Fans showed up at the American Airlines Center excited for the battle between the Dallas Wings’ Paige Buckers and Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham. It wasn’t just the game in the spotlight, though.
Cunningham has been taking some heat over her comments about transgender women in sports.
Outside of the AAC, ahead of the highly anticipated matchup, a rally was held in support of Sophie Cunningham.
Cunningham is being celebrated by some and criticized by others for saying she opposed transgender women and girls competing in women’s and girls’ sports.
At the AAC plaza, the organization Texas Values gathered with others in solidarity.
“We don’t want non-biological women incurring into their sports. They don’t belong there,” said Cindi Castilla with the Texas Eagle Forum.
Cunningham, following some backlash, doubled down. She said she wanted to protect young girls who “shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
“We believe that women are women and men are men, and we love both, but that women should have their own spaces specifically for sports,” said Danielle Buck with Patriot Mobile.
The WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement says the league is restricted to women but has no specific text about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Currently, there are no transgender women playing in the WNBA.
Aubrey Campos, who joined NBC 5 on Zoom, is director of Education for Texas Latino Pride. She questions why the topic is making headlines in the first place.
“If there’s no trans women in sports right now in the WNBA, why are we talking about it? What are we doing?” said Campos.
She said Cunningham’s statements miss the mark.
“I don’t think she’s taken the time to sit there and ask anyone questions or ask a trans woman questions. ‘How has it changed your body? How are you different?’ Campos said. “The WNBA should put something in place where maybe they would allow a trans woman to play and have certain restrictions to where, ‘how long have you been on therapy?’”
Recent debate prompted a response from the league. A spokesperson made the following statement:
“There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
So far, Cunningham shows no intention of walking back her statements.