<p style="font-weight: 400;" data-path-to-node="1">Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham isn&#8217;t backing down from the sports media outrage machine after she sparked leftist outrage over her comments on keeping men out of women&#8217;s sports.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;" data-path-to-node="1">The WNBA standout took to Instagram on Thursday, posting a photo accompanied by a saluting emoji and a simple, unapologetic message: &#8220;I said what I said.&#8221;</p>
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<p>The post served as the latest punctuation mark in a week of culture-war outrage sparked by Cunningham’s blunt stance on biological men competing in female athletics. In a recent <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49306657/sophie-cunningham-finger-point-indiana-fever-wnba">ESPN feature</a>, the basketball star stirred the pot by arguing that biological males simply do not belong in women’s locker rooms or sports categories, framing the debate around basic fairness and safety for young female athletes.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I&#8217;m like, &#8216;I never once said that,'&#8221; Cunningham said. &#8220;I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn&#8217;t have to go against biological men.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Cunningham’s comment triggered an avalanche of online outrage, with critics slapping her with political labels and accusing her of hostility toward transgenders. That prompted Cunningham to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-sophie-cunningham-doubles-down-on-protecting-girls-from-trans-athletes">double down</a> during a fiery four-minute press grilling prior to Wednesday&#8217;s victory over the Connecticut Sun.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;" data-path-to-node="5">&#8220;I think I said what I said. I think it&#8217;s kind of common sense,&#8221; Cunningham told reporters, brushing off the critics. She emphasized that her stance stems from personal ethics and a desire to preserve Title IX protections rather than political posturing. Pointing out that advocating for female spaces isn&#8217;t the same as harboring hate, she clarified that she wants to extend love to everyone while standing firm on the truth.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;" data-path-to-node="6">&#8220;I&#8217;ll always believe in that. It&#8217;s really important to protect children, and that&#8217;s little girls who are also involved in that category. &#8230; I&#8217;m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs. I have morals, and I&#8217;ll always stand on those. &#8230; If I&#8217;m gonna live by the love, I&#8217;ll die by the hate, and that&#8217;s just not who I am. I beat to my own drum.&#8221;</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The controversy has catapulted into the national spotlight. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt jumped to Cunningham’s defense on Thursday, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/karoline-leavitt-rips-leftist-backlash-to-sophie-cunninghams-trans-sports-comments">telling</a> Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, &#8220;It&#8217;s even more ludicrous that you do have Sophie Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth that men shouldn&#8217;t play in women&#8217;s sports. &#8230; The backlash she is receiving from Democrats and left-wing figures across the country is astonishing. They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which again, is an 80/20 issue. It&#8217;s common sense.&#8221;</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Cunningham remains unfazed, making one thing crystal clear: she isn&#8217;t letting the media circus throw her off her game.</p>


Sophie Cunningham

Sophie Cunningham Triples Down On Haters With Ice-Cold Instagram Post

Transgender Athletes

WNBA

Women's sports

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sophie Cunningham has always stuck up for her people. Her sister, her teammates, Caitlin Clark (when the entire WNBA seemed to have taken out a hit job on her), and now she’s sticking up for something even bigger: women.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The basketball star turned viral sensation just threw the girls a bone, saying in a sprawling </span><a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49306657/sophie-cunningham-finger-point-indiana-fever-wnba"><span style="font-weight: 400;">ESPN</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> feature that she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn&#8217;t have to go against biological men.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There it is. Time for the WNBA to get big mad.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And of course the media will follow suit, deriding her indefinitely, like the Washington Post just did. Its latest headline reads: “WNBA player Sophie Cunningham won’t stop talking about trans athletes.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">No, my friends. </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">You</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> won’t stop talking about trans athletes.</span></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">She</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> shouldn’t even have to say that &#8220;Biological men” don’t belong in a girl’s locker room. In fact, that used to be a redundant phrase, not a controversial one. But somebody had to say it aloud, because the feminists who were supposed to be saying it wandered off years ago, some chasing climate change, some chasing a different gender. So thank God for Sophie Cunningham. The 29-year old Indiana Fever guard, Missouri native, and Amazonian talent is apparently the last woman standing willing to state the obvious.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She’s not just the right messenger; she’s the perfect one.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">😂🔥 Sophie Cunningham’s latest Instagram post is captioned: “I said what I said.”</p>
<p>She seriously gives ZERO f’s. 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/a5QC3KgDss">pic.twitter.com/a5QC3KgDss</a></p>
<p>— Gina Milan (@ginamilan_) <a href="https://x.com/ginamilan_/status/2080374365707763781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2026</a></p></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is who she’s always been. Growing up in Columbia, Missouri, Cunningham was clocking opposing players in rec-league before she hit double digits, avenging her older sister Lindsey the minute someone dared to even look at her funny. “If you let people walk all over you, they’re going to,” she says. “It’s just in my blood. You’re not gonna mess with my people.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I like her. As an older sister, I can attest that claws don’t come out quicker than when your baby sissy gets hurt.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She carried that maternal instinct through four years at Mizzou, dragging a program that hadn’t sniffed the NCAA Tournament in nearly a decade back into it, four years running, and picked up a reputation for being seriously spunky along the way. South Carolina fans wanted her dead, literally. “Which is fine,” she said. Because like grandma, like mother, like daughter, she has thick skin.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She doesn’t care if she pisses people off.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This instinct came in handy last year when Jacy Sheldon poked Caitlin Clark in the eye, and Cunningham responded by putting Sheldon in a headlock on national television. She went viral for defending the only female WNBA player most people could name. Then did it again with a 22-second finger </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlackIndyLIVE/videos/one-of-the-funniest-moments-in-sports-right-now-didnt-come-from-a-game-winning-s/3180318988844573/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">point</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and glare at DeWanna Bonner that turned into one of the biggest sports memes of the year.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was glorious. The kind of silent fury I know intimately, the same look I give my sisters the second one of my tops goes missing off the hanger. No words, just accusation, thick enough to choke on. (We go from lovers to fighters real fast.)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One finger, twenty-two seconds, and an entire arena understood exactly what she meant. She never said a word. She didn&#8217;t have to. The point said it for her: touch my girl again and see what happens.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clark has spent a season and a half getting hunted by bloodthirsty opponents while the league’s officiating crew developed a sudden case of Helen Keller the minute the star was fouled. Cunningham noticed, and Cunningham cared. So she did something about it. Now the same protective instinct that got Sheldon a headlock and Bonner a very long staredown has widened its aperture. She’s now going to bat for young girls and female athletes, and it means everything.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This woman became ubiquitous almost overnight. A woman who was a solid but unspectacular role player for six seasons in Phoenix is now an Adidas athlete with her own signature shoe dropping tomorrow, a Ring spokeswoman, a UFC ring girl, and reportedly one of the highest-earning names in the league that, until last year, most Americans couldn’t have named two players from. Her Google search numbers spiked 800% after the Sheldon situation. Her TikTok and Instagram followings are in the millions, and it happened because she was willing to be exactly, unapologetically herself in a landscape that has spent years punishing those who step out of line.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Which is what makes what she said in an ESPN profile, in the career sense, extremely dangerous. Telling the outlet that young girls in sports shouldn’t have to compete against biological men should be grounds for applause. Instead, it’s a liability.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But thankfully, she’s </span><a href="https://x.com/RomeovilleKid/status/2080069445364433144/video/1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">doubling down. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />
</span></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I said what I said,” she told reporters before Wednesday’s game against Connecticut. “I think it&#8217;s kind of common sense. I think it&#8217;s really important to protect children, and that&#8217;s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bingo. Give her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Because that was brave.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Honestly, she has more to lose than almost anyone in the league right now: the shoe deal, the brand partnerships, the goodwill of a locker room culture, her spot on the team. She’s risking all of it for a sentence most Americans agree with, but almost no professional athlete will say.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The WNBA, meanwhile, has spent two years alternately ignoring and resenting the two players filling its arenas. It resents Clark for being too good and too popular. Now it gets to resent Cunningham for being too honest. Quite the business decision, icing out the only two names we know!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">(It’s not personal. We didn’t know a single U.S. Men’s soccer player before the World Cup, either.)</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What Sophie Cunningham is saying is correct. It should not be controversial. But women across the country are glad someone with as much to lose as she does is saying it regardless. Because for some reason, the liberal overlords and woke warriors would sacrifice safety and fairness for mental illness inclusion every time, if unchecked.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If we don&#8217;t stick up for each other, no one will. And Cunningham&#8217;s whole life has been proof that she doesn&#8217;t wait around for permission to protect her people. She didn&#8217;t wait for Sheldon. She didn&#8217;t wait for Bonner. She&#8217;s not going to wait for a press release from the league office, either.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Eat it, WNBA. Or you will go back to being just as unpopular as the World Cup before June. </span></p>


