Hugh Laurie says men shouldn’t compete against women in sports
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington Times“House” star Hugh Laurie made clear this week that he believes men should not compete against women in sports, wading into the debate over transgender athletes during a testy exchange with Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan.
The dispute began Sunday, when Mr. Laurie posted on X that it was “strange” the “whole broigus” — a Yiddish term for a bitter argument — was unfolding in professional basketball, “where 99.9% of the world are, effectively, ’women.’” The line appeared to be a joke about how extraordinarily tall NBA players are relative to the general male population. He cited a widely circulated estimate made years ago by then-Sports Illustrated writer Pablo Torre that about 17% of American men ages 20 to 40 who are at least 7 feet tall played in the NBA.
Mr. Linehan, the “Father Ted” co-creator known for his gender-critical activism, pushed Mr. Laurie to state his position “clearly,” calling it “cowardly” to “distance yourself” from the question, per Attitude magazine’s account of the exchange.
Mr. Laurie did not hold back in his reply. “I don’t believe men should compete against women,” he wrote, adding that he thought he’d “made that pretty clear.” When Mr. Linehan pressed him on whether he specifically backed Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, Mr. Laurie confirmed he did, closing the exchange by telling Mr. Linehan he supported him “some of the time” as well.
Ms. Cunningham became a lightning rod in the debate after saying in an ESPN profile last month that she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room” who “shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” Pressed by reporters afterward, she called restrictions on transgender athletes in women’s sports “common sense” and said she would “never falter” in that belief, while insisting she does not “dislike anyone.”
Mr. Linehan, for his part, was arrested by five armed Metropolitan Police officers at Heathrow Airport last September over social media posts criticizing transgender activism. The Metropolitan Police said in October that it would take no further action against him over the posts.
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