American runner Shelby Houlihan, who recently made her remarkable comeback, was once called “homophobic” by LGBTQ+ athlete Nikki Hiltz, raising questions about whether she holds transphobic views.
In early 2025, Houlihan made her return to elite track and field after serving a four-year doping suspension, often referred to as the “Burrito Ban.”
Following her comeback, at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Houlihan finished fourth in the 5,000 meters final, narrowly missing a medal by just over two seconds.
Earlier in the year, she secured a silver medal in the 3,000 meters at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, marking her first global medal since returning to competition.
At 32, Houlihan is aiming for the 2026 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics, both in Los Angeles, as she seeks to reclaim her position among the world’s elite distance runners.
Fourth in the World, Shelby Houlihan, Once Questioned for Being Transphobic!
After returning from a four-year ban and restarting her athletic journey, Shelby Houlihan faced some criticism for her comeback.
While she did encounter some backlash at the time, what was particularly notable was the claim that she was transphobic.
To this day, there are no official reports indicating that Shelby has exhibited any transphobic behavior.
However, LGBTQ+ athlete Nikki Hiltz once claimed in a podcast that Houlihan is homophobic. In the interview, Hiltz said;
“She’s homophobic. She’s been heard to be homophobic before…It sounds like the call is coming from inside the house. There is some internalized homophobia going on,”
Following Nikki Hiltz’s statement, one reporter raised the issue after Shelby Houlihan’s victory in the 3,000 meters at the World Indoor Championships.
The reporter asked;
Are you aware of some of the comments Nikki made about you last summer? I mean, she said some pretty provocative things, calling you homophobic.”
Replying to the question, Shelby acknowledged that she and Nikki had already discussed the matter and that it had been resolved. She said;
I actually just heard about that from Nikki uh they ended up messaging me and letting me know I hadn’t heard about it at all but you know I don’t think that’s who I am um I’m not really sure where they heard that from uh I respect everyone and I you know I’m here for everyone living their best lives um so yeah we we’ve squashed it we’ve talked it out um sorted it out so yeah it’s got the more I need to say about it
Therefore, with all the rumors about her transphobic nature, Shelby has already stated clearly that she respects everyone.
Despite past criticism, Shelby now appears to be proving that she is still worthy and has achieved remarkable comeback successes.
In Case You Don’t Know
- Shelby Houlihan was born on February 8, 1993, in Sioux City, Iowa, to her parents, Bob and Connie Houlihan.
- Houlihan’s mother and uncle were both competitive runners, as was her half-sister.
- During her four-year suspension (the “Burrito Ban”), Shelby traveled across the U.S. in a vintage VW minibus.