Golden State Valkyries v Indiana Fever

Caitlin Clark’s Bodyguard Is Now Fighting For Us

Caitlin Clark

DW Opinion

ESPN

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The White House came to the defense of WNBA star Sophie Cunningham Thursday after the Indiana Fever guard faced criticism for saying that men should not compete in women’s sports or share women’s locker rooms.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked about the issue by Daily Wire White House Correspondent </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/mary-margaret-olohan"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mary Margaret Olohan</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump is aware of Cunningham’s comments and shares her concerns about protecting female athletes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I don’t believe he has reached out to her,” Leavitt said when asked whether Trump had contacted Cunningham. “I know he is following the story.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leavitt said the backlash against Cunningham demonstrated what she described as a disconnect between leftist activists and the broader American public. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is something the president feels strongly about as well, and the American people do too,” Leavitt said. “That men should not be playing in women’s sports. It’s completely ludicrous that anyone could support that.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s even more ludicrous that you do have Sophie Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth that men shouldn’t play in women’s sports,” she continued.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leavitt called the criticism Cunningham has received “astonishing” and argued that the administration’s position reflects widespread public opinion.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which again is an 80-20 issue,” Leavitt said. “It’s common sense. It’s rooted in basic biological fact that men should not be competing against women on playing fields across the country.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cunningham, who has become one of the WNBA’s most recognizable players since joining the Indiana Fever, </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-breaks-with-league-on-explosive-issue"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in an interview with ESPN earlier this week that she felt compelled to speak out about biological differences in sports despite backlash from critics who accused her of being anti-transgender. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham said. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cunningham said her concern was protecting female athletes, particularly young girls. “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The comments drew criticism online, with some labeling the Missouri native as a conservative or “MAGA Barbie,” a characterization Cunningham rejected. “I really am right in the middle [politically],” Cunningham said, adding that she agrees and disagrees with positions on both sides of the political spectrum.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cunningham’s comments come as the WNBA and its players’ union have taken a different position on transgender inclusion. The WNBA Players Association has previously voiced opposition to restrictions on transgender participation in sports and pledged support for transgender athletes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Fever guard has also drawn attention in recent weeks for </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-sophie-cunningham-wont-diss-trump-after-white-house-meme"><span style="font-weight: 400;">refusing to join criticism</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of President Trump after the White House used a viral clip of her pointing at an opponent during a game as a social media meme.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked about the White House using the clip, Cunningham said she viewed it as part of a broader internet trend. “Everyone around the world is posting it, every company has done it,” Cunningham said. “They’re just the ones also to get on board and I don’t really think twice about it.”</span></p>


GettyImages-2280043385

Karoline Leavitt Rips Leftist Backlash To Sophie Cunningham’s Trans Sports Comments

