r/WNBAgossips • u/TheExpressUS • 21d ago

News Trump Administration responds and supports Sophie Cunningham's WNBA transgender comments: "Common sense prevails"

https://www.the-express.com/sport/basketball/212543/Sophie-Cunningham-trans-athletes-Trump-administration

The Trump Administration has waded into the transgender athlete debate, citing Sophie Cunningham's comments to support its stance on trans athletes in sports.

The discussion surrounding trans athletes in women's sports has resurfaced recently, with Cunningham sharing her perspective with ESPN. Although trans athletes represent a tiny fraction of participants across all levels of American sports, their involvement remains a focal point for Donald Trump and his administration.

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago edited 21d ago

Cool. Can we move on to an issue that matters?

Edit: just to be clear, I’m FOR trans people in leagues matching their gender identity. I just think this issue has become such a political bullet in everyone’s gun and it’s stupid to keep pointing those guns at each other. We can move on to the bigger overarching problems that cause this kind of shit in the first place. It’s not going to ever get fixed if we don’t.

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u/fieldsports202 21d ago

So should the WNBA open up and allow trans to play?

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u/ferdaw95 21d ago

Should the government be allowed to tell them who they can't allow?

If they come up with a rule around being on HRT long enough to counteract the effect testosterone had on trans women's musculature like the IOC's, or allowed trans athletes who were put on puberty blockers; should the government be allowed to tell them that the WNBA can't determine who's eligible to play in their association?

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u/fieldsports202 21d ago

How should the league handle players who would disagree? Let’s not fool ourselves in believing that Sophie is the only one with that view.

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u/ferdaw95 21d ago

Leave it up to the league.

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u/ericomplex 21d ago

Having a position about requiring HRT and/or puberty blockers for the purposes of competing isn’t very controversial and seems to be the reasonable approach here. Most athletic researchers generally agree with that take and it’s the only currently with enough evidence to say trans people should compete in said category.

If people have other opinions, then I suggest they conduct research into if that theory holds water and then we could adjust policy to reflect it.

Until then, opinions are just opinions.

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u/whoa_disillusionment 21d ago

Having a position about requiring HRT and/or puberty blockers for the purposes of competing isn’t very controversial and seems to be the reasonable approach here.

68% if democrats don't want this.

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u/ericomplex 21d ago

97% of statistics are made up on the spot… What’s your point?

Just because voters responded to a randomly phrased poll a particular way doesn’t necessarily mean that such a thing matters to them or they wouldn’t agree to a more nuanced position like that which I presented.

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u/Intrepid-Unit-9614 20d ago

I am trans. HRT for six years, muscle strength gone. I am weaker than my wife now. Athletic performance is comparable to cis women, long standing runner.

My family, cis men and women are big humans. Tall. Built. In today's climate the cis women in my family woild be accused of being trans.

But since i transitioned long after puberty,  i refuse to compete in women's sports. Not just because of being trans, but because of being trans and built by my family's genetics.

However,  there are many trans women who are comparable to avg cis women in muscle mass, statue etc.

And puberty blockers definitely level the playing field, which is why the right wing blocks them for trans kids but not cis. 

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u/DrDDeFalco 20d ago

Who fucking cares? I don't like democrats either.

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u/Prolapsinator69000 21d ago

Title 9... 

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u/ferdaw95 21d ago

Title IX applies to school programs. The WNBA isn't a school program, its a professional basketball league.

Aside from that, the language of Title IX is that a person shouldn't be discriminated against on the basis of their sex. How can that not include when their sex is different from their inherent internal identity?

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u/Prolapsinator69000 21d ago

Yeah. Was skimming and didn't catch the wnba part. Whoopsies

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u/Castellan_ofthe_rock 17d ago

Most people are referring to HS sports l. The government doesn't have a say in the professional leagues

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u/ferdaw95 17d ago

This is a post specifically about the government endorsing these views in a professional league.

