Mariah Burton Nelson vs. transgender people

Mariah Burton Nelson is an American athlete, author, sex segregationist, and anti-transgender activist. Nelson is associated with anti-trans hate group Genspect.

Nelson is a prominent critic of transgender athletes participating in sex-segregated competitive sport.

Background

Mariah Burton Nelson was born on April 14, 1956 and attended Arcadia High School. Nelson played basketball at Stanford University while earning a bacjelor’s degree in 1978. Nelson later played professional basketball from 1978 to 1979 in the European Cup League and in America’s Women’s Basketball League. Nelson earned a master’s degree from San Jose State University in 1983.

From 1984 to 1987, Nelson was an associate editor at Women’s Sports and Fitness, a magazine founded by Billie Jean King. In 1987, Nelson founded Speaking of Sports, which continued until 2006. In 1991, Nelson published the first of several books.

From 2006 to 2012, Nelson served as executive director of the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR). From 2012 to 2020, Nelson served as a vice president at American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). In 2020, Nelson founded Stronger Women and resumed writing professionally.

Nelson and spouse, author Katherine Gekker, are based in Arlington, Virginia.

Anti-trans activism

Nelson runs the group blog Stronger Women. It has featured writing by Nancy Hogshead and Martina Navratilova. Nelson has done interviews with anti-trans activists Benjamin Boyce, “Chloe Cole,” and Lauren Leggieri of the LGB Courage Coalition.

In June 2025, Nelson announced formation of a Women’s Sports Policy Working Group with Martina Navratilova, Donna de Varona, Nancy Hogshead, Donna Lopiano, and Tracy Sundlun.

References

Minnock, Nick (January 29, 2025). Residents call for change after sex offender caught in Arlington County, Va. locker room. WJLA https://wjla.com/news/local/virginia-school-policy-arlington-county-public-schools-acps-aps-parents-transgender-locker-room-bathroom-policy-safety-sex-offender-richard-kenneth-cox-washington-liberty-high-school-board-meeting-public-comments-parents-lgbtqia-lgbtq-rights

Coverage in anti-trans press

Reilly, Patrick (September 30, 2025). Woke officials in tony DC suburb refused to charge trans sex offender who went ‘hunting’ for little girls, Virginia AG says. New York Post https://nypost.com/2025/09/30/us-news/virginia-ag-blasts-sheriffs-offices-handling-of-sex-offender-richard-coxs-case/

Strack, Haley (July 14, 2025). California Regresses on Women’s Rights. National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/california-regresses-on-womens-rights/

Selected anti-trans writing by Nelson

Nelson, Mariah Burton (May 3, 2025). 41 More Reasons Males Don’t Belong in Women’s Sports. [originally published November 18, 2024]. https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/41-more-reasons-males-dont-belong

Nelson, Mariah Burton (May 27, 2025). 40 Bogus Rationales for Allowing Males into Female Sports: In Chronological Order, Complete with Counter-Arguments. Stronger Women https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/40-bogus-rationales-for-allowing-1b7

Nelson, Mariah Burton (September 29, 2025). Five Reasons Female Athletes Are Winning in the Contest for Female-Only Sports & Spaces: Snippets from my Speech at Genspect. Stronger Women https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/five-reasons-female-athletes-and

Nelson, Mariah Burton (October 13, 2025). When Girls Who Would Have Been Lesbians Remove Both Breasts and Say They’re Trans or Non-Binary Instead: Interview with Lesbian Activist Lauren Leggieri of the LGB Courage Coalition. Stronger Women https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/when-girls-who-would-have-been-lesbians

Nelson, Mariah Burton (April 21, 2025). Will Male Athletes Welcome “Girly” Boys into Their Sports? Flipping the Script on Inclusion. Stronger Women https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/will-male-athletes-welcome-girly

Nelson, Mariah Burton (October 21, 2024). “He Cheated” Finally Answers: How Often Do Males Compete in Women’s Sports? Stronger Women https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/how-many-males-are-competing-in-womens

Nelson, Mariah Burton (June 30, 2025). When and Where are Men Allowed to Compete “as Women? Genspect https://genspect.org/when-and-where-are-men-allowed-to-compete-as-women/

Nelson, Mariah Burton (July 15, 2024). What Does Non-Binary Mean? Transgender Translations for the Thoroughly Confused. Stronger Women https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/what-does-non-binary-mean

Nelson, Mariah Burton (June 17, 2024). I Would Have Been Trans: A Gender Nonconformist Wonders What If? Stronger Women https://strongerwomen.substack.com/p/i-would-have-been-trans

Smallwood, Teresa; Nelson, Mariah Burton (March 29, 2023). Transgender Athletes in Competitive Sports: How to Balance Inclusivity and Fairness. Divided We Fall https://dividedwefall.org/transgender-athletes-in-womens-sports/

Lopiano, Donna; Nelson, Mariah Burton (Aug 04, 2022). A Fair And Inclusive Solution For Transgender Women In Sports. Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/donnalopiano/2022/08/04/a-fair-and-inclusive-solution-for-transgender-women-in-sports/

Books

Nelson, Mariah Burton (2015). Focus on What Matters: A 3-Step Workbook for Selecting and Sunsetting Association Programs, Products, and Services, American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), ISBN 9780880343794

Nelson, Mariah Burton (2008). Making Money on the Sidelines: A Game Plan for Getting Started, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAPAR), ISBN 9780883148617

Nelson, Mariah Burton (2002). We Are All Athletes: Bringing Courage, Confidence, and Peak Performance into Our Everyday Lives, Dare Press, ISBN 9780971721807

Nelson, Mariah Burton (2000). The Unburdened Heart: 5 Keys to Forgiveness and Freedom, HarperOne, ISBN 9780062515995

Nelson, Mariah Burton (1999). Whatever It Takes: Women on Women’s Sport (anthology with contributions/introduction by Nelson), Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN 9780374525972

Nelson, Mariah Burton (1998). Embracing Victory: Life Lessons in Competition and Compassion, William Morrow, ISBN 9780688146498

Nelson, Mariah Burton (1994). The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football: Sexism and the American Culture of Sports. Houghton Mifflin / Harcourt ISBN 9780151813933

Nelson, Mariah Burton (1991). Are We Winning Yet?: How Women Are Changing Sports and Sports Are Changing Women, Random House, ISBN 9780394575766.