Indiana

Karoline Leavitt

LGBTQ

The Daily Wire

Transgender

Trump Administration

White House

<p>Indiana Fever guard <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-breaks-with-league-on-explosive-issue?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WNBA+Star+Breaks+With+League+On+Explosive+Issue">Sophie Cunningham</a> was pressed on Wednesday about her recent comments regarding trans athletes in female sports and unequivocally reiterated her support for girls and women.</p>
<p data-start="370" data-end="786">Bucking the views <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-breaks-with-league-on-explosive-issue?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WNBA+Star+Breaks+With+League+On+Explosive+Issue">expressed</a> by the WNBA and some of its players, Cunningham said in an ESPN interview published Tuesday that female sports should be protected and biological males should not be allowed in these female-only spaces. When she was pressed about these comments the following day, Cunningham stood by her remarks and said her position is &#8220;common sense&#8221; and won&#8217;t change based on others&#8217; negative or positive feedback.</p>
<p data-start="788" data-end="997">&#8220;In that story with ESPN, you talked about wanting to protect young girls who shouldn&#8217;t have to go against biological men,&#8221; a female reporter asked the athlete. &#8220;Can you expand your viewpoint on that?&#8221;</p>
<p data-start="999" data-end="1285">“I think I said what I said,” Cunningham responded. “It’s kind of common sense, and I think I&#8217;ll always believe in that. I think it&#8217;s really important to protect children, and that&#8217;s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said and I&#8217;m going to always believe that.”</p>
<p data-start="1287" data-end="1601">“I&#8217;m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs,” she continued. “I have morals, and I&#8217;ll always stand on those and be true to who I am, and I think people are going to take it how they want to take it. … When it comes to protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that.”</p>
<p data-start="1603" data-end="1788">“That&#8217;s why you have Title IX — you have some of the greats in women&#8217;s sports,&#8221; she said. &#8220;If women&#8217;s sports weren&#8217;t protected, then you wouldn&#8217;t hear about any type of women in sport.&#8221;</p>
<p data-start="1790" data-end="2284">Asked about how this could be perceived by the “trans community,” Cunningham responded, “I extend love and I don&#8217;t dislike anyone. I think there is room for absolutely everyone here and I think there&#8217;s room to love everyone. &#8230; I&#8217;m there to love, but I&#8217;m also there to love biological women and I think that there are rights that need to be protected and &#8230; I&#8217;m going to stand true to that. I&#8217;ll never falter in my beliefs in that, but I have never once said I hated the trans community.&#8221;</p>
<p data-start="2286" data-end="2473">Cunningham said in the ESPN interview that she views her politics as &#8220;middle&#8221; of the road. A reporter on Wednesday asked her how she feels about being labeled or put in a box.</p>
<p data-start="2475" data-end="2782">&#8220;I really don&#8217;t care,&#8221; Cunningham responded bluntly. &#8220;I know that sounds bad and I&#8217;m not trying to come off like that. &#8230; I know whatever I say, I&#8217;m gonna get hate and I&#8217;m gonna get love, and if I&#8217;m gonna live by the love, I&#8217;m going to die by the hate, and that&#8217;s just not who I am. I beat to my own drum.&#8221;</p>
<p data-start="2784" data-end="3092">&#8220;I&#8217;m confident in who I am, I&#8217;m proud of who I am, I&#8217;m happy being me,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I really don&#8217;t care what other people have to say. I know who I am, my people know who I am, and, hopefully, I&#8217;m doing them proud &#8230; and making room for young boys and girls in our world to have a better future than we did.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-breaks-with-league-on-explosive-issue?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WNBA+Star+Breaks+With+League+On+Explosive+Issue">Related: WNBA Star Breaks With League On Trans Issue</a></strong></p>


WNBA: JUN 13 Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun

WATCH: Sophie Cunningham Doubles Down On Protecting Girls From Trans Athletes

WATCH: Sophie Cunningham Doubles Down On ‘Common Sense’ Position To Protect Girls’ Sports

Basketball

Girls

LGBT

<p>Unlike so many professional female athletes, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-sophie-cunningham-wont-diss-trump-after-white-house-meme">WNBA star Sophie Cunningham</a> is not afraid to stand up for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-protects-womens-sports-in-landmark-ruling">protection of female athletes</a>.</p>
<p>The Indiana Fever guard says that while her politics are &#8220;middle&#8221; of the road, she feels compelled to speak out on the matter.</p>
<p>&#8220;I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I&#8217;m like, &#8216;I never once said that,'&#8221; Cunningham said in an interview with ESPN published Tuesday, referring to her position on women&#8217;s sports.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think that I am here to extend love,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn&#8217;t have to go against biological men.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m very much in the middle [politically],&#8221; the Missouri native said after an ESPN interviewer said some people view her as Right-wing or &#8220;MAGA.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides,&#8221; Cunningham added. &#8220;And that&#8217;s all I&#8217;ve ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume.&#8221;</p>
<div id="attachment_1140463" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1140463" class="wp-image-1140463 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285446291-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285446291-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285446291-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285446291-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2285446291.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1140463" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Christian Petersen/Getty Images</em></p></div>
<p>Cunningham&#8217;s position runs counter to that of the WNBA. Not only has the organization signaled its devotion to so-called LGBT activism, but the league&#8217;s players&#8217; union, the WNBPA, has explicitly advocated for transgender &#8220;inclusion.&#8221; In 2022, the union issued a statement railing against laws that protect girls&#8217; sports and emphasizing its commitment to &#8220;fight for trans youth across the country.&#8221;</p>
<p>Individual players have also promoted males in female sports. Former WNBA player Layshia Clarendon and current Las Vegas Aces forward Brianna Turner, for example, wrote a 2024 CNN opinion piece urging the NCAA to allow males in these female spaces.</p>
<p>Cunningham, though, is authentically herself — even when that runs counter to the WNBA norm. &#8220;You see so many people change or try to fit into a box,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t even know what that box is. It&#8217;s a fake box. Everyone wants to look the same. Everyone wants the same vibe. Screw that. I&#8217;m gonna be me.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;People love me or they really frickin&#8217; hate me,&#8221; Cunningham added. &#8220;I just don&#8217;t care.&#8221;</p>
<p>As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-sophie-cunningham-wont-diss-trump-after-white-house-meme">The Daily Wire</a> earlier this month, the WNBA standout refused to publicly criticize President Donald Trump, again breaking with many players in the league.</p>
<p>“Did you see the one with the White House posted, with the president in it, and did you have any thoughts on it?” a reporter asked Cunningham about her viral <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-sophie-cunningham-wont-diss-trump-after-white-house-meme">&#8220;pointing&#8221; meme</a>. The athlete responded, “I think everyone around the world is posting it, every company has done it, they’re just the ones also to get on board and I don’t really think twice about it.&#8221;</p>
<div id="attachment_1140467" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1140467" class="wp-image-1140467 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286104251-864x576.jpg" alt="Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever holds up a ring card before a lightweight bout between Paddy Pimblett of England and Benoit Saint-Denis of France, not pictured, at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286104251-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286104251-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286104251-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286104251.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1140467" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Sophie Cunningham holds up a ring card before a lightweight UFC bout. Credit: Ian Maule/Getty Images</em></p></div>
<p>Cunningham&#8217;s bold stance earned praise on social media. Female sports advocate Riley Gaines <a href="https://x.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/2079773699129917933?s=20">commented</a>, &#8220;In a world full of Megan Rapinoes, be a Sophie Cunningham.&#8221; Rapinoe, the former U.S. soccer star, advocates for males in girls&#8217; sports.</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-sophie-cunningham-wont-diss-trump-after-white-house-meme">WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham Won’t Diss Trump After White House Meme</a></strong></p>


