Outspoken ESPN star Stephen A. Smith took a clear position in the ongoing debate about transgender athletes’ participation in girls and women’s sports.

“Biological men should not be competing against biological girls in sports, period,” Smith said during an appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher” after the Olympics’ policy on transgender women was mentioned.

“What about protecting the young ladies? Young ladies going up against biological men — biological men — there is no excuse for that.”

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Smith then mentioned former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas.

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“Lia Thomas, for example, was a male, and he was ranked over 400th in the world. … And then he became a she. … And No. 1. Well … does it really take an Einstein to realize that there’s something wrong with that picture?”

Smith has previously spoken about his views on transgender athletes in girls and women’s sports, including during a February 2025 Radio Row interview ahead of that year’s Super Bowl.

“So, that’s how I look at it. LGBTQ rights and all that stuff, I’m in full support of that, but when transgender athletes — men — are transitioning to women and they’re competing in female sports, that’s a different animal to me,” he said.

“That’s not just about LGBTQ rights. That’s about preying on the rights of females out there everywhere who were born female, and they’re at a decided disadvantage.”

Those comments from Smith surfaced around the same time in 2025 when President Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order, which directed federal agencies to interpret Title IX based on biological sex at birth.

The NCAA complied with Trump’s executive order and changed its policy.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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The mother of slain college student Sheridan Gorman is speaking out, vowing a “fight for justice” after the 18-year-old was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant earlier this month in Chicago.

Jessica Gorman delivered emotional remarks Saturday at a vigil in Yorktown Heights, New York, honoring her daughter, a Loyola University Chicago freshman whose life was cut short in what authorities describe as a sudden, violent attack.

“I want to say this gently, but honestly, as a mom. I’m angry,” Jessica Gorman said. “I’m like completely heartbroken, and we are going to fight for justice for our sweet Sheridan, and we’re going to fight for change.”

While acknowledging that “not everyone” will see the situation the same way, Jessica Gorman underscored what she described as a universal truth shared by parents.

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“At the heart of all of this, we all want the same thing — for your children and for ours to be safe, to be protected, and to come home,” Jessica Gorman said. “Because, at the end of the day, that’s what this is all about. All of our kids, every single one of them, protecting them, loving them, showing up for them. And that is how we honor her.”

Sheridan Gorman, a New York native, was killed at around 1:06 a.m. March 19 while with friends near a pier in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.

Officials allege Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, fired one shot at the Loyola University Chicago student, killing her.

Gorman was reportedly only a few months away from completing her freshman year.

CHICAGO KILLING REIGNITES SANCTUARY CITY FIGHT AS ANGEL PARENT HEADS TO SENATE HEARING

Medina-Medina was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

At the vigil, the family’s attorney, Thomas Tripodianos, warned against what he described as growing complacency about public safety.

“If we accept this, even silently, then we are accepting a reality where young people are not as safe as they should be. And that is not acceptable,” Tripodianos said. “And there must be justice. Real justice.”

Family members and friends also shared memories of Sheridan, remembering her impact on those around her.

“Sheridan, you are deeply loved at Loyola,” Steven Betancourt, director of campus ministry at Loyola University Chicago, said. “You are deeply missed, and you will live on in the lives you touched and forever changed.”

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The Gorman family has sharply criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, arguing that their daughter’s death “demands accountability.”

“She was doing something entirely normal — walking near her campus with friends. She should be here,” the Gorman family said regarding comments by Johnson.

The suspect appeared in court Friday and was ordered to remain in custody, according to FOX 32 Chicago.

He faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a gun.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed to this report.

For women struggling with weight gain after menopause, a new study suggests that adding hormone therapy to a popular obesity drug may lead to greater weight loss.

Postmenopausal women lost about 35% more weight when using menopausal hormone therapy alongside tirzepatide — a GLP-1-based, Food and Drug Administration-approved drug for overweight and obesity — compared to those taking the drug alone, according to a Mayo Clinic study.

The findings, published in February in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health, highlight a possible new strategy for addressing weight gain after menopause, when hormonal shifts can increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

STOPPING OZEMPIC? NEW STUDY REVEALS SURPRISING WEIGHT REGAIN RESULTS AFTER GLP-1S

“This study provides important insights for developing more effective and personalized strategies for managing cardiometabolic risk in postmenopausal women,” Dr. Regina Castaneda, the study’s first author, said in a statement. 

Researchers analyzed 120 postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity who took tirzepatide for at least 12 months, including 40 who also used hormone therapy and 80 who did not.

Hormone therapy is commonly used to treat menopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, while tirzepatide helps regulate appetite and blood sugar.

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Women in the hormone therapy group lost an average of 19.2% of their body weight, compared to 14.0% in the non-hormone group — about 35% greater relative weight loss — with more women reaching significant weight-loss thresholds, according to the study.

Despite the results, researchers emphasized that the study was observational and cannot prove cause and effect.

“Because this was not a randomized trial, we cannot say hormone therapy caused additional weight loss,” said Dr. Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, an endocrinologist at Mayo Clinic and senior author of the study.

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Outside experts agree that the findings must be interpreted cautiously.

“As with all observational studies, we need to interpret this study with a grain of salt,” Dr. Gillian Goddard, a board-certified endocrinologist, told Fox News Digital. 

Goddard, who is also an adjunct assistant professor of medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, noted that the findings show a link, but do not prove that hormone therapy, which usually includes estrogen, directly caused the additional weight loss.

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“There may be important differences between the two groups,” she added. “For one thing, the group taking estrogen may be healthier than the groups that didn’t take estrogen … Healthier people are more likely to eat a healthy diet and exercise in addition to taking tirzepatide. That could lead to more weight loss.” 

Symptom relief from the therapy may have also improved sleep and well-being, making it easier for the group to maintain diet and exercise routines, Hurtado Andrade noted.

Researchers also pointed to a possible biological explanation. Preclinical data suggest estrogen may enhance the appetite-suppressing effects of GLP-1-based medications like tirzepatide, according to the study.

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Goddard said that theory is plausible but unproven.

“The other possibility is that estrogen interacts with tirzepatide in some way that makes it more potent,” she said, adding, “We will need randomized studies to get a better handle on that.”

As for safety, experts say using the two together appears safe for most women. However, hormone therapy is not recommended for all patients, especially those with a history of certain cancers, blood clots or other underlying health risks, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Researchers say future randomized trials will aim to confirm the findings and explore whether the combination also improves broader cardiometabolic health outcomes, according to the study.

“If confirmed, this work could speed the development and adoption of new, evidence-based strategies to reduce this risk for millions of postmenopausal women navigating this life stage,” said Hurtado Andrade.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the study authors for comment.