Sophie Cunningham Says She'll 'never Falter' In Her Beliefs About Trans Athletes Competing: 'i Said What I Said'

Indiana Fever defender Sophie Cunningham stands by her comments astir transgender athletes competing: She says she conscionable ‘wants to protect’ women’s sports.

Despite her views that were expressed successful an ESPN article published Tuesday, Cunningham insisted nan adjacent time that she doesn’t person thing against nan transgender community.

“I sewage a batch of antagonistic feedback astir maine hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I ne'er erstwhile said that,’” Cunningham said successful nan article. “I deliberation that I americium present to widen love. But I besides deliberation pinch that emotion is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls successful a locker room, aliases young girls successful athletics who shouldn’t person to spell against biologic men.”

The article became fodder for questions Wednesday earlier nan Fever’s 123-88 triumph against nan Connecticut Sun.

“I deliberation it’s benignant of communal sense,” Cunningham told reporters. “And I deliberation I’ll ever judge successful that. I deliberation it’s really important to protect children, and that’s small girls who are besides progressive successful that category. And truthful I’ll guidelines connected what I said, and I’ll ever judge that.”

She reiterated that her feelings connected nan matter don’t stem from hatred.

“I deliberation location is room for perfectly everyone here, and I deliberation location is room to emotion everyone,” Cunningham said. I genuinely deliberation erstwhile you get group successful nan aforesaid room and you person conversations, you really person a batch successful communal pinch a batch of people. And truthful I’m location to love.

“But I’m besides location to emotion biologic women, and I deliberation that location are authorities that request to beryllium protected. And, for illustration I said, I’m gonna guidelines existent to that. I’ll ne'er falter successful my beliefs successful that. But I person ne'er erstwhile said that I hated nan trans community. Like I said, I deliberation there’s abstraction for everyone.”

Cunningham appeared to triple down connected her comments Thursday greeting on Instagram, penning simply, “I said what I said.”

The taxable of transgender athletes participating successful women’s sports has go a polarizing rumor successful caller years. In February 2025, President Trump signed an executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” that looked to guarantee that entities receiving national backing abide by Title IX successful alignment pinch nan administration’s position that a person’s activity is nan gender they were assigned astatine birth.

Last month, nan Supreme Court upheld laws successful West Virginia and Idaho that banned transgender athletes from competing connected girls’ sports teams. Days later, 2 transgender girls who were nan first to situation Trump’s executive bid dropped their lawsuit successful New Hampshire.

“Men should not beryllium playing successful women’s sports. It’s wholly ludicrous that anyone could support that,” White House property caput Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. “It’s moreover much ludicrous that you do person [Sophie] Cunningham — a female jock herself, very accomplished successful her ain correct — coming distant and speaking that truth that men shouldn’t play successful women’s sports, we want to protect women and girls, and nan backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing figures crossed nan state is astonishing.”

The league’s corporate bargaining statement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play successful nan WNBA,” but does not specifically exclude transgender women. When reached for comment, a WNBA typical referred The Times to a statement released by nan Fever connected Wednesday.

“Our players are thoughtful adults pinch their ain perspectives and voices, and those views are their own,” nan squad said. “We are committed to welcoming fans from each inheritance and treating everyone pinch respect, and that’s what guides america arsenic an organization.”

Cunningham has been called “MAGA Barbie” since her assemblage days astatine Missouri, according to Complex, because immoderate of nan group she follows and engagement pinch conservatives connected societal media.

In 2022, erstwhile Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas became nan first transgender jock to triumph an NCAA Division I nationalist championship, Cunningham reposted a since-deleted tweet stating that “female collegiate athletes merit truthful overmuch amended than this.”

Soon after, Cunningham posted a connection saying that she stands “with each people, particularly my chap athletes.”

“I do not judge, but support each races, religions, intersexual preferences and gender equity,” she wrote. “We each person a spot successful this world to compete and I dream we are capable to assistance everyone that opportunity fairly.”

Even pinch a seeming endorsement from nan White House and a nickname that’s followed her, Cunningham says her governmental views are “very overmuch successful nan middle.”

“I work together pinch things connected some sides, disagree pinch things connected some sides,” she said successful nan ESPN article. “And that’s each I’ve ever said astir my governmental beliefs. But group emotion to assume.”

On Wednesday, Cunningham went into much detail, telling reporters “I’m not a very governmental person.”

“But I do person beliefs, I person morals, and I’ll ever guidelines connected those and beryllium existent to who I am,” she added. “... And truthful erstwhile it comes to conscionable protecting young girls successful athletics and women successful sport, I consciousness very powerfully astir that.

“That’s why you person Title IX. That’s why you person immoderate of nan greats successful women’s sports. If Title IX and women’s sports weren’t protected, past you wouldn’t perceive astir immoderate type of women successful sport.”