That’s the position ESPN star Stephen A. Smith laid out during a recent interview with Riley Gaines on The Stephen A. Smith Show, OutKick reports. The heated conversation followed Simone Biles’ viral response to Gaines, in which the Olympic gymnast called the outspoken advocate for women’s sports a “sore loser” and urged her to “uplift the trans community.” The fallout sent social media into overdrive.

But Stephen A. didn’t mince words.

“I side with you one thousand percent,” he told Gaines, referring to her views on keeping biological men out of women’s sports. “I'm not scared to say it.”

Smith clarified that he supports transgender individuals but believes fairness in competition matters. His solution? Create categories where transgender athletes compete with one another. “If you're a man transitioning into being a woman,” he said, “compete against other men transitioning into women.”

Smith added, “It shouldn't be you infiltrating women's sports in that way. I've always agreed with that position.”

Simone vs. Gaines sparks deeper debate

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This entire conversation came to a head after a fiery exchange between Biles and Gaines on X. Biles, who has largely remained silent on political issues in the past, accused Gaines of bullying transgender athletes and pushing division instead of inclusion.

“You should be uplifting the trans community,” Biles posted, suggesting a separate “transgender category” for sports could be a possible compromise.

Gaines shot back, expressing disappointment in Biles' stance and firmly rejecting the idea that women should be responsible for integrating men into female athletic spaces. “Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” Gaines wrote. “I say that with my full chest.”

The debate isn’t new, but it’s picking up momentum. In 2023, World Aquatics announced an “open category” for transgender swimmers during a World Cup meet in Berlin. However, not a single athlete registered.

Now, with one of sports media’s most influential voices in Stephen A. Smith weighing in, it’s clear the conversation is far from over.