Researcher Joanna Harper claims Nike pulled funding from a study on transgender youth athletes after facing political backlash. The study aimed to assess athletic capabilities of trans adolescents undergoing gender-affirming care. Harper expressed disappointment, citing pressure from figures like Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
Joanna Harper, a professor at Oregon Health & Science University and a transgender woman who ran marathons before transitioning in the early 2000s, announced earlier this year that Nike was funding a study on the athletic abilities of transgender youth. In an interview with the New York Times, Harper described the research as involving fitness tests on children during gender-affirming procedures, specifically a 10-step fitness test measuring skills before hormone therapy and after medical transition, repeated every six months for five years.
Harper told OutSports, an LGBT sports website, that Nike abruptly withdrew support after 'haters got wind of it,' attributing the decision to political pressure. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) criticized Nike for lacking support for women's sports and funding the study on children's athletic abilities amid gender-affirming care. OutSports described Tuberville as 'one of the most vocal transphobes in elected office.'
The backlash extended beyond Tuberville. After OutKick questioned Nike's involvement, prominent sports figures like Charles Barkley spoke out against studying children under the influence of hormones. In April, a Nike executive told OutKick the study 'was never initialized' and was not moving forward. Harper suggested Nike made a 'corporate decision' influenced by the Bud Light controversy, stating, 'I understand in the wake of what happened to Bud Light that Nike got nervous.'
Harper lamented the funding cut, calling the study exciting: 'It was a study of fitness test results in trans adolescents. And while there’s limited data on trans adults, there’s no published data on trans adolescents and their athletic capabilities.' She also voiced strong views on transgender participation in sports, saying, 'Trans women aren’t men. They don’t compete like men, don’t look like men and that would bring trans women into an arena where they are not welcome, not wanted and in danger.'
The study emerged in context with discussions around transgender athletes, including volleyball player Blair Fleming, who was part of the International Olympic Committee's decision to allow men in women's categories with testosterone suppression. The IOC is now reportedly planning to ban such participation. Nike did not respond to requests for comment on Harper's claims.