Sophie Cunningham, a basketball player, told ESPN that she wants to “protect girls in the locker room” and that they should not compete against “biological men”.
No apologies afterward: against the Connecticut Sun, she repeated before the microphones, “I said what I said, I think it’s common sense”. It did not stay on the court.
The White House came out in support of her at a press conference, while within her own league the response was different: Stefanie Dolson played wearing a shirt that said “trans rights are human rights” just before facing her.
Outside the stadium in Seattle, there was even a demonstration in support of Cunningham, and a team co-owner ended up suspended by the WNBA after an altercation with two teenagers holding signs in her favor.
What began as an opinion in an interview ended up becoming the most uncomfortable debate of the year in women’s basketball.