GettyImages-2282441092

WNBA Star Breaks With League On Explosive Issue

WNBA Star Sophie Cunningham Breaks With League, Defends Girls' Sports

<p class="p1">June 23 marked the 54th anniversary of Title IX, a law whose passage deserves a moment to reflect on what this landmark accomplished.</p>
<p class="p1">For more than five decades, Title IX has expanded opportunities for generations of women and girls in education and athletics. It created pathways that previous generations could only dream of. Because of Title IX, millions of young women have had the opportunity to compete, earn scholarships, develop leadership skills, and pursue excellence on a level playing field.</p>
<p class="p1">I am one of those women.</p>
<p class="p1">As a former Division I track and field athlete, I dedicated years of my life to pursuing athletic success. Like so many female athletes, I woke up before sunrise for practice, sacrificed social events, trained through injuries, and pushed myself physically and mentally to compete at the highest level. Those sacrifices paid off when I won the Big Sky Conference championship in the 800-meter and set my sights on even greater goals.</p>
<p class="p1">Then, during my final year of eligibility, I learned I would be <a href="https://www.iwfeatures.com/profile/the-female-college-athlete-whose-years-of-training-may-now-be-in-vain/"><span class="s1">competing against</span></a> a biological male athlete who had previously competed in the men&#8217;s category. Suddenly, the reality of competition changed.</p>
<p class="p1">Athletes are taught to overcome obstacles. If someone is faster, you train harder. If someone is stronger, you improve your technique. But no training program can eliminate biological differences between males and females. Males can run approximately <a href="https://www.independentwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IWLC_3rd-Edition_Competition-Report.pdf"><span class="s1">11% faster</span></a> than females, and can accelerate around <a href="https://www.independentwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IWLC_3rd-Edition_Competition-Report.pdf"><span class="s1">20% faster</span></a> than females. No amount of determination or additional hours of training can erase the physical advantages that Title IX recognized when it created separate athletic categories in the first place.</p>
<p class="p1">This is why the Supreme Court&#8217;s <a href="https://www.independentwomen.com/2026/01/15/scotus-snapshot-womens-sports/"><span class="s1">upcoming decisions</span></a> on <i>Little v. Hecox</i> and <i>West Virginia v. B.P.J. </i>regarding women&#8217;s sports matters so much.</p>
<p class="p1">At its core, the question before the Court is not whether every individual deserves dignity and respect. They do. The question is whether female athletes will continue to be a protected category in which success is determined by talent, discipline, and hard work rather than by biological advantages.</p>
<p class="p1">When Congress passed Title IX in 1972, lawmakers understood that equal opportunity did not mean identical treatment. Women&#8217;s sports were created precisely because sex-based differences matter in athletic competition. Without separate categories, female athletes would lose opportunities to compete, earn scholarships, win championships, and break records.</p>
<p class="p1">That reality has not changed. Therefore, the Supreme Court should easily be able to come to a unanimous conclusion — biological reality does exist.</p>
<p class="p1">Supporters of allowing biological males to compete in women&#8217;s sports often frame the issue as one of inclusion. But inclusion cannot come at the expense of fairness. Asking female athletes to surrender opportunities that Title IX was designed to protect is not advancing women&#8217;s rights — it is diminishing them.</p>
<p class="p1">For years, many female athletes have remained silent because speaking out carries consequences. We have been told that raising concerns about fairness makes us intolerant or discriminatory. Yet the very existence of women&#8217;s sports is based on recognizing <a href="https://www.independentwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IWLC_3rd-Edition_Competition-Report.pdf"><span class="s1">biological differences</span></a>. Defending that principle is not discrimination. It is the foundation of women&#8217;s athletics.</p>
<p class="p1">To me, Title IX means opportunity, equality, and empowerment. Through track, I found my confidence, developed leadership skills, and discovered my voice. I am forever grateful for the protections this law provides, ensuring that women like me can thrive both on and off the field.</p>
<p class="p1">As we celebrate another year of Title IX, we should remember why the law was necessary in the first place. Women fought for decades to gain access to athletic opportunities. They fought for scholarships, facilities, coaching resources, and the chance to compete against one another on fair terms.</p>
<p class="p1">Those hard-won gains deserve protection.</p>
<p class="p1">The Supreme Court now has an opportunity to reaffirm a simple principle: women deserve their own space in sports. Not because we are less capable, but because equal opportunity requires fair competition.</p>
<p class="p1">That was the promise of Title IX 54 years ago. It should remain a promise we keep.</p>
<p class="p3">***</p>
<p class="p1"><i>Linnea Saltz is an Independent Women ambassador and former NCAA track and field athlete. During her time at Southern Utah University, she was forced to compete against the first male athlete in Division I cross country.</i></p>


