WNBA player Sophie Cunningham and her podcast co-host West Wilson are publicly divided on the issue of transgender athletes participating in women's sports. Cunningham has recently voiced strong opinions on the matter, emphasizing the need to "protecting" girls against "biological men."
Cunningham reiterated her stance in an interview with ESPN, stating her support for safeguarding women's sports. She later reinforced her remarks with an Instagram post captioned, "I said what I said," with the location tagged as "Women's Sports."
Wilson, however, has publicly distanced himself from Cunningham's comments, sharing his perspective on social media. In a TikTok video, Wilson described the debate surrounding transgender athletes in American sports as a "borderline nonexistent issue." He argued that political rhetoric on the subject is often exaggerated by right-wing groups and does not reflect the actual number of transgender athletes.
"Transgender athletes in American sports is such a borderline nonexistent issue that right-wingers have convinced a massive portion of people in our country that these people are a threat to sports in America when mathematically, that's not the case at all," Wilson stated in the video. He suggested that the political focus on this issue serves to divide the public and alienate transgender individuals.
Wilson pointed out that there are approximately 10 transgender athletes in the NCAA. He believes that while individual cases may require specific consideration, allowing the debate to overshadow more pressing issues like housing, healthcare, and conflicts is unproductive.
This disagreement highlights a significant rift between the two childhood friends, whose podcast has frequently showcased their close relationship. Cunningham has previously faced backlash for her views on transgender athletes. In 2022, she drew criticism for sharing a post from a sports host that questioned the inclusion of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas on a women's team. At the time, Cunningham released a statement saying she supported athletes but called for "fair" competition.
Addressing the past criticism in her recent interview, Cunningham clarified that she had never stated she hated transgender individuals. "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 said.
Cunningham has denied aspirations to become more politically active on other major issues, asserting that her comments stem from deeply held beliefs and a desire for common sense. "We're all human, I really don't care what other people have to say. I said what I said, I think it's common sense and I think I will always believe in that. I stand on what I said," she told reporters.