German national team basketball player Luisa Geiselsöder has sharply criticized transphobic remarks by her American colleague Sophie Cunningham. Cunningham had repeatedly urged the exclusion of trans women from the world’s top professional league, the WNBA, in strong terms (TheColu.mn reported).
“I stand for integration. I believe sport exists to connect people and bring them together. It would be a shame to shut people out,” Geiselsöder told the German press agency. Geiselsöder is set to compete in the World Championship in Berlin this September, and her contract with the WNBA team Portland Fire is currently suspended. Cunningham, by contrast, has not qualified for the American World Championship team — she currently plays for the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis.
While Cunningham recently claimed she wants to refocus on basketball, the debate in the United States continues unabated—and has taken on some grotesque aspects. The controversial former pro Enes Kanter Freedom recently announced plans to play in the WNBA and to enter the draft next year. “If a simple self-declaration is enough, then I will meet every single requirement to join the WNBA,” said Kanter Freedom.
“Respect Is the Most Important”
Geiselsöder is not willing to let those statements go unchallenged. “Honestly, I find these statements very tasteless. They are disrespectful toward transgender people,” the national player said. “Respect must always be there. That is the most important thing we can show others. To mock something that is a very serious and emotional issue for many people is not okay.”
Geiselsöder had already weighed in on societal topics before. Last year, during her time playing in the United States, she spoke on the podcast “Wunderbar Together” about specific American traits such as gun laws and the societal contrasts with Europe.
Cunningham’s Transphobia Is the Top Topic in the WNBA
Although she will not be competing in the World Championship, Cunningham has been the number-one topic of discussion among basketball fans in the United States for weeks. Her transphobic statements have been repeated—and described by her as “healthy common sense.” Allegedly, she intends to protect cisgender women and children through her views.
Within the WNBA circle, there has been sharp criticism of the polarizing Cunningham. The women’s basketball league in the United States is widely regarded as liberal and strongly Democratic-leaning. Fighting for women’s rights and equality are central elements of the league’s DNA. Many fans and several players identify with the queer community. Protests frequently accompany games—and so do supports for Cunningham.
Right-Wing America Celebrates the Blond “MAGA-Barbie”
In the United States, Cunningham has also received substantial support from the right, with conservatives rallying around the player as a new symbol. The political right, including figures around former President Donald Trump, has hailed Cunningham as a representative of “MAGA Barbie,” turning her statements into a rallying point for their anti-trans message. Vice President JD Vance even responded, offering backing. Trump has already announced a federal prohibition on trans women in women’s sports, reported earlier this year.
The sweeping accusations that trans women always perform better than cisgender women and that they pose injury risks have not been borne out by research. A meta-analysis published earlier this year found no evidence that trans women, after gender-affirming hormone therapy, possess physical advantages over cisgender women in sport (TheColu.mn reported). Moreover, there has not been a single openly trans player in the WNBA to date. Rather, queer organizations argue that the problem has been manufactured by Donald Trump’s Republican base to placate anti-trans evangelical voters and distract from other issues and investigations.
