Olympic legend Keely Humphries talks about the impact of supporting women's sports on Team USA's relationships.

Kaillie Humphries says her stance on transgender athletes in women's sports has created tense moments with Team USA teammates and friendships.

Kaillie Humphries reveals the women's sports rules debate on Team USA

Olympic gold medalist Keely Humphries says her support for transgender athletes competing in women's sports has sparked controversy with certain teammates.

Olympic champion Keely Humphries says her support for transgender athletes competing in women's sports has created "awkward and tense moments" with some Team USA teammates and strained existing friendships.

Humphreys, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and XX-XY athletics ambassador, told OutKick that she recently received the brand's "Winning Courage Award" and plans to put the funds toward her foundation, which supports female athletes' careers and family-building needs.

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As a California resident, he plans to vote Republican in the upcoming gubernatorial election. She is currently pregnant with her second child, and could help out if she has a daughter, and if the state's current policy of allowing boys to participate in girls' sports continues.

She says lending her voice to the "Save Women's Sports" movement has caused friction with her teammates and friends in the Olympic community.

"I've got teammates in Bob Slade, I've got teammates on Team USA that definitely believe in a different side," Humphreys said.

"Sure, it creates awkward and tense moments. I think it creates tense moments even in friendships that were there."

Bronze medalist Kaylee Armbruster Humphreys of the United States kisses her son on the women's bobsleigh platform at the Cortina Sliding Center during the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 16, 2026. (Marco Braforello)

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He said the feud had the potential to get heated, but emphasized that many athletes respected him despite his opposing views.

And I think that while it creates some tension, no one is willing to cross the line. It doesn't make you a bad person because you believe in something different than everyone else."

Humphreys said her goal is to preserve the opportunities she has had during her career for other female athletes.

"I have had these opportunities because they are left to biological women. And that's what I believe in and I'm going to push for it."

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He also argued that transgender athletes should have the opportunity to compete in categories based on their biological sex.

"Sports should be an open place for everyone. I believe that," he said.

The International Olympic Committee adopted a policy in March that limits eligibility for the women's category in IOC events starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. One-time screening for the SRY gene, with rare exceptions specified. This policy does not apply to public or recreational sports.

Humphreys said he's willing to discuss the issue with people who are respectful and open to hearing different points of view, but he doesn't approach those conversations with the intention of changing their minds.

When relationships involve broader disagreements or the risk of personal attacks, he said, he sometimes focuses his interactions on sports.

"We don't talk outside of sports. We don't talk about personal stuff. We just leave it in sports on a need-to-know basis, on a minimum interaction basis, so that respect can be maintained there," he said.

Despite the tension, Humphreys dismissed the suggestion that it undermined the chemistry behind his Olympic gold medals.

"I don't think it affected my chemistry with my teammates because I was making sure that didn't happen," he said.

"The common goal must be achieved and the number one priority above personal belief and above personal ego."

This debate also plays into her decisions as a mother living in California. Humphreys, who has a 2-year-old son and is expecting her second child in late January, said disagreements with state policy prompted her to consider moving.

"I've definitely thought about other states because of it," he said.

She personalized women's sports and her children's education in the future.California law allows students to participate in school sports teams and competitions according to their gender identity.

Asked if having a daughter could influence his decision to stay in California under its current athletic policies, Humphreys said, "It could," while stressing that the move depends on more than one factor.

He said he plans to vote Republican, but did not name his candidate.

Meanwhile, Humphries works to help other athletes overcome the financial pressures of pursuing elite competition while raising families.

Kelly Humphreys of the United States holds the U.S. flag after competing for the bronze medal in the bobsled women's monobob heat 4 at the Cortina Sliding Center during the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 16, 2026. (Marco BERAFPTOREL)

XX-XY Athletics announced on Oct. 2 that it is expanding the Courage Wins initiative through an investment in TrailBlazeHer, the foundation Humphreys founded with her husband.

The foundation's published programs include $5,000 grants for athletes pursuing Olympic careers and $10,000 grants for family-building expenses, with distributions tied to fundraising milestones.

Humphreys said her own experience with in vitro fertilization (IVF) and endometriosis forced her to make difficult decisions about whether to spend available money on raising a family, medical needs or her athletic career.

"And it was an agonizing choice to make," he says.

"And so, for me, regardless of what happens in sports, it was important to be able to start a foundation so I could help other women. So I hope they don't have to make the same choices."

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