Sophie Cunningham kickstarted the news frenzy surrounding the future inclusion or exclusion of transgender women in the WNBA. Her stance of ‘wanting to protect young girls’ has sparked quite the debate over what parameters should be set for a woman to compete in the W.
Fashion Company XX-XY Athletics took to X to call out the NBA, a more established league, to help their sister league in this matter.
XX-XY Athletics Demands Adam Silver’s NBA Define What a Woman Is
The NBA hasn’t had to deal with a predicament like this due to trans men not showcasing any interest in wanting to join the league. However, XX-XY Athletics seems to want their input in concluding this discourse for the W once and for all.
“At a certain point, NBA, maybe you need to step up and clearly state what a woman is if the WNBA refuses. The buck stops with you,” said the company’s X account, which certainly could be their founder’s sentiment.
At a certain point, @NBA maybe you need to step up and clearly state what a woman is if the @WNBA refuses.
The buck stops with you.
— XX-XY Athletics (@xx_xyathletics) August 14, 2026
Commissioner Silver hasn’t openly discussed including transgender women in the WNBA, but has always stated the NBA doesn’t tolerate any form of discrimination. This was proven to be true when he gave his full support to Jason Collins after he came out as gay.
The WNBA is currently struggling to find an answer to this problem. A great deal of backlash is coming from their recent diplomatic approach, as they released the following statement:
“There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
Cathy Engelbert and league officials have not updated fans or teams on the tenets regarding trans women in the W.
Linda Cohn also pointed out that they haven’t bothered to look at other sporting leagues, such as the WTA and the UCI, for how they handled similar situations.
Granted, both of those leagues have barred the inclusion of any individual who has gone through male puberty. Genetic screenings are conducted to ensure that biological females are participating in their sporting events.
It’s unclear which side of the spectrum the W is leaning toward. However, with Royce White and Enes Kanter claiming they intend to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft, Cathy Engelbert and league officials must act quickly to prevent this from turning into a media circus.
