The debate around Sophie Cunningham’s comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports has now reached one of the highest offices in the United States. Weeks after the Indiana Fever guard’s views on the issue divided the fanbase in two, US Vice President JD Vance has now publicly voiced his support for her cause.
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During a sit-down with Laura Ingraham on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Vance praised Cunningham for standing by her beliefs despite the criticism and backlash that has come her way since the July 21 interview with ESPN’s Hallie Grossman.
“I just think, look, sometimes when you’re courageous in this country, some of the worst people in the world try to attack you,” said the Vice President.
“What I would tell Sophie and anybody else is keep speaking your mind. You actually are inspiring a dozen people for every person that criticizes you. We cannot take our country back. We cannot save the United States of America unless you have people of courage who are speaking their mind.”
Vance’s words have added yet another high-profile voice to Cunningham’s side on a conversation that has increasingly extended beyond the court. So far, many other politicians, celebrities, and athletes have spoken out in her favor, including NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, J.K. Rowling, and tennis legend Martina Navratilova.
Vance credits Cunningham’s unwavering belief for inspiring others to speak up.
“The thing about courage, Laura, is it’s contagious,” he said. “When you see one person, even if they have the mob come after them, one person speak their mind in a courageous and honest way, it inspires a lot of people to do the same. So I would tell Sophie, keep going.”
The fact that Sophie Cunningham hasn’t backed down is also what the former Chicago Bears star found most commendable. “She said it. She backed it up. She’s not backing down no matter how much heat she gets from certain people,” said Urlacher.
Since her comments first hit the internet, Cunningham has doubled down on her views. “I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense. And I think I’ll always believe in that,” she told reporters ahead of the Fever’s clash against the Connecticut Sun after the All-Star break.
However, as the debate has continued dividing the WNBA into sides, Cunningham now seems to be done with the conversation, expressing a desire to get back to basketball during an interview on August 5.
“I’m going to let people just do the speaking for themselves, but for me, I want to get back to basketball,” she told reporters.
“There’s so much good going on in the WNBA right now. I think that basketball is being played at the highest level it’s ever been. WNBA media, all we ever do is cover everything except basketball, and it’s like, what are we doing?”
With the debate now drawing comments from the Vice President, it’s clear that Sophie Cunningham’s remarks have evolved into the biggest off-court storyline in the WNBA this season.