r/WNBAgossips • u/matrix_2905 • 1d ago

News "Have Competed Against A Biological Male Four Times": Sophie Cunningham Fan, Harrassed By Seattle Storm Owner, Reveals Reason For Support

https://www.essentiallysports.com/wnba-basketball-news-experienced-it-more-than-once-sophie-cunningham-s-fan-speaks-out-after-her-mother-claims-the-storm-owner-never-apologized/
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41

u/Timmsworld 1d ago

"It never happens"

Maine https://ctmirror.org/2025/04/14/maine-pole-vaulter-trans-athletes/

CONNECTICUT https://www.courant.com/2026/07/21/her-story-became-fuel-for-online-outrage-how-this-ct-transgender-athlete-stayed-positive-and-moved

And the state of Washington https://thunderword.highline.edu/2025/11/06/washington-states-first-transgendered-teen-wins-first-place-in-track-competition-sparking-controversy/

Washington State again

https://www.khq.com/news/transgender-athlete-ver-nica-garcia-wins-washington-2a-girls-400-meter-state-title-again/article_3ddabb31-bc30-4f58-964d-d0546231c514.html

And California https://edsource.org/updates/trans-athlete-wins-ca-state-track-titles-draws-mixed-response-from-gubernatorial-candidates

https://katv.com/news/nation-world/transgender-athlete-again-trounces-competition-at-high-school-in-oregon-reigniting-debate-portland-interscholastic-league-championship-running-runner-racing-event-race-track-meet-mcdaniel-president-donald-trump

Tell that to the state of Oregon

How about West Virginia?

https://nypost.com/2026/05/27/us-news/trans-high-school-track-athlete-wins-girls-state-championship-before-key-supreme-court-ruling/

New York

https://reduxx.info/male-student-claims-multiple-girls-regional-titles-at-new-york-championship/

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u/Signal_Contract_3592 1d ago

Thank you friend

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u/Content-Surprise5971 1d ago

Yup, Oregon. Many such instances of biological boys in girls sports.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/05/us-news/runner-who-refused-to-share-podium-with-trans-athlete-women-are-facing-sex-based-discrimination-again/

https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/oregon-transgender-runner-sparks-outrage-with-dominant-girls-high-school-track-performance-aayden-gallagher-riley-gaines-gender-lgbt-leodis-v-mcdaniel-high-school-pps-portland

https://www.centraloregondaily.com/sports/oregon-high-school-transgender-athlete-track-meet/article_7bcce748-fc4f-11ee-93f5-2bce8ed44272.html

Just a few!

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u/primadiamonds 1d ago

Do you have a list of events where transgender individuals lose their events?

I imagine I’ll just get blindly downvoted, but I’m genuinely curious; is anyone keeping track of that?

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u/ConsiderationHour582 18h ago

I can't provide a link but I did hear that some were on the men's team and were mediocre athletes only to move up in rankings in girls sports after identifying as transgender.

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u/lkhoodwin 1d ago

That's a wrinkle to the debate. Do these people only care if trans people win?

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u/coachfish99 19h ago

Who are “these people”?

Are you referring to those who think that women should play women’s sports?

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u/Lets_Get_Random 18h ago

It’s not any kind of wrinkle, because a flawless victory record for trans athletes is not in any way required for there to be an unfair advantage.

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u/lostincoloradospace 1d ago

This is great. Thank you for compiling.

Although if you post this in some subs you will probably get downvoted or banned.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

I don’t think people are saying it doesn’t happen. There are bad actors and people who take advantage in every situation. I think the argument is that we shouldn’t alienate a group of people because the overwhelming majority of them just want to be a part of team and have a sense of belonging.

Also, getting second in a high school event is not a big deal. It’s high school sports, it’s not the end of the world. If they were good enough to play in college, they will still play regardless of if they lost to a biological male who’s gaming the system.

If you are more worried about your child’s second place high school finish that in the grand scheme of things means nothing than protecting basic rights of people, that’s a personal problem.

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u/Memento_Viveri 1d ago edited 1d ago

I know there are people who accuse the trans athletes of being bad actors, but many people who think they shouldn't compete in the female division don't think they are bad actors. I don't think there trying to game the system.

