WNBA player Sophie Cunningham enters debate over transgender athletes

WNBA guard Sophie Cunningham has become part of the debate over transgender athletes in women's sports after comments about protecting girls in locker rooms and sports drew praise from the White House.

Cunningham, who plays for the Indiana Fever, gained wider attention last year as a physical defender of teammate Caitlin Clark. Footage of Cunningham staring down and pointing at an opponent after a scuffle last month spread widely online.

This week, Cunningham drew attention for comments about transgender athletes. In an ESPN interview published Tuesday, she said she wanted to "protect young girls" in locker rooms and in sports from having to compete against "biological men." Before a game on Wednesday, she told reporters she believed it was important to protect children and girls involved in sports.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Cunningham on Thursday, calling backlash against the player "ludicrous" and "astonishing." Leavitt said President Donald Trump was following the story and felt strongly about the issue.

Trump has repeatedly targeted gender non-conforming people. Last year, he issued an executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sports and allowing federal agencies to stop funding institutions that resist.

Last month, the US Supreme Court upheld laws in more than two dozen Republican-led states that prohibit transgender athletes from competing in girls' and women's school sports. Supporters of the laws say they are needed to protect fair competition and athletic opportunities for girls and women. Opponents say they exclude and discriminate against a small number of vulnerable students and turn children's school sports into a national political battleground.

Cunningham said she is "not a very political person" and is "very much in the middle." She said she had never said she hated the trans community and believed there was space for everyone, but felt strongly about protecting girls and women in sports. She referred to Title IX, the 1972 US gender-equal funding law that expanded female sports participation.

Her position contrasts with the WNBA and many of its teams. The league has not followed some other sports organizations, including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, in effectively banning transgender athletes from female sports.

The Indiana Fever said Wednesday that its players are "thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices" and that those views are their own. Some fans criticized Cunningham's comments, and sports broadcaster Chris Williamson called them "repugnant" on social media.

Cunningham said she did not care what others had to say and said she knew who she was. She said she hoped she was making room for young boys and girls to have a better future.