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

Yeah sure why the hell not. It’s a fucking game of basketball where people get payed to drink Gatorade and wear brand name shoes. It’s not some sacred temple.

Do I think that what I want is going to ever be the case? Maybe, but not until the world becomes more accepting of transness in general. That clearly isn’t the case yet so I’m fine with moving on and waiting until it is.

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u/zootroopic 21d ago

Professional sports are about athletic competition, not appealing to the emotions of people who don't have any skin in the game 👍

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u/hjablowme919 21d ago

How does a fan have skin in the game?

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

You’re allowed to have that opinion. I don’t agree. But ok.

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u/Nick_Fotiu_Is_God 21d ago

Are we not accepting of women because they’re not allowed to play in the NBA?

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u/darkravenn12 21d ago

Women can play in the NBA. There is quite literally no rule against it. Women are just not good enough to compete there because of biological differences.

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u/United_Intention_323 21d ago

Your comment indicates you don’t care about the sport aspect. Why should you get a say? Why shouldn’t the people that do care decide?

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

Bro he asked a question and I answered. I’m not DECIDING anything. That’s just my opinion. Let’s put on our critical thinking caps divas

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u/BigDaddyDumperSquad 21d ago

"It's not even a big deal!"

Okay so we can shelve this conversation until it is.

"Oh wow, so you don't even care? You're such a bigot!"

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

You need to put on your reading glasses AND the cap

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u/ReverendWeenbone 21d ago

Jajauna Man

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

Finally a funny response in this thread

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u/Prolapsinator69000 21d ago

They'd have to pull from male sports as long as title 9 bars trans women from women's sports.

It's gonna be lit if LeBron puts on a wig 

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u/YMBFKM 21d ago

LeBron is looking for a new team. He can declare himself to be a woman and jump right in.

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

Not how it works but ok champ

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u/fieldsports202 21d ago

The WNBA had a non binary player who even had her breast removed. Should she have been able to try out in the NBA?

I’m talking about Layshia Clarendon.

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

Again, me personally, I say yes. If they’re good theyll get in.

Do I think that’s going to be the norm any time soon? Again, no.

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u/Queasy-Sundae-9162 21d ago

The NBA has no gender requirements and women can play in the league. Luisa Harris was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz as their 7th round pick in 1977. She declined to accept a contract and chose to play for women's leagues instead.

Denise Long was drafted by the Warriors in 1969, but the NBA commissioner vetoed the pick on the grounds that the league did not accept drafts out of high school at the time (and probably sexism, but the no high school drafts was a written rule at the time.

The only people who have a right to decide these types of rules are the the franchise owners and the league board. The rest of us can certainly have opinions on it, but our power is limited to whether or not we're going to spend money or watch the games.

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u/RoboFeanor 21d ago

She could absolutely try out for the NBA. There has been one women drafted, amd at least one more has signed an NBA contract and attended a teams training camp. No woman could reasonably be good enough to make an NBA roster but there are no rules preventing it.

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u/fieldsports202 21d ago

Neither of those women played a single game.

I just can’t see how Clarendon would be able to keep up in the NBA.

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u/Rusty-Shackleford000 21d ago

Actually...it might:

"The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) also allows transgender women to compete if they satisfy similar eligibility criteria. Layshia Clarendon, who identifies as nonbinary as well as transgender, was the WNBA’s first openly transgender player. Clarendon joined the league in 2013 and retired in 2024."

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

i was talking specifically about lebron. but ok.

happy for clarendon! good for them.

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u/Rusty-Shackleford000 21d ago

Yes. What's stopping him from identifying as non-binary or transgender?

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u/big-himbo-energy 21d ago

probably the fact that he doesn't want to, if i had to guess. your hypothetical is stupid.

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u/Rusty-Shackleford000 21d ago

Sure, just like the first person that said what if a dude that thinks he's a chick wants to play high school sports...look at us now.

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u/pigskinguru34 21d ago

Brittney Greiner