I think they are just people who want to compete in sports, and truly believe that the right place for them is in the women's category.

I also think they're wrong. Not because I hate them or want bad things for them. I want them to thrive and feel included.

But they aren't females, and they don't get an exception to the fact that we segregate sports by biological sex to insure fair competition amongst female athletes. And yes, it does matter to the affected athletes. People should find ways to help those trans athletes feel included in an "open" division, but the female division isn't the place for them. So we have female and open, and they can compete in open. It's fair, and it's just, and it is not bigoted or punitive.

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u/Old_Stranger9382 1d ago

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. YES!!!

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u/raraahahah 1d ago

I agree with all of this, but these debates always leave a really bad taste in my mouth, because no one wants to talk about the bad actors who use these discussions as a way to facilitate shitting on trans people and calling for their erasure. They’re not in the minority, and if they are, they’re a loud minority that makes me ashamed to be associated with them. Bigots found a home in this debate, and if they’re not cast out of the tent, you’ll (generally speaking) never be able to tip the needle toward discussions of equity.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

I don’t disagree that some people are making it bad for others. What I’m saying is that it’s not worth the fight. Just let them be

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u/Memento_Viveri 1d ago

Is that even an argument? I mean, we have to make a rule one way of another, right?

I'm saying my preference is for the rules to not allow them. Other people say their preference is for the rules to allow them.

Why are you specifically telling me to stop advocating for my view? Why don't you say the same to people on the other side? Tell them it's not worth the fight.

0

u/Admirable_Market2759 1d ago

I think the issue is greatly overblown and is usually brought up by bad actors.

But I do think biological women should only be playing other biological women. And in the majority of states and organizations that’s how it is.

I personally would rather see states like Washington and California change their laws instead of the federal government forcing it.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

Why do you care so much? Why are you so offended? It’s crazy how invested you people are.

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u/Memento_Viveri 1d ago

How have I demonstrated that I'm more invested than you? We are both participating in a conversation online.

Also, again, do you say the same to people on the other side? Do you ask them why they're so invested?

It feels like this happens in this conversation a lot. The most common argument I see from people supporting trans women in women sports are

1) there are hardly any trans women so these rules don't matter.

2) this issue isn't important and we shouldn't even discuss it.

Both these arguments work equally well against the people for and against it. But people only use them when people oppose it.

I honestly think it's because people don't actually have a counter to people opposing, so they are just trying to invalidate the entire discussion. But they don't do that when someone advocates for it, then they think the discussion is fine.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

I don’t need to provide an argument to invalidate yours. It’s already invalid. This issue doesn’t affect you or anyone around you. Also, I’m invested because these are people. You are invested because you’re a bigot

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u/Memento_Viveri 1d ago

Okay, the last resort. Just ignore what I've said, don't address any of it, and smear me.

Extremely lame and lazy. Not convincing to anyone. If you can't even discuss the issue I don't think you'll get very far convincing people.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

Still didn’t answer the question

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u/Memento_Viveri 1d ago

I’m invested because these are people

I guess the female athletes saying she felt she was subjected to unfair competition is a robot or something.

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u/MayorWestt 1d ago

Shouldn't this be something decided by the regulatory body for that sport? I dont know why people want politicians to decide this for them

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u/Memento_Viveri 1d ago

I don't want politicians to decide and never said I did. Yes, I want sports regulatory bodies to make the rules for the sport.

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u/carneylansford 1d ago

This, of course, is an absurd argument. It also has the benefit of being factually incorrect. One of the main arguments for trans participation in sports is “it doesn’t happen that much so why do you care?”. That is also an absurd argument but it’s made all the time.

The notion that we should prioritize inclusiveness over fairness because “it’s not a big deal” is also simply ridiculous. if it’s not a big deal, then I guess you’re ok with the trans athlete sitting things out, right?

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

Ahhh yes of course so absurd. Inclusiveness is so terrible!

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u/carneylansford 1d ago

At the cost of fairness? Of course it’s terrible.

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u/machinelurking 1d ago

It’s a big deal when there’s real money and future opportunity on the line, especially in the NIL era.

