Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham caused quite a stir last month when she used her platform to speak out against transgender women in women’s sports. Days later, it’s pretty clear that she has no intention of running from the controversy.
Ahead of Friday night’s game against the Portland Fire, Cunningham did not hold back as she said that she has no intention of hiding or allowing anything to “dim her light” as she stands up for her beliefs.
Cunningham Speaks Out Against Trans Athletes
During a recent interview for a profile with ESPN, Cunningham was asked about the “MAGA Barbie” nickname she has recently been given as a result of some assumptions that people have made about her political beliefs.
While Cunningham said that the nickname is more projection than reality and seemingly comes from the fact 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.”
Cunningham then doubled down on this stance a few days later.
“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham said earlier this week. “And I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.”
Cunningham took a stand on the issue directly a third time in a post on X as she addressed a recent incident after two teenage girls claimed that they were verbally berated by a Seattle Storm co-owner, who has since been suspended.
“I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind,” Cunningham wrote in a post on X. “Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon yay for gifts. Truly embarrassing of the co-owner.
‘I’m not going to hide’
Cunningham was not made available to the media following the team’s game against the Seattle Storm earlier this week, but she did speak to the media before Friday night’s game against the Portland Fire, and she made it pretty clear that while her primary job is to play basketball, she has no intention of hiding from critics.
“At the end of the day, I come in and I do my job,” Cunningham said via ESPN. “I think everyone who knows me personally, they know that I’m full of love. I’m bubbly. I love the people around me. I love basketball. I love inspiring the next generation and doing that in a positive light. And so that doesn’t even cross my mind. Doesn’t cross my teammates’ minds.
“And again, I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me, and I’m not going to like shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.”
Clearly, she is not planning to run away from this controversy.
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.