Olympic silver medallist MyKayla Skinner has thrown her weight behind a potential ban on transgender athletes competing in women's categories at the Olympic Games. The former American gymnast, who won her silver medal in the vault at the Tokyo Olympics, has publicly endorsed reported moves by the International Olympic Committee to restrict male-born athletes from women's competitions.
Skinner's Public Stance on Transgender Participation
In an opinion piece written for Fox News, Skinner openly encouraged the IOC to adopt the controversial measure. The gymnast positioned herself as a voice for female athletes, stating she wanted to share a message of strength, courage and hope for future generations of girls.
"No one teaches you how to do this — to speak up, to tell the uncomfortable truth — but I'm learning," Skinner wrote. "I'm grateful to use my platform for something that matters deeply: protecting women's sports and being a positive role model for the next generation of girls."
The IOC has yet to make any final decisions regarding transgender athlete participation. A spokesperson confirmed that discussions are ongoing within their working group, with further information to be provided in due course.
Growing Controversy in Women's Sports
Skinner's endorsement comes amid increasing debate about transgender inclusion in elite women's sports. The former gymnast didn't mince words in her assessment, stating: "When men compete in women's categories, it's unfair and unsafe, and everyone knows it."
The proposed ban has gained significant political support, including from former President Donald Trump. This development gives hope to anti-trans activists that the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics might proceed without the current controversy surrounding transgender athlete participation.
Skinner has now become an athlete ambassador for XX-XY Athletics, one of the most prominent organisations working to prevent trans women from competing in women's sports.
Previous Team USA Controversies
This isn't the first time Skinner has found herself at the centre of controversy. During the recent Paris Games, the former Olympian drew criticism from her former teammates—particularly Simone Biles—for her negative assessment of the Team USA gymnastics squad.
On her YouTube channel, which she established to analyse the USA Gymnastics team, Skinner questioned the team's depth and talent, commenting: "Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn't like what it used to be."
The remarks didn't go down well with the Olympic champions. After Team USA secured gold in the women's team all-around, Biles posted a celebratory picture on Instagram with the caption "lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions"—a clear reference to Skinner's criticism.
The situation escalated when Biles took additional shots at Skinner during the Games, writing on Threads: "Not everyone needs a mic and a platform." Skinner responded by blocking Biles on Instagram, which Biles then announced on X. US teammate Jordan Chiles shared a picture of Biles holding her phone showing what Skinner had done.
Other gymnastics stars joined the fray, with McKayla Maroney writing on Instagram: "It doesn't get more iconic than this. [Skinner] f'd around n found out fr. Feels like I need to apologize just to redeem my first name."
The fallout continued as teammates Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Jade Carey all blocked Skinner on social media following her comments. Lee later told Glamour: "We have a lot of love for her, but it's frustrating to see her put us down because she knows, basically, about every single thing that we've all been through."
Skinner subsequently accused Biles and her followers of bullying behaviour, claiming this wasn't the first instance of such treatment during their time as teammates.
As the debate around transgender participation in elite sports continues to evolve, Skinner's public stance adds another prominent voice to an increasingly polarised discussion that shows no signs of resolution before the next Olympic Games.
