USA Today Goes Full Science Denier In Simone Biles-Riley Gaines Transgender Sports Debate

In a recent opinion column for USA Today, sports writer Nancy Armour defended gymnast Simone Biles in her dispute with women’s sports advocate Riley Gaines over the inclusion of a transgender athlete on a Minnesota high school softball team.

Armour also claimed there is “no scientific evidence” that transgender women have a competitive advantage over biological females in sports.

The article was published in response to a public back-and-forth between Gaines and Biles, which erupted after a photo of Champlin Park High School’s championship-winning softball team went viral.

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The team’s success was partially attributed to a male athlete identifying as female who played as a pitcher during the state tournament.

Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer and outspoken critic of biological males competing in women’s sports, called attention to the photo and the athlete’s role.

Comments off lol

To be expected when your star player is a boy https://t.co/2qY2onUhNW

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 6, 2025

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In response, Biles labeled Gaines “truly sick” and accused her of “relentless verbal abuse” toward transgender athletes.

@Riley_Gaines_ You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender… https://t.co/pjpzuZ0AlO

— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) June 6, 2025

Biles also posted, “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,” sparking backlash across social media platforms.

Body shaming a remarkably fit and beautiful @Riley_Gaines_ in defense of male abuse of women in sports sure is a disgusting way to go.

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 7, 2025

Armour, backing Biles, praised her for “standing up for transgender athletes” and criticized Gaines as a “grifter” who had become a “MAGA media darling.”

Armour framed Gaines’ advocacy as politically motivated and dismissive of transgender individuals.

In her commentary, Armour wrote, “There is no scientific evidence that transgender women athletes have a physical advantage over cisgender women athletes,” a claim she supported by citing a separate opinion piece she authored in December 2023.

USA Today says there is no scientific evidence that men* have a physical advantage over women*

I cannot understand for the life of me why they didn’t try to quietly leave this issue in 2024. But by all means, continue on…. https://t.co/Cf4DtQWtZp

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 7, 2025

In that earlier column, Armour argued it was inappropriate to use studies comparing biological males and females to make claims about transgender athletes.

The December piece referenced a study which claimed that “transgender women had lower lung capacity and cardiovascular function” than biological women, and Armour suggested this could “possibly” put trans-identifying male athletes “at a disadvantage.”

However, the same study also found that transgender-identified males demonstrated higher absolute handgrip strength than biological females.

The study noted there were no significant differences in strength relative to fat-free mass or hand size.

Handgrip strength is commonly used as a general indicator of upper-body and overall strength, according to Physiopedia, a clinical rehabilitation resource used by physical therapists.

The comments from Biles and Armour come as debates over fairness in women’s sports continue to draw national attention.

Gaines, who competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships, has frequently argued that women’s sports should remain single-sex and has testified before legislative bodies in support of that position.

Gaines is 5′ 5″. William ‘Lia’ Thomas is 6′ 4″.

Also, this is male physical advantage, broken down by sporting discipline.

Try competing with male gymnasts. You’ll never win another medal. pic.twitter.com/ueAsC4loNX

— TerfTerfington (@RecipesKet14060) June 7, 2025

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