Sophie Cunningham Defends Comments on Trans Athletes, Says Protecting Girls Requires “Truth”
"So, I stand by what I said, and I’ll always believe that.”
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham has emerged as one of the league’s most recognisable and talked-about figures in recent years, propelled by her close association with Caitlin Clark and the viral fame surrounding her now-iconic finger-pointing moment.
This week, the Indiana Fever guard is making headlines again, this time due to comments she made about protecting girls in sports from the intrusion of biological males.
During a recent ESPN interview, Cunningham voiced her support for restricting transgender participation in women’s sports, arguing that female athletes—particularly young girls—should not be required to compete against biological men.
Cunningham said,
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that. 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.”
Critics accused her of promoting anti-trans views, while Cunningham rejected that characterisation, saying her position was motivated by a desire to protect women’s sport rather than hatred toward transgender people.
Cunningham later defended her position, describing it as “common sense.”
“I’ll always believe in that,” she said. “I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. So, I stand [by] what I said, and I’ll always believe that.”
She went on to say that while she’s not very political, she does have beliefs and morals on which she stands.
“When it comes to protecting young girls in sport, and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that,” she said, noting she has never once said she has hatred for transgender people.
Cunningham has long been critical of biological males competing in women’s events. In 2022, she responded to news about Lia Thomas, a trans swimmer on the UPenn women’s swimming team who was setting new women’s records.
At the time, Cunningham shared a post about Thomas on social media, saying, “Female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this.”
Earlier this year, Cunningham publicly shared that she had been re-baptised as an adult. She shared the moment with the words, “Thank you, Jesus.”