'I don't think that scientific literature supports that': Nonbinary author says male advantage over women in sports not proven

A nonbinary writer said that "broad-based" restrictions of males in female athletic competitions were likely unfair because scientific literature has not yet proven that men have athletic advantages over women at all times.

The writer was commenting on the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which recently voted to ban transgender athletes from competing in sports against the opposite sex.

The 20-0 vote limited participating in female sports to those who were born female. The NAIA also ruled that athletes who are on hormone therapy as part of gender transitioning may also not compete in those competitions.

Katie Barnes, who claims to be nonbinary and uses "they/them/their" pronouns, appeared on CNN's "The Lead" with Jake Tapper to discuss the recent rule change.

"I think it is reflective of the times that we are in," Barnes said of the policy. "The last three or four years, we have seen most policy updates, when it comes to transgender athletes, be reflective of restriction and be more restrictive policy."

Host Tapper then stated that there is a "narrative" that "transgender female athletes have an advantage" over actual women in sports. Tapper added that that is the reason "men and women generally compete in separate, gendered categories," because it is not "particularly competitive for men."

"Do studies support that?" Tapper asked.

Barnes' defense appeared to be that while there could be certain advantages for men when competing against women, it is not fair to create all-encompassing rules to keep men out of female competitions.

"The reality is that from a scientific perspective, we know that there are differences in sexes, and we know that the differences do tend to lead to athletic performance differences, as well," Barnes replied. "However, when we look at broad-based restriction at all levels of sport, it's very challenging to say that that is scientifically supported in all cases."

"Something that may be appropriate for swimming does not necessarily apply to basketball. When it comes to individual sports versus team sports and as well as level of competition," the author added.

Barnes went on to claim that it remained unclear if "transgender women have an advantage in all sports at all times," regardless of medical procedures. "I don't think that scientific literature supports that, at this time."

As footage of Barnes' interview circulated online, the ESPN writer fell back into the position that no clear opinion was given during the CNN segment.

"Me: I don't think it's right for me to say whether or not a policy is fair. Them: Look at this they/them reporter condemning a policy," Barnes wrote on X.

At the same time, Barnes has published the book "Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates." Multiple reviews have revealed that the book discusses "the difference between using testosterone to medically transition and using it for competitive advantage" in sports.

According to a review by NBC News, the book also stated that there is no scientific or empirical evidence to support categorical bans in sports on people who believe they are the opposite gender. At the same time, Barnes said in the book that there should be some restrictions for collegiate-level sports (or higher) for individual competitions.

However, Barnes also said there should be a pathway for all transgender athletes to compete in the category of their choice.

The above sentiments are quite a distance from the claim it was not "right" for Barnes to state whether or not a policy was fair.

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