Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has been praised by MAGA pundits and officials for commenting on transgender women and girls in sports this week.
Cunningham, who has sparked controversy with social media posts about trans athletes in the past, told ESPN in an interview published Tuesday she has an unfair reputation for “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.”
She then doubled down on her statement before a game against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday.
“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” she told reporters, echoing a similar response in a caption on Instagram on Thursday.
Cunningham’s remarks come more than a year since President Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban federally funded K-12 schools and colleges from allowing trans athletes to compete on women’s sports teams.
According to LGBTQ nonprofit GLAAD, transgender people make up a tiny fraction of all athletes.
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Many conservative figures online were swift in boosting her remarks.
“Which current professional female athlete will follow Sophie Cunningham in saying women’s sports should only be for women? Tag them below,” right-wing activist Riley Gaines, a former swimmer who tied for fifth place in a NCAA Women’s Championship competition with a trans athlete, said on X.
“Sophie Cunningham standing up for women in women’s sports is getting a lot of attention because she seems to be one of the only- if not THE only- professional female athletes doing it,” podcaster Tomi Lahren wrote. “Some do it when they retire because the stakes are lower, but it takes real guts to do it while you’re actively playing.”
The athlete, who is no stranger to receiving love from the Trump administration, also received a shoutout from the Department of Education. When asked by a reporter about the controversy, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Cunningham was speaking “the truth” and called the backlash against her “astonishing.”
But some online were not a fan of her remarks this week.
“She’s not being edgy or bold, she’s bullying one of the most marginalized and endangered populations in the world which is trans children,” one user posted on X.
“Unemployed right wing grift incoming,” another user wrote.
“Sophie Cunningham wants to ‘protect’ women from trans people who aren’t abusing women, but has no problem being a ring girl for the Conor McGregor UFC event showcasing known abusers and rapists,” one user, said referring to McGregor’s sexual abuse allegations.
In her ESPN interview, Cunningham resisted the label of “MAGA Barbie,” saying she’s “very much in the middle” politically.
“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 told the outlet.