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Indiana Fever shooting guard Sophie Cunningham addressed recent public backlash regarding her past comments on transgender athletes and clarified her political stance in an interview published by ESPN on July 21. The 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champion has frequently found herself at the center of scrutiny, ranging from her physical defense of teammate Caitlin Clark to viral online memes, but recent criticism has focused heavily on her off-court views.
Cunningham addressed claims that her past statements about protecting women’s sports meant she held negative feelings toward transgender individuals. According to EssentiallySports, the veteran guard stated that her main concern has always been fairness for female athletes competing in sports.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans people. And I’m like, I never once said that. 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,” Sophie Cunningham said.
Cunningham Breaks Her Silence
The controversy originally dates back to March 2022, when Cunningham reshared a tweet from host Josh Pate regarding former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas. At the time, Cunningham added a short note stating that female college athletes deserved better treatment. Following initial public pushback on that post, Cunningham issued a statement emphasizing that she supports fairness for all competitors regardless of background.
“To my teammates, friends, family, supporters and fans, you know that I stand with all people, especially my fellow athletes. I do not judge, but support all races, religions, sexual preferences and gender equity. We all have a place in this world to compete and I hope we are able to grant everyone that opportunity fairly,” Sophie Cunningham said.
Cunningham also addressed labels online that referred to her as a “MAGA Barbie.” She explained that people often make assumptions about her politics because she is white, blonde, and from Missouri, but noted that she does not align with either main political party. “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,” Sophie Cunningham said.
Her comments come as sports organizations and state governments continue to update rules regarding transgender participation. More than half of American states have passed laws regarding trans athletes in sports, while international groups like the IOC and WTA have introduced stricter eligibility rules based on biological sex.
