Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham has decided to use her platform to speak out on a hot-button political issue, and predictably, it has sparked widespread outrage from fans.
During a recent interview with ESPN, Cunningham spoke out against transgender women competing in women’s sport, eliciting quite a strong response from fans and media.
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Cunningham Speaks Out Against Trans Athletes
During a recent interview with ESPN, Cunningham was asked about the “MAGA Barbie” nickname she has recently been given. While Cunningham says that label is a projection, given that she is a white girl from Missouri, she did go on to speak out on how to “protect women’s sports.”
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” she told ESPN. “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.”
Despite these comments, Cunningham claims that she is “very much in the middle” when it comes to her political beliefs.
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“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 says.
‘Truly disgusting’
Needless to say, this is a pretty strong stand from Cunningham, but she received a lot of criticism as a result.
“Cannot imagine being an adult with a large platform and choosing to bully vulnerable children in this way. truly disgusting and beyond disappointing,” one fan wrote in a post on X.
“It would be incredibly hard for me to share a locker room with that woman,” someone else wrote.
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“Sophie Cunningham is unafraid. Unafraid to be blatantly transphobic. ‘I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.’ Her own words. In an ESPN article,” WNBA reporter Roberta F. Rodrigues wrote.
“Amazing how Sophie claims to ‘be in the middle’ when she’s literally following the likes of Tucker Carlson, Riley Gaines, Erika Kirk, and JK Rowling lol,” someone else added.
“This is who our ‘No Space for Hate’ league continues to prop up and make famous,” another fan wrote.
“Btw if the ‘No Space for Hate’ campaign applies to fans, coaches and players alike, Sophie should be suspended for spewing transphobic dogwhistles publicly. Trans W players like Layshia Calrenden shouldn’t have to accept hate from a player of her former team,” someone else added.
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Cunningham previously stayed largely out of politics in recent years, but this is the second time this month that she has taken a public stance on a hot-button political issue.
The post ‘Truly disgusting’: Sophie Cunningham sparks outrage for anti-trans comments appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.