abhernandez0530

I Am A Woman Who Had To Compete Against A Man And It’s Anything But Fair Play

College sports

Title IX

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Radical leftist Senate candidate Graham Platner said that the real “reason” conservatives care about men in women’s sports is that billionaires are afraid of a wealth tax.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He claimed that social concerns, such as the transgender sports issue, are manufactured by billionaire donors to distract voters from economic issues. He suggested that the well-funded campaign against him is strictly a result of his proposed tax increases. </span></p>
<p>&#8220;They want us arguing about trans kids in sports so we don&#8217;t ask about why the hospital closed. That&#8217;s the point,&#8221; Platner said. &#8220;And the reason I know that&#8217;s the point is that entire campaign was funded by one billionaire who lives in Illinois. He was afraid that if they don&#8217;t get to use bigotry to drive people out to the polls in November, they might lose, and his taxes are going to go up. And he&#8217;s right. They sure as hell are.&#8221;</p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Platner was referring to billionaire Richard Uihlein, a prominent GOP megadonor, who financed a ballot referendum in Maine that sought to protect girls and women in sports. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Platner has been at the center of many controversies throughout his campaign. He once sported a Nazi tattoo, has had an account on a messaging app that&#8217;s been called a child predator &#8220;paradise,&#8221; and has made misogynistic comments dismissive of rape.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He has launched an insurgent campaign against sitting Republican Sen. Susan Collins, focused primarily on far-Left economics and staunch anti-Israel stances. Collins has consistently </span><a href="https://www.newsmax.com/politics/sen-susan-collins-lugar-index-most-bipartisan-lawmaker/2018/05/05/id/858554/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">ranked</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> as the most bipartisan senator in Congress.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Platner has been a vocal supporter of a wealth tax. When Elon Musk became the first person to reach a net worth of over $1 trillion, Platner <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/2065434412984963208">called on</a> voters to make sure he was the “last” trillionaire. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The argument that social issues are a distraction from class warfare is a familiar socialist claim. The Democratic Socialists of America, an extremist Left-wing group of which Platner is a former member, </span><a href="https://platform.dsausa.org/program/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">states</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that “culture wars are intended to pit workers against each other to empower a Right-wing government.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Platner is leading Collins in the most recent </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/maine-us-senate-election-polls-2026.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">polls</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>


Maine Democratic Candidate For Senate Graham Platner Campaigns Across The State

Platner’s Wild Theory About Why Conservatives Care About Trans Sports 

graham platner

Maine

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">President Donald Trump referenced a joke on Thursday that he made with his new friend, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, to hammer his point about trans athletes attempting to compete in women&#8217;s sports.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">“He’s a big strong guy, and I said, how do you think you would do in women’s sports, Jaxson,” Trump said he asked Dart. “He said, ‘Pretty good, sir.’ He didn’t know I was joking.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Trump made the comment while speaking to the media at the White House when he recalled his conversation with Dart while discussing the Supreme Court coming to a decision on biological men participating in women’s sports. While Trump&#8217;s comment was just a joke, it allowed him to state the obvious regarding the hypothetical. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">“He would’ve been the greatest athlete in the history of women’s sports,” Trump said. “You should see the size of this guy, he’s like a male model, he’s going to be a great quarterback.”</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The president and quarterback were with each other publicly for the first time when Dart introduced Trump at a rally for Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in Suffern, New York, on May 22. Dart, who publicly stated how honored he was to present the president at the event, was ridiculed by leftist outlets, sports media moguls, and even teammate Abdul Carter, who took to X to voice his </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/muslim-nfl-players-post-criticizing-pro-trump-teammate-backfires"><span style="font-weight: 400">frustration</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Despite the backlash, Dart stood his ground, supporting America and the president of the United States.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">“This was a unique opportunity. Being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the president of the United States,” Dart told </span><a href="https://x.com/SNYGiants/status/2060432187489432026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2060432187489432026%7Ctwgr%5Ec87e7ef3058cf46026cf1433fb7d721090969cc7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Foutkick-sports%2Fjaxson-dart-shouldnt-justify-introducing-trump-rally"><span style="font-weight: 400">reporters</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. “My thinking was pretty simple. I&#8217;ve always loved this country. The president position has always been a position that I&#8217;ve well respected, regardless of political affiliation, political party.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Trump later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-responds-after-leftist-meltdown-over-nfl-qbs-rally-appearance">backed</a></span><span style="font-weight: 400"> Dart as the quarterback faced criticism and suggested that the two have grown closer since the rally two weeks ago.</span></p>


President Trump Speaks On Tax Law In Competitive New York District

Trump’s Jaxson Dart Remark Cuts Right To The Heart Of The Trans Sports Debate

Donald Trump

New York

<p>A male athlete named AB Hernandez won three events at a girls sectional final tournament in California over the weekend, forcing female athletes to share the podium with him.</p>
<p>Still, the athlete&#8217;s mother believes her son is the real victim.</p>
<p>Hernandez, from Jurupa Valley High School, took first place in the girls long jump, high jump, and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section finals in Division 3.</p>
<p>Due to new rules, female athletes who would have won first place if it were not for Hernandez, a male, participating in the girls contest, had to share the first place spot on the podium.</p>
<p>Hernandez was not present at one ceremony, but later shared a spot with female winner Gwynneth Mureika, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/trans-track-athlete-ab-hernandezs-mom-shares-critical-post-school-officials-podium-placements">according</a> to OutKick. At another ceremony, the female athlete did not show up and Hernandez had the top spot on the podium to himself.</p>
<p>The trans-identifying athlete&#8217;s mother shared a post from &#8220;Rainbow Families Action&#8221; on Instagram, which excoriated the new rules and claimed Hernandez was the one being bullied.</p>
<p>&#8220;All these big tough ex-athletes at CIF, and the most courage they could muster was to hand this to coaches at AB’s meet today,&#8221; the post said, captioning a letter about the new rules that allow female athletes to advance and share the podium.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not one of them was brave enough to look her or her mother in the eye and say &#8216;This whole project of violating Ed Code is aimed at you. A child,'&#8221; the post continued. &#8220;Government sanctioned bullying of a kid?&#8221;</p>
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<p>Hernandez, who also dominates in girls&#8217; volleyball, is moving on to compete against top female track athletes in the state and will likely advance to the state finals, which are set to start on May 29. Last year, Hernandez won gold in the female triple jump and high jump at the state finals. He also took home the silver in the long jump.</p>
<p><span class="hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline"><span class="whitespace-normal">In response to California allowing boys to compete in girls&#8217; sports, the Trump Department of Justice in 2025 sued the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)</span></span> over violations of Title IX.</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/male-dominates-girls-track-at-california-state-finals-despite-trump-threat">Male Dominates Girls’ Track At California State Finals Despite Trump Threat</a></strong></p>


