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Women’s Basketball Coach Dawn Staley Gets Hammered On X After Trans Athlete Remarks

   DailyWire.com
Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts in the second half during the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal game against the NC State Wolfpack at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 05, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Steph Chambers/Getty Images

During a Saturday press conference, Dawn Staley, head coach of the South Carolina women’s basketball team, said that male trans-identifying players should be allowed to compete against women so long as the athletes “consider” themselves to be women.

After the Gamecocks’ recent Final Four victory, Staley was asked by a reporter about trans participation in women’s sports. She initially stated that “if you’re a woman, you should play” and that “if you consider yourself a woman … you should be able to play.”

When asked for further clarification on if she meant trans-identifying males, Staley doubled down. “Yes. Yes,” she said, adding that she knew her answer would elicit a “barnstorm of people” on her timeline.

Following the presser, numerous people, including several prominent pundits and activists, took to X to remark on Staley’s comments. Among them was popular conservative podcast host Megyn Kelly.

“Great question. Horrific answer,” Kelly wrote on X. “And this coach makes her dereliction twd the fairness & safety of women all about HER. Oh boo hoo she’ll get criticized. Yeah, we get upset when girls/women are endangered by social justice warriors who are SUPPOSED TO PROTECT THEM.”

Outkick’s Clay Travis also blasted Staley’s comments.

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Former collegiate swimmer-turned-women’s sports activist Riley Gaines also responded to Staley’s comments. Gaines, who has been outspoken about the dangers and inherent unfairness of biological males participating in females’ sports, posted the video of the interview and cited The Daily Wire-produced 2023 comedy film “Lady Ballers.”

Gaines made a cameo appearance in the film, which lampoons men competing in women’s sports, specifically men competing against women in basketball, and features several Daily Wire personalities, including Crain & Co. co-host David Cone, who likewise replied to Staley’s remarks.

Cone simply said, “Failure.”

Congressional candidate Adam Morgan said that American tax dollars shouldn’t support “programs pushing these embarrassing ideologies.”

Political commentator Robby Starbuck said Staley “deserves every bit of criticism.”

As of publication, Staley’s comments were trending in the “sports” section of X.

Zach Jewell contributed to this report.

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The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  Women’s Basketball Coach Dawn Staley Gets Hammered On X After Trans Athlete Remarks