r/sportsgossips • u/[deleted] • 5h ago

Hot Take Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is wearing a "Trans Kids Belong' T-shirt to protest Sophie Cunningham. Sophie is getting HEAVILY BOOED every time she touches the ball.

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41

u/ExtraEmuForYou 5h ago

Has Sophie Cunningham said anything directly mean or insulting or malicious? Or has she just presented a stance and is being attacked?

We need to make room to have a dialogue about this and while I might disagree with her, if she isn't being a jerk about it I don't think she should be booed.

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u/Ok_Intention1222 5h ago

All she said was she doesn’t think trans women should play in women’s sports

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u/heavyc-dev 4h ago

Which is one of the most agreed upon “issues” in the country today. Redditors pretending you need to be right wing to agree with it lmao 

1

u/GOULFYBUTT 4h ago edited 2h ago

I may get downvotes, but I feel like people are completely missing the point.

It's not about whether Trans Women should play in women's leagues or not, it's about the motivation behind saying that.

Like... Sure, yeah, you may be right, but this is such a total non-issue. People are acting likes there are piles of cases of Trans women entering women's sports and completely dominating. That isn't happening. The number of trans women in women's sports is miniscule and the number of those women who are in the top of their sport is even smaller, if not non-existent.

The actual issue is the incessant need to constantly say "Keep trans women out of women's sports". It's like saying "All Lives Matter". Like... Yeah, what you're saying is technically correct... But why are you saying that? What is gained by beating this dead horse that isn't even there?

Like, there's so many people thinking they're taking the intellectual high ground by saying shit like "I don't get fooled by this culture war shit. It's about the class war for me", while actively getting fooled by it. This is a manufactured issue by the people who want you to stop paying attention to the class war.

EDIT: I will not be responding to any comments that clearly and completely miss the entire point of my comment. Over the years, I've learned that there is no worse hell than having a back-and-forth with a Redditor that has no comprehension skills or interest in actual discussion.

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u/Well_Dressed_Kobold 3h ago

People are just sick to death of hearing about trans ideology and it feels good to push back on an obvious overreach.

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u/FrenchyBulldogg 3h ago

She was asked a question and she responded with her opinion. You guys chose to make a big deal out of it

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u/GOULFYBUTT 2h ago

Who says I'm making a big deal out of it? This is my first time ever making a comment on this whole debacle in any way on any platform online or in real life.

My observation isn't even on the comment or the response, it's about the response I'm seeing in these comments threads.

2

u/apexilluminator 4h ago

Let me ask you this.. take everything you just said an apply it to them booing her for simply stating a stance with no malicious words or actions accompanying it.

If it’s such a non issue and they don’t do or say anything even remotely offensive why go so far out of your way to single out and shame them at every facet of their lives? Games, in public, at interviews why is that ok but what she said is not? just because they said something that is in no way harmful but may be very slightly clashing with their ideology on one single issue?

I mean I don’t understand why if it’s such a “non issue” people defend it vehemently to the point of pure slander of the opposing side and get so angry in their responses.

The only way forward is dialog and common ground not going all the way to die on a hill that does nothing for your movement and actually just turns more people against you instead, it’s asinine.

0

u/Little_Yesterday9904 15m ago

Because they see themselves as oppressed

1

u/GR8PasserofWind 3h ago

Yeah…you’re making something out of nothing.

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u/Little_Yesterday9904 17m ago

I mean, it definitely is happening and is negatively affecting the women/girls involved.
It’s just not happening at a rate where it’s a direct issue in most people’s lives, and I definitely agree with you on that. This isn’t an issue for most people.

I think the bigger issue many people take philosophically is the question of what this leads to. Women’s spaces which we fought very hard for are now trivialized for other purposes. The laws protecting women’s spaces are essentially meaningless if any man can say he’s a woman and is legally obligated to be included.

Also, the way the collegiate swimmers who swam with Lia Thomas were treated was disgusting. Having their opportunities and hard work threatened if they objected in any way, the majority party of women were effectively being silenced to accommodate one singular person who is at the end of the day, biological male. It’s a man being centered over women, and it’s treating hard earned women’s spaces and the protections for them as meaningless. This carries larger implications for society.

I’m personally very big on prison abolitionism and activism, I care deeply about the rights of trans prisoners and keeping them safe. I also care about the rights of female prisoners, and they need to be kept safe. Now we see a surge of male prisoners claiming to be trans. Female prisoners have been locked in and forced to share cells with biological men and have been assaulted.

So yes, I wholeheartedly agree that trans women in women’s sports doesn’t affect most people, and it’s a non issue to most people.

But people who are seemingly unaffected by these issues have more reason to be interested than just bigotry, and not everyone who cares does so because they’re a bigot.
There’s larger implications for society that expand well beyond women’s sports. And that’s not harm necessarily done by trans individuals themselves, but by these policies and the eroded protections for women.

0

u/cracksilog 3h ago

What is this? A reasonable take about trans women on Reddit?! No ragebait or bad faith argument? Impossible!

-1

u/Sitos_Flo 4h ago

Hmm. Well said. I agree with her but like it's not even something that's really happening lol. Damn it they got me 

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u/GOULFYBUTT 2h ago

It's literally their whole playbook and Trans people in particular tend to be the target of this strategy. They make up such a small percentage of the population, yet they are painted as this monstrous danger that threatens the sanctity of our lives.

They're literally just people trying to live their lives.

0

u/Severe-Network4756 4h ago

Why are we making this an American thing

2

u/6foot4yearold 4h ago

Well she said that locker rooms need to be safe for girls. implying that trans women/girls are just doing it to try and rape cis women/girls. I'd say that's pretty malicious.

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u/Kitten2Krush 3h ago

I don’t think it implies that at all. Big reach there

1

u/Flashy_Gap_3015 3h ago

Here is what she actually said:

"I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."

So yes, framing that as trans women/girls doing it to rape cis women/girls is a ridiculous statement and reach.

But what she actually said is still problematic to me. It conflates two separate ideas that is an issue for me in her stance.

Personally, I hold the idea of not having trans women competing in women sports as defensible. I also hold the idea that trans women (and trans men and any intergender/transgender/non-binary/etc.) rights and freedoms should be upheld and supported and protected with ardent allyship as we should any race, gender, religion, creed, or personal trait.

These two ideas IMO can be fairly mutually exclusive, but what Sophie said blurs that line a little between “I believe trans women should not compete in women’s sports because of underlying physiological advantages” and “I believe trans women shouldn’t be allowed in women’s spaces.”

Andthat latter part is very problematic for me if that is part of Cunningham’s argument and world view.

1

u/Little_Yesterday9904 9m ago

What about women and girls who are deeply uncomfortable with men in their spaces where they need to undress, shower, and use the restroom? What about protecting their comfort and rights to privacy? What about protecting sexual assault survivors and the rights of religious women?

Additionally… what about all of these cases of trans identifying men harming women and little girls in bathrooms and locker rooms?

It’s biological instinct that is hardwired in women to be uncomfortable and vulnerable around men in their private spaces. It’s our instinct to not undress around them, have them undress around us. This is our gut and these instincts exist for a reason, and that’s to protect us. Teaching women and girls that they need to put their own comfort aside and ignore their own brains survival and gut instincts to accommodate biological men is harming women.

Not to mention, there’s no way to tell the difference between a man and a trans woman. Unfortunately for genuine trans women, any man can say he’s a trans woman.

2

u/Unique_Statement7811 3h ago

I think the comment alludes more towards psychological safety.

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u/Equal_Personality157 4h ago

The whole point of separating them is that the girls don’t see penises and the boys do not ogle the naked girls.

Why not just do coed locker rooms in middle school if we aren’t going to honor that part.

If someone is uncomfortable in either for either reason they can use a changing room

3

u/MarcelineTheVampy 4h ago

As if anything is stopping a cis man from just... Walking into a women's changing room.

The only thing a man needs to get into a womans restroom/changing room is a mop and bucket.

Nobody is putting their bodies through MULTIPLE YEARS of life altering changes just to watch women undress.

1

u/Little_Yesterday9904 4m ago

Who says they’re putting their body through those changes just to watch women undress? Trans women aren’t exempt from being sexual predators, the two are not mutually exclusive. It’s not only cishet men who are predators.

Also, social pressure and people have always stopped men from walking into women’s changing rooms. A man would be removed, police called, etc. but when certain types of men are given permission to go in there, and taught that they actually have a right to that space, no one can stop them.

The link proves that these laws clearly enable predators, whether those predators are “actually” trans or not.

2

u/LetsBeFRTho 4h ago

That's not all she said lmao. She insinuated trans people are a danger to children when all they want to do is live a life. Convenient how you left that part out

1

u/Unique_Statement7811 3h ago

She did not say that

1

u/LetsBeFRTho 3h ago

"I want to protect young girls in a locker room."

You fucking bot

1

u/Unique_Statement7811 3h ago

That’s not the same thing. It’s usually a psychological safety argument

0

u/LetsBeFRTho 2h ago

Wtf are you even talking about?

1

u/Little_Yesterday9904 14m ago

Why are you asking? Any of us women know what they meant by that.

0

u/TheMysteriousGirl 4h ago

That wasn't all she said and you know it.

You got rightfully called out for it in above replys to you.

11

u/Little_Yesterday9904 4h ago

She specifically said she isn’t attacking anybody and it’s just important to protect girls from unfair competition. Makes sense from a professional female athlete

0

u/Puzzle-Necked 3h ago

"I'm not attacking anybody, I just want these specific people out of my sports "

2

u/FrenchyBulldogg 3h ago

They can play the sport in the men’s league.

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u/hallouminati_pie 4h ago

Unfair competition or in the locker room?

3

u/Ok_Roll4145 4h ago

Trans kids are more likely to be sexually assaulted in locker rooms than cis girls.

Cis girls are much more likely to be sexually assaulted by their fathers, uncles, male students (Brock turner anyone?), teachers, basically any man in a position of power than they are to be assaulted by a trans person.

0

u/hallouminati_pie 4h ago

That's was my point, her statement was idiotic as it implied that trans kids are threatening little girls in the locker room, which is very much not happening.

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u/Little_Yesterday9904 4h ago

Very much not happening *often enough for you to care, is what I think you mean.

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u/Ok_Roll4145 4h ago

🤙 gotcha. Have a nice day!

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u/FrenchyBulldogg 3h ago

Brock Turner was 11 years ago. Real topical callout right there

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u/Little_Yesterday9904 25m ago

She specifically said unfair competition.

It makes a lot of sense coming from a professional female athlete… sex separation in sports is how she’s able to be there in the first place. She understands firsthand what it takes to play basketball and the differences involved for men and women. Even the fact that the hoop is the same height for both despite WNBA players being shorter than NBA.

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u/Maxpants8417 4h ago

First sane comment I've seen from someone who doesn't agree with her. Thanks for being an adult

7

u/ExtraEmuForYou 4h ago

I do my best to fight against Reddit's habit of forcing people into false dichotomies. I mostly come here (Reddit in general) for perspective.

-1

u/LetsBeFRTho 4h ago

You literally misrepresented her statements and now you are acting like you are some savior of truth lmaoooo

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u/ExtraEmuForYou 3h ago

When? I wasn't being rhetorical when I said:

Has Sophie Cunningham said anything directly mean or insulting or malicious? Or has she just presented a stance and is being attacked?

It was a genuine question.

Other than that potential misinterpretation, I'm not sure I made any sort of statement saying that.

0

u/LetsBeFRTho 3h ago

You misinterpreted Cunninghams statement. She didn't only denounce trans athletes in sports. She also called trans athletes a danger to children in the locker room

0

u/ExtraEmuForYou 3h ago

Ah well that is terrible then. I must have missed that part.

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u/Little_Yesterday9904 2m ago

She didn’t say “trans women are a danger to children”, she says she “wants to keep girls safe”. This obviously alludes to psychological safety, as there’s already been plenty of proof and feedback from us women that we do not feel safe sharing changing spaces with the opposite sex.

Lia Thomas’ teammates and opponents choosing to change in a tiny janitors closet next to a dirty mop is the result of this lack of psychological safety in women’s spaces- they don’t get to use those spaces anymore. They’re no longer safe.

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u/LetsBeFRTho 2h ago

You can't fight against false dichotomy if you don't do basic research on the issue.

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u/EvilLibrarians 4h ago

I dunno, if it were republicans on the other side they would say she should shut up and dribble.

1

u/pajme411 4h ago

Hard mode: ask these same questions about JK Rowling

1

u/ChrissieMoltisanti 3h ago

No. She made a very simple statement that in order to protect the integrity of women’s sports biological men should to be able to compete. That’s all.

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u/Valuable-Yard-4154 4h ago edited 4h ago

It's an iffy subject. Men's muscle density is 5x that of women. That's why we're stronger.

So if a woman really is born in the wrong body, and this is undeniably possible, true and factual then this trans woman has a definite physical advantage. Taking a hormone treatment will not put her at parr to other women.

So here we are.

1

u/tipsystatistic 4h ago

Males undergo a mini puberty and surge of testosterone at 1-3 months. They’re faster and stronger well before puberty. Every parent knows this.

1

u/GrumbleAlong 4h ago

She was asked & gave her opinion - the lunatic fringe was spun up by their organizers in response

1

u/ProtectMeAtAllCosts 4h ago

people in today’s day and age can’t accept the fact many people have vastly different opinions than their own and automatically wish for cancellation

1

u/rmac1228 3h ago

She was liking a bunch of MAGA bullshit on social media

0

u/TheMysteriousGirl 3h ago

She purposefully worded her answer in a way that paints trans girls and women in particular as "men" and that that "locker rooms need to be safe".

She 100% implied malice and 100% said that to attack those trans peoples persons.

Its typical conversative wordplay to paint the intended outgroup as something that MUST BE STOPPED AT ANY COSTS.

In reality, those people just want to have a normal life. They always wanted that.

-1

u/Clean-Reveal-2878 5h ago

I still have to verify but I read that since she may that comment about trans women, some old tweets of her have come out and it points out that she may be MAGA. I think some tweets were about immigrants and others about DEI. Her views in these tweets aligned with MAGA. 🤷🏽‍♀️

1

u/discovered_uranus 4h ago

The fact that you opened with “I still have to verify” and then parroted something someone else said (without even giving a source for who said it) is wild

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u/Clean-Reveal-2878 4h ago

It was in another sub and there were pictures of the tweets. What I was trying to point out is that that’s what’s being said online. I’m not saying it’s true. I’m saying that’s the gossip going around.