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Malcolm Gladwell Says He Was ‘Cowed’ On His Stance For Trans Athletes In Women’s Sports

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 16: Will Thomas of the Pennsylvania Quakers during a meet against the Brown Bears at Sheerr Pool on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on November 16, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

Author Malcolm Gladwell said he was “cowed” into supporting transgender athletes in women’s sports.

In last Tuesday’s episode of The Real Science of Sport with Ross Tucker, Gladwell referenced the 2022 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference where he moderated a discussion about trans athletes in women’s sports.

“I’m ashamed of my performance of that panel because I share your position 100% and I was cowed,” he said. “I was objective in a dishonest way. I let a lot of howlers pass without comment.”

The 62-year-old author recalled a moment during the panel when one trans athlete told Gladwell something that continues to strike the author.

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“At one point they turned to you, Ross, and they said, ‘Ross, you have to let us win,'” Gladwell said. “It was at that moment that I realized this argument has gone to the furthest extreme.

“The trans movement is not asking for 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.”

Gladwell has been with The New Yorker magazine since 1996. He is known for some of his bestselling books for The New York Times, such as The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers.