Fox News rolled out transgender MAGA cheerleader Caitlyn Jenner on Wednesday to address the latest far-right trans controversy involving the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham.
Last month, Cunningham, the Fever’s popular 6’1″ guard, sparked cheers among anti-trans MAGA types and attendant backlash from trans rights supporters with her assertion to ESPN that banning trans women from women’s sports is “common sense.”
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Cunningham then doubled down on the contention, claiming that she doesn’t hate trans people but just wants “to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
The blow-up got a boost over the weekend when DiJonai Carrington, a guard for the Chicago Sky, was ejected for a controversial foul on Cunningham. Carrington, who is Black, later posted to Threads and tagged the Fever, writing, “WHITE PRIVILEGE,” later stating that her comment referred to WNBA referees disproportionately calling fouls and penalties on non-white players.
That added layer of alleged racism only stoked the right-wing frenzy, with professional sports trolls like Outkick founder Clay Travis, Black for Trump Fox News contributor Tyrus, and former NBA players Enes Canter Freedom and Royce White mocking trans people in the process. On Friday, Freedom and White declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women.
“I never knew I could be a woman. I trusted the science. Now, it would appear, I’m a sometimes-identifying Black transgender lesbian,” White told Stuart Varney on his Fox Business show as the host smiled and nodded knowingly.
Fox presenter Trace Gallagher asked Jenner if White and his cohorts were making a “valid point” or “going too far.”
“Yes, they are,” Jenner said through her signature slur, leading viewers to guess which. “Enes is the other one that’s out there. He’s been doing the same thing. They’re showing the hypocrisy of what’s going on out there in the WNBA.”
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Jenner then condemned WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league for stating, “There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.”
“Cathy Edinburgh or something like that, her last name, the head says, ‘We talked about the trans issues, but we just haven’t come up with a conclusion at this point. We will continue the conversation.’”
“Cathy,” Jenner blurted. “XX, you’re in; XY, you’re out. It’s that simple.”
“We have to protect women’s sports,” Jenner said. She then referenced school and college sports regulations that have nothing to with professional basketball.
“I have been coming on this show for years and years. I want to protect women’s sports. Title IX was one of the greatest legislations — and it was over 50 years ago — for women’s equality having to be in sports,” Jenner added in a jumble.
The controversy is only helping WNBA ratings — and likely those for Fox News — with double-digit spikes in viewership, Forbes reports. The league scored an audience of 2.5 million viewers or more for a fifth consecutive week last week, when 2.56 million people tuned in to the Fever versus Sky game with that controversial foul.
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