Researcher Says Nike Pulled Plug On Trans Youth Athlete Study After 'Haters Got Wind Of It'

Transgender researcher Joanna Harper said in a recent interview that Nike "pulled out" of funding a study on youth transgender athletes due to public pressure. This seems to contradict a statement that Nike previously gave OutKick regarding the study. A company executive told us in April, on background, that the study "was never initialized" and "is not moving forward."

"The haters got wind of it," Harper told Outsports, a website that advocates for trans-identifying males in girls' and women's sports. "I regret that they [made] this decision. I wish they hadn’t pulled out. But, I think we should focus on the people who hate trans people and those aren’t the people at Nike. I understand in the wake of what happened to Bud Light that Nike got nervous. They made a corporate decision on this."

OutKick was one of the first outlets to call out Nike for its role in funding a study on children who were undergoing "gender-affirming care." Based on the timeline, it's reasonable to infer that our reporting on the research played a role in Nike's decision to end its involvement with Harper and the lead researcher on the study, Dr. Kathryn Ackerman. 

RELATED: Boston Children's Hospital Magazine Touted Nike-Funded Youth Transgender Athlete Study

OutKick's reporting led several key figures to comment on the study, including: Vice President JD Vance, Sens. Ted Cruz, Tommy Tuberville and Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Burgess Owens, Charles Barkley, Clay Travis, Riley Gaines and others. The public pressure apparently made its way to Nike. 

Trans-identifying researcher Joanna Harper says Nike canceled a trans-athlete study after critics noticed, which contradicted Nike’s previous claim to OutKick that the study was "never initialized."

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While we tried for months to get information from Nike, Ackerman and Harper, none of the parties involved would reveal any details about the study. In June, we went to Boston where Dr. Ackerman was hosting a conference and tried to get answers. Instead of providing them, organizers had us escorted out of the conference venue by security. 

OutKick reached out to Ackerman and Nike for comment on Harper's recent characterization of Nike's role in the study and its eventual plug pull. Neither responded to requests. 

OutKick also reached out to Harper for comment, but Harper responded, "Sorry, Dan, but I will decline any and all interview requests from OutKick." 

We found that interesting since there was a line in the Outsports article that read, "Harper is willing to share her views with anyone." It seems that OutKick doesn't quite qualify as "anyone." 

Trans-Identifying Male Researcher Makes Other Absurd Claims

While the most important detail from Harper's interview with Outsports was the allegation that Nike pulled its funding from the transgender youth athlete study, there were many other interesting comments made by the trans-identifying researcher. (Harper's quotes are italicized below)

"It is an incredibly difficult time to be a trans person in the U.S. Whatever our differences can be about trans athletes, trans people in general should be allowed to get the care they need. They should be allowed to use public facilities, serve in the armed forces, and be able to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, just like anyone else."

I would argue there's no better time, or place, in human history to be a "trans person" than in the United States in 2025. Trans people have all the same rights as everyone else, despite Harper's evidence-lacking claim. They are allowed to use public facilities, like anyone else. It's not wrong that society demands people who are male to use the male restroom and restrict female-only spaces to females.

As far as the claim that "trans people" should be able to "get the care they need," that's a strawman. Critics of the transgender agenda aren't arguing that adults shouldn't be allowed to have surgery or take hormones if they choose. 

Trans-identifying researcher Joanna Harper.

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They do argue, however, that the government (using public tax dollars) shouldn't fund those procedures. While people like Harper claim that "gender-affirming care" is medically necessary, the science doesn't agree. New studies come out regularly showing that many people who undergo "gender-affirming care" often regret the decision because it doesn't cure the underlying issues. 

That leads directly into the claim about the military. In order for a person to receive "gender-affirming care" and have it paid for by health insurance, they must have a gender dysphoria diagnosis. Gender dysphoria is listed in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Denying a transgender person admission into the U.S. Military is akin to denying any person with a diagnosed mental illness. 

That's what the Department of Defense said when it issued its ban on transgender service members, saying they have "medical, surgical, and mental health constraints" that impede their abilities to serve. 

Harper Didn't Stop There 

"I’ve been called the destroyer of women’s sports, and I’ve been called a traitor to trans people. I’m disappointed that people on both sides of this seem to feel that I am somehow motivated by something other than science and truth and facts, and it’s unfortunate." 

It's fascinating for a person who believes that males can become females – particularly a male who believes they are a female – to say that they are focused on "science and truth and facts." There's some very basic science that says males are males and females are females, and it's been settled for millennia. Believing that a man can become a woman through surgery and hormones requires sacrificing one of the most basic human facts. 

"Trans women aren’t men. They don’t compete like men, don’t look like men and [making them compete against men] would bring trans women into an arena where they are not welcome, not wanted and in danger. I think it’s an insult to suggest that this is a workable solution. I think it’s the very worst solution that you could come up with."

I'm just going to fix this quote for Harper to make it more accurate. Here's my version: 

"Trans women aren’t women. They don’t compete like women, don’t look like women and [letting them compete against women] would unfairly place women into an arena where they are not welcome, not wanted and in danger. I think it’s an insult to suggest that letting them compete in women's sports is a workable solution. I think it’s the very worst solution that you could come up with."

There we go, fixed. 

Former NCAA athletes Lia Thomas and Blaire Fleming are both males who identified as transgender and competed in women's collegiate sports. 

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"The issue of who should or shouldn’t be eligible for the female category is a complex question with lots of nuance. I think reducing it to say that anyone with a Y chromosome is not allowed in women’s sports, is a gross oversimplification. I certainly hope that the IOC doesn’t go down this path."

Actually, there's not much nuance required at all. People who don't have a Y chromosome compete in women's sports. People who have a Y chromosome cannot compete in women's sports. It's quite simple, really. 

"I will die on the hill that I think that data should be the leading factor in this. I may literally die on that hill because it certainly hasn’t proven to be a popular opinion. It is a sad thing to understand that by putting myself out there, I am putting myself potentially in danger, but that’s my hill. That’s who I am. I am absolutely committed to the science."

Finally, Harper and I can come to a common understanding. Yes, data is more important than anything. Data shows that males have advantages over females in athletics. Science shows this; reality shows this; and common sense confirms this. 

I'm glad we cleared this up, so there's no need for the Nike-funded transgender youth study. Which is perfect, since the company pulled out of it already.