‘Ludicrous’: Piers Morgan Quarrels With Panelist Accusing Him Of Wanting To ‘Eradicate Trans People’ Over Sports Issue

Piers Morgan duked it out with pro-transgender activist Stassia Underwood Friday as she accused him of wanting to “eradicate trans people” for opposing men competing in women’s sports.

Morgan, who has previously expressed his opposition to men competing against women, said on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” that many trans-identifying men have an unfair advantage and endanger women when they play against female athletes. Underwood argued that directing concerns toward trans-identifying men competing in women’s sports is a way to “eradicate trans people.”

“No place is more glaring than in the sporting arena where you see time and again now, biological men who identify as trans who were pretty unsuccessful competing against other biological men and suddenly they’re winning against women or taking Olympic places from women,” Morgan said. “The [United Nations] came out with nearly 900, and John Oliver tried to ridicule this, but nearly 900 medals I think in the last year went to trans athletes in women’s sports. This cannot be right, it’s not fair, it’s not equal … when it comes to this, we are now reaching, to me, a not just an unfair and unequal place in this debate but a dangerous place in this debate. What do you say to that?”

“I think it’s difficult, I think that there’s a lot of emphasis being put on trans women in sports specifically. I made it very clear that I am not here to spit facts or spew anything in terms of statistics or anything like that, I have my lived experience as a trans person … I feel that there’s so much attention being put onto this specific subject because what you guys really want underlying is the eradication of trans people and for them to not be involved in any systems,” Underwood said, which received immediate pushback from Morgan and the other panelists. (RELATED: ‘They/Them Pronouns Actually’: Townhall Attendee Tells CNN’s Anderson Cooper He Misgendered Her On-Air)

WATCH:

TV host and reporter Emily Austin said Underwood’s statement is “the dumbest argument [she] has ever heard,” while Morgan called it “ludicrous.” Morgan then asked Underwood to name a specific example of any “remotely” transphobic statement he has ever made, to which Underwood dodged.

“Right, it’s just ludicrous. Where have you got that from? Where is any of what I have ever said?” Morgan asked.

“I have seen certain things that you have said in other interviews, Piers, with like my friend Blossom [Brown] and other trans individuals who just feel that the emphasis that is being put on—” Underwood began, before Morgan asked another question.

“And what was transphobic? What have I ever said that could be remotely construed as transphobic or trans-hating or wanting to get rid of trans people, ever?” Morgan asked. “I challenge you right now, tell me.”

Underwood did not answer Morgan’s question, but rather said the accusation was not “directed” at him personally.

Austin then told Underwood that these types of accusations are not taken seriously by the American public and thus do not help their cause. In agreement with Austin, Morgan argued that many transgender activists such as Underwood consistently attempt to “shut down any legitimate” arguments about the transgender sports debate by baselessly labeling people who disagree with them as “transphobic.”

Morgan said that trans-identifying athletes can either compete against other men or other male athletes who identify as transgender in order to ensure fairness. Underwood claimed that trans-identifying males competing against other men “does not make sense,” and that there are not enough transgender athletes for them to solely compete against each other.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 5 to prohibit biological men from competing in women’s sports, which is in line with where the majority of Americans stand on the issue. A New York Times/Ipsos survey in January found that nearly 80% of Americans believe men should be banned from competing in women’s sports, while a Harvard CAPS Harris poll from February said that 69% of those surveyed support banning trans-identifying men from women’s sports.

The Department of Education found that Maine violated civil rights laws by continuing to allow men to compete in women’s sports, leading the administration to revoke funding for the state’s schools. A poll released on March 31 from the University of New Hampshire found that a majority of Maine residents want men to be banned from competing in women’s sports.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.