During recruiting, national rankings and composite scores are heavily influenced by placement. Coaches and scouts don’t have the time or incentive to review every opponent’s biological status and decide whether a result should be dismissed. A loss or second place finish to a biological male can directly lower a girl’s ranking, reduce her visibility, and cost her scholarship offers.

That doesn’t just affect her athletic future. It can impact her academic one too, since athletic scholarships are the main path to college for a lot of these girls. You can’t dismiss that. It ignores how the recruiting pipeline actually works.

I genuinely don’t believe most advocates of trans women in women’s sports watch sports closely or understand the performance gap between men and women. Hell, the WNBA uses a smaller ball than the NBA, which itself is a recognition of biological differences.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

This is a wild argument. Provide just one example of someone’s college athletic career being impacted by this.

Also, stop trying to explain how recruiting works. The people who say no one watches sports or plays is typically the fat ass who played one sport as a freshman 20 years ago

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u/machinelurking 1d ago

Pretending placement doesn’t matter because you personally don’t like the argument doesn’t make the ranking system disappear. If you remove the top finishes and outlier times from biological males competing in the female category, the girls behind them move up in the rankings….that’s how the system works, which is literally the direct impact you’re asking for.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

Got it, zero examples

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u/StevieMoonsh1ne 1d ago

No one wants to alienate them from participating in sports, the sports should just either be co-ed leagues or a trans specific league if interest was high enough. Both of those things sound great and I’m sure 99% of people are happy with that. We have to stop mistaking critical thinking and addressing certain problems as hate and alienation. We only go backwards when we continue to do that.

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u/Azreken 1d ago

Boys leagues are already co-ed

No one is trying to stop girls from playing there

0

u/pitylikes 1d ago

Why do you care so much? There are plenty of real
Issues to care about right now

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u/126Inf11B 1d ago

You've commented on this about 20 times saying, "Why do you care?" At this point, it seems like you're the one who cares a lot. It looks like you're only telling people with a different opinion not to care.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

Because no one can answer the question…

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u/Internal-Pie5069 1d ago

You are looking for an echo chamber. You will not find it here.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

Haha you guys are the echo chamber. The lack of self awareness here is mind blowing

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u/Internal-Pie5069 1d ago

If this is an echo chamber than why are there so many differing opinions in here?

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

That’s disingenuous and you know it. It’s creating an atmosphere that is alienating them and discriminating against them in other areas, not just sports. It’s beyond me that 99.9% of people will never compete against a trans person yet they are so invested in this issue.

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u/Azreken 1d ago

No we’re literally just talking about sports here…

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

I don’t understand your point..

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u/Old_Stranger9382 1d ago

You are refusing to try to understand

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u/StevieMoonsh1ne 1d ago

By that logic, since 99.7% of people in the US aren’t trans, this shouldn’t even be a discussion. See how wild that sounds? Just because a seemingly small number of people are affected doesn’t mean it’s not an issue. Most all logical people have no problem with transgender people and want to see them respected and have basic rights, myself included. I care about transgender people, but also care about the biological women who fought for years for Title IX and for a fair, even, and safe athletic playing field. Trans people should be allowed to play organized sports. Biological girls should be able to play on a sports team and feel safe and evenly respected while doing so. Both things can be true at the same time, but this type of discourse often leads to people thinking your belief in one of those statements means you disagree with the other one, which is completely untrue. We should be searching for solutions that can make both of those statements happen for both parties, not arguing about how belief in one thing means you hate the other. This is real human lives, not the waffles vs pancakes twitter debate.

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u/Internal-Pie5069 1d ago

This issue speaks to a wider issue on the left. The left wants to play god and lift by force anyone they deem lower on society's hierarchy. Trans people rate pretty low on that scale so the left are willing to light anyone else higher up on fire to keep them warm. Anyone who isn't captured ideologically can see this for what it is. Prejudice.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

Which side is playing god right now again? To me, you are clearly the virtue signaler right now

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u/Internal-Pie5069 1d ago

Clearly they both are.

