WNBA player Brianna Turner has faced significant social media backlash for her op-ed criticizing the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) new policy aimed at protecting women’s sports.
Turner, now with the Las Vegas Aces, wrote in USA Today that she believes the IOC’s policy, which includes genetic testing to ensure women’s events feature only females, is misguided. She argues that such policies single out transgender women and intersex athletes, creating a scapegoat while ignoring critical issues like unequal funding, limited training facilities, pay disparities, and gender-based violence.
She asserted that in over 15 years of organized basketball, she has never experienced unfair advantages from transgender or intersex athletes, viewing them as fellow competitors, not adversaries. Turner urged the IOC not to use women athletes to shame or exclude transgender individuals.
Her critique echoes sentiments from other prominent female athletes, including former U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe and Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird, who have also voiced concerns about the IOC’s approach, labeling it as fearmongering and potentially exclusionary.
Turner, who previously played for the Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, and Chicago Sky, is preparing for the upcoming WNBA season with the Aces. Notably, no transgender athletes are currently known to compete in the WNBA.
