Sophie Cunningham Speaks Out on Trans Athletes Debate and Responds to On-line Criticism

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has addressed the continuing debate over trans athletes in girls’s sports activities, explaining her views after dealing with criticism on-line.

Sophie Cunningham Responds to Criticism

The WNBA participant mentioned she believes her feedback have been misunderstood and careworn that her objective is to help equity whereas displaying respect for others.

In an interview with ESPN on Tuesday, Cunningham mentioned the reactions she acquired on social media after sharing her opinions concerning the concern. She mentioned some folks accused her of being in opposition to transgender people, however she rejected that concept.

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,'” Cunningham mentioned. She defined that she desires to method the subject with each care and honesty.

According to the NYPost, Cunningham mentioned she believes you will need to defend alternatives for younger feminine athletes and create truthful circumstances in sports activities.

“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,” she mentioned.

Sophie Cunningham Says Her Views Are “In the Middle”

The 29-year-old athlete additionally responded to the general public label “MAGA Barbie,” saying that the nickname doesn’t symbolize her full political beliefs.

Cunningham mentioned she doesn’t fully agree with one aspect of political discussions and believes folks usually make assumptions about her beliefs.

“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 mentioned, FoxNews reported.

This isn’t the primary time Cunningham has spoken concerning the subject. In 2022, she shared a now-deleted submit from CBS Sports’ Josh Pate about former Penn transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competing in girls’s swimming.

The submit led to criticism, which prompted Cunningham to launch a press release explaining her place.

At the time, Cunningham mentioned she supported all folks and wished athletes to have truthful alternatives. She emphasised that she didn’t need her feedback to be seen as judgment towards others.

Currently in her second season with the Indiana Fever, Cunningham is averaging 9.4 factors per recreation whereas taking pictures 48 p.c from the sector.