WNBA's Sophie Cunningham praises Camas girls who walked off race over transgender teammate

Right · 1WNBA player Sophie Cunningham praised Washington state high school girls who walked out of a cross-country race in protest of a transgender teammate, writing "Good work girls" in a comment on an XX-XY Athletics Instagram post, according to Fox News. 1 Right · 1About a dozen Camas High School runners walked off the course on Oct. 13 during a meet against Battle Ground; their teammate had begun the season competing in boys' races before switching to girls' competition. 1 Right · 1The dispute has drawn national attention and prompted plans for an Oct. 21 "Camas Courage" rally, organised by Amy Sousa, who helped organise demonstrations supporting Cunningham during the WNBA season. 1

Right · 1Cunningham has argued that girls' and women's sports should be separated by sex; in a July ESPN profile she described her position as protecting opportunities for girls and rejected accusations that she hated transgender people. 1 Right · 1In July, two teenage supporters wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts at a Fever-Storm game in Seattle alleged that Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton confronted them and used profanity; the WNBA fined Keaton an undisclosed amount and suspended her from the next five Seattle home games, and majority owner Ginny Gilder apologised. 1 Right · 1Cunningham called the co-owner's conduct "Truly embarrassing", while saying she welcomed people regardless of gender identity; the Fever said neither it nor Cunningham had advance knowledge of the demonstration outside the arena. 1

Right · 1The episode comes as Washington voters prepare to consider Initiative 638 on Nov. 3, which would bar biologically male students from certain female-only school sports and require health care provider verification of sex; backers say it protects fair competition, opponents say it excludes transgender girls and adds medical and privacy burdens. 1 Right · 1The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has said its gender-identity eligibility policy follows state law and that it cannot implement restrictions that would violate that law. 1 Right · 1In a Washington Examiner opinion column, Timothy P. Carney argued that Cunningham faced criticism for being white, straight and defending Caitlin Clark, and that she then said men who identify as women are not women. 2