By New York Post (Opinion) | Created at 2026-08-03 23:59:44 | Updated at 2026-08-04 07:50:49
8 hours ago
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham expressed a mainstream opinion in a very compassionate way, but it’s been twisted beyond recognition by the ultra-illiberal world of women’s sports.
In a long ESPN profile two weeks ago, she stated that while she wants to “extend love” to everyone, biological males identifying as women don’t belong in girl’s sports or locker rooms.
About 15 years ago, this would have been the most banal statement of all time.
But in 2026, Cunningham’s reality-based declaration has made her Enemy Number One in the WNBA universe, where one must only hold the approved set of progressive politics.
There, the backlash has been enormous.
The brave hooper is now being booed by fans, branded hateful and even called “anti-black” in a Guardian piece.
All she did was answer a question from a reporter honestly.
Now she must face the wrath of loud activists, who use words like “transphobe” or “bigot” to shut down a much needed discussion. Such labels — defanged by overuse — are deployed simply to launder their lunacy.
It’s a lunacy that demands biological males have access to women’s spaces or sports.
Cunningham’s statement is not anti-trans; it’s pro common sense.
It isn’t a ring wing belief or even controversial. It’s an opinion that cuts across political lines. Maybe it’s just the righties who have the stomach for being harassed by activists, so they are the ones most willing to speak up.
Don’t ask for sanity from the league coaches.
During a Sunday matchup against the Fever, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “trans kids belong” shirt as a response to Cunningham.
And Golden State coach Natalie Nakase offered similar useless language.
“I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women,” she said. “So, I’m all about inclusivity.”
Sure. But trans women aren’t women. They are biological males and biology matters in both competition and safety.
Then there’s Katie Nolan, who said that Cunningham doesn’t “have critical-thinking skills” or she’s not “interested in employing them.”
It’s Nolan being willfully ignorant here. In a recent episode of her podcast “Casuals,” she said Cunningham has “approval, because people keep saying sentences like, ‘I don’t want little girls to have to go against biological men.’ Because on its face that sounds like something is common sense.
“That’s not what anybody’s asking for. Nobody is saying we should get rid of, for example, the WNBA and the NBA, and everybody should just compete together.”
She is right. I haven’t heard activists screaming for the eradication of women’s categories. I’ve only heard them demand that males identifying as women be in those categories.
This is a demand that has dominated our discourse over the last decade. There’s been story after story about girls being beaten by biological men at all levels of competition, most prominently in high school.
Do we need to go back to when boys ran in girls’ track in Connecticut and, predictably, dominated? A group of five girls sued the state arguing their Title IX rights were violated. The suit was initially tossed before appeals courts allowed it to move forward.
We also saw adult males with boobs cleaning up in women’s cycling and weightlifting.
And, of course, Lia Thomas’ UPenn teammates were told by the school to seek counseling if they had issues with a 6-foot-4 male and his penis in their locker room — and in their competitions.
Anyone who spoke up was punished, and dissent was crushed. In 2023, a Vermont high school girls basketball team was suspended from state play after forfeiting a game against a school with a male on the girls’ team. A year later, five middle schools in West Virginia who protested against a trans athlete were benched.
Sport governing bodies were forced to confront the matter, as it became so widespread across international competition. Here biological males competing against girls has been banned in 27 states. And those bans were upheld by the Supreme Court. Even though one of those Justices couldn’t offer a definition of a woman only a few years ago.
But sure, it’s not a thing.
Last week, Seattle Storm’s co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended for five games after she berated two young girls who held a sign thanking Cunningham. One of them was Ahnaleigh Wilson, a 16-year-old from Washington who competed in the 1600 meters at the 2024 Junior Olympics, finishing second to a trans athlete. She has competed against at least four more males.
Wilson knows what it’s like to lose out to a boy — and to be cursed out by someone in the “be kind” brigade.
But why listen to a girl who was actually affected by these anti-female policies?
It’s easier to call these young ladies names and say it’s a fringe issue that simply doesn’t exist.