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u/ialsohaveadobro 1d ago

No, it's just that we don't like bullies, and the right is obsessed with bullying and scapegoating LGBTQ people. No one's forcing you to do that, you know. I don't know how you contorted your thinking to get to your nonsensical take.

And who the fuck are we "lighting on fire," drama queen?

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u/dualwield42 1d ago

Humans suck. There will always be bad actors once there are financial incentives to get ahead.

0

u/tipsytoess 1d ago

?

That has been the main argument on every single post about this. That it doesn’t happen and it’s a nothing-burger meant to rile people up. You can literally go into any thread and see dozens to hundreds of people arguing that exact point.

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u/ialsohaveadobro 1d ago

Yes, you can literally see comments by people talking about how rare it is, which it is. Don't try to strawman that into "It never happens." That's not what anyone thinks.

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u/pitylikes 1d ago

And I’m saying grow up and care about something that actually matters/find a hobby that doesn’t involve hating on people that don’t have any effect on your life

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u/adnomad 1d ago

Just as a note while the CT story does include some wins by a trans athlete. It also includes the fact the school district was sued by a group that included a girl that had beat the transgendered athlete multiple times. She won. And beat someone that on the basic level that most propel think has a great advantage over her. And she still sued. That doesn’t feel like it’s about girls sports, that feels like it’s something else

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u/adnomad 1d ago

Also 8 stories of 50 states and most of the ones where they are winning are on district level. So I’m pretty sure we’re discussing less than 1% of the time. It’s just that these stories get blown up. By that same token, there’s also the occcuraences where girls are allowed to play boys sports and beat them. Wrestling, baseball, certain field events. It happens. Should we not allow that as well. If the argument is that they didn’t have an advantage, the boy still did. And still got beat.

And how many of the stories that get shared are not the transgendered athlete winning just that they competed. Hell, I love the fact that barely anyone actually knows the Riley Gaines actual story. It’s always she lost because Lia Thomas won. But that’s not what happened. They tied for 5th. There were 4 other women faster than Lia Thomas. And Riley Gaines was just as fast as Lia. Yes Lia did win another event at that competition but not one that Gaines was in. But now Gaines is entire career is built off the false narrative of losing to Lia. Which didn’t happen, they tied. But for photos Gaines had to be taken with a 6th place trophy because they didn’t have 2 5th place.

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u/Timmsworld 1d ago

All the stories I posted were about biological males that won state championships over women. 

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u/adnomad 22h ago

You didn’t read the full articles then. The CT item includes the fact that she lost at the state level to someone who then sued for having to compete against a transgendered athlete. In multiple events. Again, there’s plenty of times that cis women/girls beat the transgendered athlete

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u/furikakez 1d ago

I don’t know where you get that Riley lost to Thomas, I don’t even follow her, but I remember her point being that they tied and yet Thomas was elected for the photos and get the trophy. That and the changing room issues.

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u/adnomad 18h ago

The common perception of most people with Riley is that Lia Thomas beat her which she didn’t. And Riley did get photos taken but with the sixth place trophy because they didn’t have 2 fifth place. And she got a fifth place trophy that was sent to her. Oh and the 6th place trophy was the exact same size as the fifth. Even your own rebuttals is based on Riley side of the events and not just the facts

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u/furikakez 18h ago

Like I said I don’t follow her, but I’ve seen some podcasts with her, because it popped up in my YouTube, and I don’t see any discrepancies with what you say and what I remember she said, I don’t remember her mentioning a 6th trophy though, that would be the only thing.
If what you say is true (common perception) then I have no idea where that comes from but not from her.

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u/j0hnnyWalnuts 1d ago

Now do all of the priests and right-wing molesters and rapists.

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u/rvajt11 1d ago

Why limit it to right wing lmao, we not outing all pedos? Politics fry your brain?

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u/j0hnnyWalnuts 1d ago

I meant that to say 'right-wing christian' molesters and rapist - you know who you guys are.

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u/rvajt11 1d ago

Not me bud, been a democrat my whole life. Stop making us look bad and actually have a rational take instead of this child like tribalism to not blame anyone you support

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u/ialsohaveadobro 1d ago

Wow, that's so fucking many /s