The WNBA has spoken out against what it calls ‘bad-faith’ efforts to create a narrative about transgender women playing in the league. In a statement, the league said there are no immediate eligibility issues and that it strongly denounces attempts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.

Background

The league’s collective bargaining agreement states that only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA, but it does not include specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth. Recently, two former NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women.

There has never been a transgender woman – a person assigned male at birth who transitions to align with their gender identity – on a WNBA roster. However, there have been players in the league who were assigned female at birth and later came out as transgender or nonbinary.

The WNBA’s anti-hate committee, formed last year to deal with hateful and abusive online comments directed at players and the league, met virtually to discuss a variety of topics, including social media vitriol and transgender athletes.

Reactions

Some WNBA players and coaches have come out in support of transgender athletes, including Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson and Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve. However, others, like Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham, have voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports.

Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.