58th Arcadia Invitational

Mom Believes Her Son Is The Real Victim After He Dominates Girls At Track Tournament

Mom Says Son Real Victim After He Cleans Up At Girls Track Tournament

California

<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">This article is part of </span></i><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Upstream,</span></i></a><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.</span></i></p>
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">***</span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the most decorated bobsledders in history, Kaillie Humphries has it all: six Olympic medals, a loving marriage, and the most adorable son. And after teaming up with </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtqv0I_QyJw"><span style="font-weight: 400;">XX-XY Athletics</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in 2026, she’s inspiring women everywhere to go after their dreams. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Humphries knows a little something about beating the odds. She gave birth to her son </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ5kXoSRRQJ/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aulden</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in </span><a href="https://www.ibsf.org/en/news/detail/three-times-bobsleigh-olympic-champion-kaillie-humphries-welcomes-baby-aulden"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2024</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and just 18 months later, she won </span><a href="https://www.teamusa.com/profiles/kaillie-humphries"><span style="font-weight: 400;">two medals</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is possible to achieve everything you want to achieve,” she tells The Daily Wire. “But it is gonna take work and sacrifice, and there will be some hardships along the way. I&#8217;m not gonna say that doesn&#8217;t exist because that wouldn&#8217;t be truthful.”</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unafraid to stand her ground, Humphries makes a natural fit for XX-XY. Since its founding by </span><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/07/jennifer-sey-levis-exec-anti-trans-clothing-brand/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">former Levi Strauss exec</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Jennifer Sey in 2024, the activewear brand has been dedicated to normalizing women’s sports for biological girls and women. The mission? For athletes to “</span><a href="https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/pages/our-founder"><span style="font-weight: 400;">simply be afforded the chance to compete on an even playing field</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the battle over </span><a href="https://adflegal.org/campaign/winning-the-battle-against-gender-ideology/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Title IX</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which was once designed to provide women </span><a href="https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2014/1/27/title-ix-frequently-asked-questions.aspx#title"><span style="font-weight: 400;">equal opportunity in sports</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, XX-XY offered sanctuary from </span><a href="https://edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=411780"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Biden-era policies</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that allowed an </span><a href="https://katv.com/news/nation-world/lia-thomas-exposed-male-genitalia-in-womens-locker-room-at-swim-meet-ex-swimmer-says"><span style="font-weight: 400;">intact man</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> claiming to be a “woman” to strip down in front of female swimmers and, in another case, spike a volleyball so hard it led to another athlete’s </span><a href="https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/cmte_testimony/2025/wam/1E52PALNHjL37zcTICExf7g4TqIaF3cuW.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">concussion</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> during a high school game. Adding insult to injury, biological male athletes regularly broke women’s records, stole nearly </span><a href="https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/un-study-reveals-transgender-athletes-have-won-nearly-900-medals-in-womens-competitions-united-nations-sports-lgbt-gender-identity-title-ix-athletics"><span style="font-weight: 400;">900 women’s medals</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and hijacked hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money and </span><a href="https://www.akleg.gov/basis/get_documents.asp?session=32&amp;docid=80468"><span style="font-weight: 400;">scholarships</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The devastating fallout was no surprise. </span><a href="https://womeninsport.org/transgender-inclusion-womens-sport/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Men are stronger</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, faster, taller, leaner, and more muscular and have larger lung capacity than women. Period. Extremely </span><a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10795902/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">limited research</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> showed that “physical performance of nonathletic trans people who have undergone [gender-affirming hormone therapy] for at least two years approaches that of cisgender controls.” It wasn’t close to being fair.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">President Donald Trump </span><a href="https://youtu.be/2-QfaFvxxQA?t=48"><span style="font-weight: 400;">signed an executive order</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> declaring an end to the war on women’s sports </span><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-men-out-of-womens-sports/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">in 2025</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. But for Humphries, who spent her entire career advocating for equality in bobsledding, some battle scars last a lifetime.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She’s currently the women’s athlete rep for the </span><a href="https://www.ibsf.org/en/news/detail/ibsf-athletes-elected-their-representatives-for-the-athletes-committee"><span style="font-weight: 400;">International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, competing for the U.S. on the world stage, but back when she was a citizen of her native Canada, Humphries was forced to advocate for a fair shake. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When I first started in the sport, women didn&#8217;t compete on all the same bobsled tracks,” she says. “We weren&#8217;t good enough, is what we were told, so we were given the easy tracks, the soft tracks. I had to go compete against the men with an all-women&#8217;s crew at the World Cup because that was the only way they were going to allow us to showcase that we are skilled enough, fast enough, strong enough. I was told no one wants to see women crash. Women can&#8217;t do this. You can&#8217;t move the weight. It&#8217;s too dangerous.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If this sounds like some kind of vintage vision of sports, Humphries says the balance was still off as recently as 2018. “[Women] didn&#8217;t have equal medal opportunity for four of the six Olympics I&#8217;ve been to,” she explains. “The men were getting a lot more prize money than the women were getting for the exact same stuff. There were some races when you were given, like, a cheese plate, and the guys were getting prize money.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Humphries was also advised that she’d lose her competitive edge if she </span><a href="https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/blogs/newsroom/kaillie-humphries-the-ultimate-athlete-mom?srsltid=AfmBOorPqjXwPrSwA44AlHTc0ZJbGCxRRpZWjmqM2J8Ew6YN8Hv4jCJc"><span style="font-weight: 400;">got pregnant</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. But instead of abiding by other people’s limits, she followed her gut. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The number of women who let go of career or family goals because they believe both can’t exist is uncountable. Humphries wants to change that. She established her </span><a href="https://trailblazeher.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">TrailblazeHER</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> foundation to support elite female athletes with financial assistance and wellness resources as they go for Olympic and Paralympic gold. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So how can every woman go all in off the bobsled track? Whether it’s bench pressing a few pounds or learning to play the piano, start by believing in yourself. “Find your people, chase your dreams … don&#8217;t listen to the limitations that people put on you,” Humphries says. “It&#8217;s the greatest satisfaction when we can be the best versions of ourselves by showing up for our goals and dreams.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Along with her dedicated mental game, she attributes her success to her stellar support system and suggests surrounding yourself with your biggest fans. “It might be the friend down the street, it might be a grandparent, whoever it is, a coach, a therapist, stick close to those people.” It’s not uncommon for Humphries to train alongside her </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUlYrNrgYGT/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">husband, her son</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUU75YWinaV/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">her team</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> among the many people equally dedicated to her goals. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2021, Humphries became an American citizen so she could compete for the U.S. at the </span><a href="https://www.espn.com/olympics/bobsled/story/_/id/32773308/ex-canadian-bobsled-star-kaillie-humphries-sworn-american-citizen-clearing-compete-us-beijing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beijing Olympics</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Five years later, in May 2026, she accepted her third invitation to the White House to be honored at a Mother’s Day event in the Rose Garden. Her chic </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYIWeoPyHAq/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">cherry blossom pink suit</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> put a demure spin on her signature tattoos. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When I ask her what her next bit of ink might be, she confirms “something for Cortina,” but also shares some news. “Hopefully we can get pregnant again, and then that will change what tattoo I want to get.” After we joke that the only open real estate left may be her face and neck, she laughs, “My face? Never. My dad would shoot me.” What she doesn’t completely rule out is a </span><a href="https://www.olympics.com/en/news/team-usa-bobsleigh-legend-kaillie-humphries-and-the-mother-of-all-missions-inspired-by-serena-williams"><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">seventh</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> run at the Olympics</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
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<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXxTY21RHZV/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by XX-XY Athletics (@xx_xyathletics)</a></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So will training like Kaillie Humphries in head-to-toe </span><a href="https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/collections/kaillie-humphries-favorites"><span style="font-weight: 400;">XX-XY</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> help you nab the gold? Along with a supportive team and a positive mindset, a fresh fit certainly lends the confidence boost for that next challenge — even if it’s groceries. But the real magic happens when you take the first step.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Tiny steps are still steps,” Humphries says. “Nobody&#8217;s an expert overnight. What looks like big jumps are really little steps in process and work. Focus on the little wins, and work on those steps to get to the goal.” </span></p>


