Charles Barkley went full-on scorched-earth against transgender athletes competing in girls or women’s sports in an interview this week with OutKick. He went so far as saying anyone who thinks trans women should be competing against other women are “stupid.”
Barkley isn’t just another anti-LGBTQ talking head on Fox News or OutKick. In addition to being one of the greatest NBA players of all time and an extremely popular TV commentator for TNT and CBS Sports, Barkley has demonstrated a years-long willingness to share his views on hot-button issues and strongly support LGBTQ rights.
“Sir Charles” — once rumored as a possible candidate for Governor of Alabama — isn’t one to just shut up and dribble.
Barkley’s comments about trans athletes are not easily dismissed as those of some raging bigot. Barkley is not a homophobe or transphobe. He embraces the LGBTQ community, and he has spoken publicly many times about his support for various letters of our community, including trans people.
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With all of that context, and all of the public speaking Barkley has done on behalf of gay and trans people and the entire LGBTQ community, his comments this week to OutKick when asked about transgender women in female sports is like a giant brick being dropped on the entire movement for trans inclusion in sports.
His full response:
“I’m going to make this very simple for you, Dan. Men should not play sports against women.”
To be sure, some may say the he didn’t say “transgender women,” but rather “men” — and trans women aren’t men. But we know what he meant: He meant trans women. That he used “men” makes it even worse for the efficacy of trans advocates.
He continued:
“I’m not going to get into all the bulls**t that’s that’s going on out here in the world today. It’s interesting. I always sit back and look at this stuff, and I’m going to tell you something. I love gay people, I love transgender people. I’m against any form of discrimination, period.
“I love my gay friends and I love my transgender friends. But I’m not going to get into all this stuff that’s going around.
“Men should not play sports against women. If anyone thinks that, I think they’re stupid.
“I support the gay community 100%. I support the transgender community 100%.”
For full effect, he emphasized BUT in the next sentence.
“But I do not, under any circumstances, zero, think men should play sports against women. And if anybody has a problem with that, they’re going to have to get over it. I’m not going to change. I think it’s wrong. Period.”
TNT Sports’ Charles Barkley, who has long had a record of LGBTQ+ support, went on Outkick’s Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich last week to state that trans women should not be playing in women’s sports.
