Sophie Cunningham says women ‘shouldn’t have to go against biological men’ in sports
Sophie Cunningham has taken her stance on the ongoing culture war over women’s sports and trans athletes.
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In an interview with ESPN on Tuesday, Cunningham spoke on the issue and what she has experienced on social media surrounding it.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham told the outlet.
“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.”
The 29-year-old, who has been tagged with the label “MAGA Barbie,” insisted that her comments don’t lend to the full truth of her political views.
“I’m very much in the middle. 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,” she said.
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Cunningham has previously spoken out on the issue before.
In 2022, she shared a since-deleted tweet from CBS Sports’ Josh Pate, who wrote “Female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this” in regards to the former Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Following the retweet, Cunningham wrote her own statement and posted it to X.
“To my teammates, friends, family, supporters and fans, you know that I stand with all people, especially my fellow athletes,” she said. “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.”
The Missouri native recently held her own basketball camp on Sunday, hosting girls grades 1-8.
She is in her second season with Indiana (16-10) and she is averaging 9.4 points per game on 48 percent shooting.
Cunningham will be in action on Wednesday night against Connecticut in what will be the Fever’s final game before the WNBA All-Star break.