The Olympic Champion Taking On The Left’s War Over Women’s Sports

bobsled

jennifer sey

kaillie humphries

Olympics

Upstream

xx-xy athletics

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In </span>a<a href="https://x.com/i/status/2040955108784021774"><span class="s2"> </span><span class="s3">recent episode of her podcast</span></a>, Megan Rapinoe, the<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/megan-rapinoe-rips-iocs-new-policy-protect-womens-sports-rejects-notion-rule-based-science"><span class="s2"> former co-captain of the U.S. National team</span></a>, railed against the IOC for a decision to protect women’s sports for female athletes by requiring a cheek swab for sex screening.</p>
<p class="p3">This traitorous position is now a deliberate choice by Rapinoe, Bird, and others like them. Now that their professional athletic careers are over, they have become henchwomen for men intent on blowing up the safeguarding boundaries young female athletes need in sports and in locker rooms.</p>
<p class="p3">It’s time to recognize that athletes like Rapinoe and Bird have lost touch with reality. When you undermine the fundamental principle that women and girls deserve their own protected sports category, you forfeit any credibility you once had as a voice in women’s sports. Their own careers and platforms are entirely due to the women who carved out space for female athletes, but now hypocritically advocate to destroy the safety and opportunities they enjoyed.</p>
<p class="p3">The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recently made a policy statement affirming that women in sports deserve fairness, safety, and integrity. They recognize that screening for eligibility in competition is a necessary step to ensure women can compete on a level playing field. There is nothing controversial about that. Nothing.</p>
<p class="p3">We use scales to determine eligibility for weight categories. We use drug testing to ensure fairness across all categories. We require detailed physicals and medical assessments for para categories. We verify age for age-group competition. Screening for the male SRY gene through a quick and simple cheek swab is among the least invasive eligibility checks in sport.</p>
<p class="p3">Rapinoe, however, took issue with this decision, calling it “really hateful.” Her wife and podcast guest, former WNBA player Sue Bird, emphatically agreed, nodding along with each claim.</p>
<p class="p1">Rapinoe is correct in one respect: the decision is intended to “ultimately prevent people from competing in the women’s category that they feel have an unfair advantage.” Those individuals are male. The “people” the IOC is finally working to exclude from women’s sports are men, who possess inherent biological advantages.</p>
<p class="p1">The IOC’s screening focuses on the SRY gene, which is necessary for the development of male testes. If you have the SRY gene, you almost certainly undergo male development. Male athletes like<a href="https://www.hungarianconservative.com/articles/current/imane-khelif-y-chromosome-testosterone-paris-olympics-gold-medal-boxing/"><span class="s4"> </span><span class="s3">Imane Khelif</span></a> and Caster Semenya have made the rounds on public television after seizing Olympic glory and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/aug/01/angela-carini-abandons-fight-after-46-seconds-against-imane-khelif"><span class="s3">causing physical harm to the women they </span></a>face in competition. Semenya’s statement that his “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JustStraightTalking/videos/caster-semenya-my-testicles-dont-make-me-less-of-a-womanwhats-your-viewmalcolm-j/1917128098910153/"><span class="s3">testicles do not make [me] less of a woman</span></a>” has been widely cited.</p>
<p class="p1">We now understand that these male athletes are not isolated cases but two of dozens and dozens at the elite level. This has been a major scandal in women&#8217;s sports, and one that the IOC is finally trying to make right. It’s a return to common sense and a recognition that women absolutely deserve fair competition apart from men.</p>
<p class="p1">Megan Rapinoe&#8217;s suggestion that we cannot figure out what a woman is is crazy and simply untrue. She knows firsthand the performance differences between men and women and the effects of sex on athletic outcomes. It was her team, after all, who<a href="https://nypost.com/2023/11/10/sports/uswnt-star-carli-lloyd-admits-to-losing-to-u-15-boys-team/"><span class="s2"> </span><span class="s5">lost to a group of boys</span></a> playing for a U-15 team. If professional women athletes lose to a bunch of 15-year-olds, what chance would the women have against grown men? Her former co-captain, Carli Lloyd, <a href="https://x.com/CarliLloyd/status/1722578947181830432"><span class="s5">rightfully defended the loss</span></a> by noting that the size difference between the boys and the women all but guaranteed the youth team’s victory. “They should beat us. Bigger, stronger, faster!”</p>
<p class="p1">This isn’t hard. Eligibility screening for the women’s category <i>is</i> necessary. The real issue now is ensuring these protections extend beyond elite sport. Women and girls should not have to reach the Olympic level to be treated fairly. SRY gene screening should be implemented at every level.</p>
<p class="p1">Young girls who love sports deserve the chance to dream, compete, and succeed without being measured against a male standard. The IOC’s decision to deliver women’s sports back to women is the beginning of the end to this utter nonsense, and we’re leaving the traitors of women, like Rapinoe and Bird, in our dust.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p><em>Kim Jones and Marshi Smith are former NCAA athletes and the co-founders of ICONS, or Independent Council on Women&#8217;s Sports, a network and advocacy group comprised of current and former collegiate and professional women athletes, their families, and supporters. </em></p>


