{
  "id": 3565794,
  "title": "There Are No Trans Women in the WNBA, so Right-Wingers Are Making Some Up",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/there-are-no-trans-women-in-the-wnba-so-right-wingers-are-making-some",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-26T18:24:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Wired",
    "slug": "wired",
    "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/there-are-no-trans-women-in-the-wnba-so-right-wingers-are-making-some-up/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent viral post on social media falsely claimed that the WNBA secretly allows transgender women to play. The Australian YouTuber behind the claim, Brittney Watson, speculated that the league's refusal to define \"woman\" may be because there is \"already a man... in the league.\" This baseless and inflammatory remark came amid a moral panic about transgender women in sports, largely driven by right-wing figures.\n\nSophie Cunningham, a WNBA player, has become a spokeswoman for the transphobic movement. She argued that allowing trans women in the league would put girls at risk, both in locker rooms and on the field. Cunningham's stance has been echoed by others in the far-right, who argue that protecting cisgender women is paramount.\n\nHowever, no transgender women have ever played in the WNBA, and league officials have dismissed the xenophobic backlash as the work of \"haters.\" To keep the controversy alive, right-wing activists have resorted to creative tactics, such as suggesting that active players like Brittney Griner may be secretly transgender.\n\nThis obsession with trans athletes in women's sports is harmful to both cisgender women and transgender athletes. It fuels harassment and creates a slippery slope that could lead to the dissolution of women's sports leagues. The hysteria has even extended to calls for intrusive measures like cheek swabs to determine players' sex chromosomes, further highlighting the irrationality of the rhetoric.",
  "summary": "As culture warriors continue to stoke the flames of a gender panic in professional sports, wild conspiracy theories are coming into play.",
  "key_points": [
    "No transgender women have ever played in the WNBA",
    "Right-wing activists fabricate trans women in the league",
    "Claims fuel harassment and threaten women's sports"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}