Megan Rapinoe offers scathing take on transgender athlete discourse: ‘Are you serious?’

Megan Rapinoe, the former U.S. women's national team winger, has delivered a scathing critique on the ongoing discourse surrounding transgender athletes in women's sports. In her debut episode of the Why Are You Like This? podcast, Rapinoe passionately addressed the mistreatment of the transgender community, particularly in light of recent comments made by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.

Cunningham's remarks, published in an ESPN profile, sparked a debate among WNBA coaches and players, including Caitlin Clark and Cheryl Reeve. The controversy quickly gained traction, with prominent tennis stars Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka also being forced to address the issue.

Rapinoe, known for her activism, took a more measured approach in discussing Cunningham's actions. She acknowledged the complexity of the situation and emphasized the importance of holding those with major platforms accountable. "She's directly tied to the Heritage Foundation, the authors of Project 2025 and, now, 2026, who have now published a report that suggests they want to repeal Title IX," Rapinoe stated. Title IX is the legislation that allowed athletes like herself and Cunningham to compete in sports.

Rapinoe pivoted her discussion to critique the broader discourse surrounding transgender athletes. She questioned the underlying motive of those advocating for exclusion, stating, "You can hear it even in the language being used that the root of trans exclusion is to protect young girls from men. To be clear, I would love to have that conversation, and it's much needed in this country. But it frames the conversation as if we're protecting young girls from men being in WNBA locker rooms. Not happening."

Rapinoe further highlighted the unintended consequences of such laws, which often exclude children from participating in youth sports. "If we want to have a conversation around elite sports, there are effective policies that have been in place for many years that no one noticed because they worked," she said. "If anybody is taking these talking points as legit or believing they're protecting young girls in sports, I just have to ask, are you serious?"