Sydney Colson’s criticism of Sophie Cunningham has caused a complicated conversation, with inclusion and what it actually means now entering the fold of WNBA discourse. The latest chapter in the debate on transgender athletes has now drawn in a Fox News commentator, who has questioned whether Colson’s idea of inclusion and opposition to Cunningham leaves room for all views.

“Inclusion is tested when people disagree, not when everybody thinks alike,” Shemeka Michelle said in a live stream on her YouTube channel on Monday. “So y’all are talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Well, how much do you really believe in inclusion? ‘Cause it’s not tested when y’all are all saying the same thing. Inclusion is tested when you have somebody saying something different. And your response is, ‘Shut the F up.’ So do you believe in inclusion or not? ‘Cause you are inclusion on the one side of your neck, but not inclusive on the other side.”

Michelle’s words are a clear response to Colson, who spoke out about players needing to remain silent on discrimination and whose comments she thinks are harmful to marginalized communities. She made her statement on her podcast, “Unsupervised” with Syd and TP.

“For the white players in the league, when you don’t say s—, and even worse, when you say things that are harmful, you talking about the trans s—, nobody respects you. Shut the f— up,” said Colson. “Nobody wants to hear your opinion. Freedom of speech, so you can say it, but just know, people are just trying to get by when they’re dealing with you. You ought to be ashamed, y’all ought to be ashamed to act like you’re cool with people, to act like you care about sisterhood, all of these things.”

It all started back in July, when ESPN released a profile on Cunningham. In the article, she spoke about protecting “young girls” in sport who shouldn’t have to go up against “biological men.” While many took offense to her statements, Cunningham maintained that she had no problem with trans people.

Colson’s comments on this situation carry weight because Cunningham is not just another player for her. Colson played the 2025 season with the Indiana Fever and shared time on the floor next to Cunningham, and during her podcast, she noted that Cunningham’s comments led Colson to lose respect for her former teammate.

“Listen, if you never speak up about a damn thing when you know it’s impacting the people you claim to love, care about, you know, fighting together as a team, sisters, and you don’t speak up when things affect them – they don’t respect you, they’re just trying to make it,” Colson said.

Colson has also criticized the Fever organization as a whole for defending the team’s fans, who have been called out for being intense and hateful at times, sometimes including at their own players. One of these players was Kelsey Mitchell, who noted that she faced “a lot of flak” online and that it was hard to play for fans who may or may not like her.

Fever GM Amber Cox was one of those within the organization who defended the fans, with her delivering her comments during the exit interviews following their first-round elimination.

“The attacks on our fan base have no basis in reality, and they need to stop, especially from members of the media,” she said. “We did not have one fan pointed out by a player who violated the WNBA Code of Conduct this season. Not one fan was removed from a game.”

For now, Sophie Cunningham is not a part of the Fever. Her two-year stint with the team ended after their playoff loss this season, and she’s now an unrestricted free agent for the offseason. It’s unclear if the Fever will elect to bring her back.

Regardless, for Colson, Cunningham’s comments are part of a larger discussion about the responsibility athletes have towards each other. However, for Michelle, the question is simple: can inclusion make space for disagreement without shutting down the person expressing it?