Joe Rogan is the famous podcaster, comedian, and UFC commentator. He has been at the center of controversy for his views on transgender athletes in professional sports for a very long time.
His comments on Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete who competes with biological women, have attracted significant attention and criticism.
The issue of transgender athletes in professional sports has been a subject of intense debate in recent years. Advocates for transgender rights argue that denying transgender athletes the opportunity to compete in their preferred gender is discriminatory and violates their rights.
On the other hand, opponents argue that transgender athletes have a biological advantage due to their higher levels of testosterone, which gives them an unfair advantage over biological women.
Lia Thomas is a transgender swimmer who has been the subject of controversy in recent years. Thomas, who was born male, began identifying as female in high school and underwent hormone therapy to transition.
She has since become a successful swimmer and has broken several records in women’s swimming competitions.
Joe Rogan has been vocal about his views on Lia Thomas and transgender athletes in professional sports. He has repeatedly called Lia Thomas a “biological male” and pointed to her testosterone levels as a reason for her success in swimming competitions.
In a recent podcast, Rogan expressed his frustration with the situation, saying that Lia Thomas dominating biological women in swimming competitions was “maddening.”
Last Tuesday, Rogan reacted to ESPN naming Lia Thomas as part of its Women’s History Month campaign. But he also sounded angry, he said: “This trans athlete thing f*cking blows my mind … how many people go along with this? It just blows my mind. Swimming, I mean that Lia Thomas is still the number one swimmer in the world and it’s a biological male. Period. End of discussion. It’s madness. And not only that, hasn’t even gotten – penis removed and has sex with women apparently. The whole thing is so crazy that you can call yourself a woman and then you’re a woman. And like, this has nothing to do with trans rights. It just has to do with humans.”
While Joe Rogan is entitled to his views on transgender athletes in professional sports, his comments against Lia Thomas have been criticized as transphobic and discriminatory. Rogan’s comments suggest that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with biological women, regardless of their hormone levels or gender identity.
But here’s where it gets especially problematic, a while back Rogan declared that he had no problem with a trans female competing against women in MMA – as long as they were aware of her biological status walking in.
This signifies a cultural shift in Rogan’s narrative and his return back to his roots of questioning the participation of biological males in female sports.