Paris 2024 Olympic Games – Day 15 – Women’s Football – Gold Medal Match

Megan Rapinoe Is A Bigger Enemy To Women Than Any ‘Patriarchy’

female sports

<p>The International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday that men who identify as women cannot compete in any female Olympic event, with implementation of the rule beginning at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.</p>
<p>The committee called its decision &#8220;evidence-based and expert-informed,&#8221; adding that keeping men out of women&#8217;s sports &#8220;protects fairness, safety and integrity in the female category.&#8221; The move came after the International Olympic Committee board conducted a nearly two-year review and discussed the issue with numerous medical experts.</p>
<p>&#8220;The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advantage in sports that rely on strength, power, or endurance,&#8221; IOC President Kirsty Coventry said. &#8220;At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat, so it&#8217;s absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports, it would simply not be safe.&#8221;</p>
<p>Coventry, who took over as the committee&#8217;s first female president last June, has long pushed to protect women&#8217;s sports. Coventry was a collegiate swimmer at Auburn and participated in  five Olympic Games from 2000 to 2016, representing her home country of Zimbabwe.</p>
<p>The committee&#8217;s announcement comes as it prepares for the 2028 Olympic Games in the United States, which is being planned in coordination with President Donald Trump. Trump signed an executive order last February on &#8220;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-men-out-of-womens-sports/">Keeping Men out of Women&#8217;s Sports</a>&#8221; and also <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/43703874/trump-bar-transgender-athletes-competing-women-sports">warned</a> the International Olympic Committee about allowing men to compete in women&#8217;s sports, saying, &#8220;America categorically rejects transgender lunacy.&#8221;</p>
<p>After the committee&#8217;s announcement on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/presssec/status/2037164376856105056?s=46">said</a>, &#8220;You cannot change your sex. President Trump&#8217;s Executive Order protecting women&#8217;s sports made this happen!&#8221;</p>
<p>To ensure that all athletes competing in women&#8217;s events are female, the International Olympic Committee will require an SRY gene screening, which Coventry said athletes would only be required to take once. The screening would be done through saliva, a cheek swab, or a blood sample.</p>
<p>&#8220;Based on scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the presence of the SRY gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced male sex development,&#8221; the committee said.</p>
<p>The committee said that any male athlete who identifies as a woman would only be qualified to compete in male categories or in events &#8220;that do not classify athletes by sex.&#8221;</p>
<p>In 2020, male weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first trans-identifying athlete to compete against women in the Olympic Games. Hubbard, who had previously competed in the men&#8217;s category at other weightlifting events before he began identifying as a woman, represented New Zealand at the 2020 Games in Tokyo, where he failed to medal.</p>
<p>Then at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif dominated in the women&#8217;s welterweight division and took home a gold medal despite failing multiple gender tests. Khelif <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boxer-who-dominated-women-during-2024-olympics-admits-to-having-male-gene">admitted</a> last month that he has the SRY gene and that he took hormones to lower his testosterone levels before competing in the Olympics.</p>
<p>The committee&#8217;s move was praised by female athletes and women&#8217;s sports advocates. Kim Jones and Marshi Smith, former decorated athletes and founders of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, said Thursday&#8217;s announcement &#8220;marks a return of female sport to elite female athletes in Olympic competition and reaffirms the importance of fairness, safety, and equal opportunity worldwide.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jones and Smith also called on the NCAA &#8220;to follow suit.&#8221;</p>
<p>Professional soccer player Elizabeth Eddy, who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-charlie-kirk-inspired-a-pro-soccer-player-to-speak-out-for-women-in-final-season">interviewed</a> about protecting women&#8217;s sports by The Daily Wire earlier this week, <a href="https://x.com/elizabetheddy2/status/2037171097318445325?s=20">said</a> the International Olympic Committee&#8217;s decision shows that &#8220;the tides are turning.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Precedent has been set from the top, and leagues around the world, including American pro sports, should follow,&#8221; Eddy added.</p>


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Olympics Set New Trans Policy Ahead Of Summer Games

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