The battle is on again about the role of transwomen in female sports and one women’s soccer star has made her position clear. Megan Rapinoe of US Women’s Soccer criticized Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham for taking a picture with conservative Riley Gaines. Cunningham has earned favor amongst conservative pundits for her take on keeping biological men on women’s sports, saying in recent ESPN profile that she wanted to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” Gaines is well-known for speaking out against Lia Thomas, a biological man who competed in women’s swimming and took top spots and medals from biological women. Gaines posted a picture of herself with Cunningham on X with the headline, “Little girls belong!”

Rapinoe shared her own thoughts about the post during an episode of her podcast, “Why Are You Like This?” While admitting she didn’t know Cunningham personally, she said seeing the WNBA star posing with Gaines, “told me everything I need to know about what’s happening.” She accused Gaines of making it her mission “to exclude trans people from public life.” “[Gaines is] directly tied to the Heritage Foundation, the authors of Project 2025 and, now, 2026, who have now published a report that suggests that they want to repeal Title IX. The very piece of legislation that allowed athletes like Sophie and myself to compete in sports,” warned Rapinoe.

The soccer star went on to throw her own support behind trans athletes, saying “the root of trans exclusion is to protect young girls from men.” While stating that’s a conversations that is “much needed,” Rapinoe stated such framing is promoting an image of men in women’s locker rooms, which is “not happening.” “It villainizes trans girls as if they’re somehow magically older than their peers. Or are men, when in reality, they are also young girls,” she said, without noting that young transwomen may still have biological male genitalia intact. Rapinoe has been outspoken in her political opinions during and after her soccer career, which has earned her the ire of many conservatives, who slammed Rapinoe’s comments. “Megan Rapinoe couldn’t beat a boy’s U15 team but she’s over here actively trying to take opportunities from other biological women and no regard for their safety,” wrote one account on X. “We wouldn’t know her name if women’s soccer had a team of trans women. Take a seat.”