WNBA star Sophie Cunningham is using her platform to speak out about the importance of protecting girls from competing against men.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,'” Cunningham said in an interview with ESPN. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
“I’m very much in the middle,” she said of her political beliefs. “I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides. And that’s all I’ve ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume.”
In 2022, Cunningham received hate after she retweeted CBS Sports host Josh Pate talking about the controversy surrounding former Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competing on the women’s team, according to Fox News Digital.
“Female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this,” Pates tweet read.
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Due to the backlash, Cunningham released a statement at the time, saying, “To my teammates, friends, family, supporters and fans, you know that I stand with all people, especially my fellow athletes. I do not judge, but support all races, religions, sexual preferences and gender equity. We all have a place in this world to compete, and I hope we are able to grant everyone that opportunity fairly.”
Following the US Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer to uphold state laws that “keep biological males out of women’s sports,” per Fox News, swimmer Riley Gaines, who tied with Thomas several years ago, said she hoped the ruling would be a “clarion call” for other female athletes to take a stand.
“Let this be a clarion call, not just to Simone, but to every, I think especially elite female athlete, professional female athlete, the likes of Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, Serena Williams, to link arms,” Gaines said.
Cunningham obviously is no stranger to controversy. More hate came her way when she became teammates with Caitlin Clark.
Some call her “the feisty one, the protective one, maybe even the overprotective one. An enforcer, you might say, though Cunningham wouldn’t,” ESPN reported.
“I am not the enforcer,” the 6-foot-1 guard said. “I am not a bodyguard. I am just going to do whatever the team needs. And if my teammates need me to stick up for them, I will do that.”
As the landscape of women’s sports continues to evolve, Cunningham remains committed to balancing her personal values with her passion for the game. Hopefully, she continues to take a stand for truth.
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