I'm glad that all of these people are finally coming over to the sane side on this issue but this is not a forgive and forget situation,” commented Matt Walsh. “If you were 'cowed' into denying basic biological reality, you have permanently lost your credibility. We can never trust you again.”
Americans overwhelmingly oppose men in women’s sports
In January, a New York Times/Ipsos survey found that most Americans are fed up with gender ideology and oppose transgender policies. The poll of over 2,100 American voters revealed that eight in ten say men should be banned from women’s sports, including those who claim to be female. The number included 94% of Republicans and 67% of Democrats.
The survey results match those of a Napolitan poll published last year which found that 75% of Americans want men banned from women’s sports, bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers, while 13% say men should be allowed in those spaces as long as they pretend to be female.
A more recent study found that 77% of college students believe that biological sex, not “gender identity,” should be recognized in areas like sports, healthcare, or data collection. However, many are afraid to voice this opinion in public.
