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Former U.S. Soccer star Megan Rapinoe questioned the motives behind efforts to protect women’s sports from transgender inclusion on the latest episode of her podcast with Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird.
Rapinoe was responding to a statement written by Angel City FC player Elizabeth Eddy, who called on the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) to adopt clear gender standards with different testing methods. Eddy received backlash and support on both sides of the issue for his column.
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Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe look on during the first quarter of the USA vs. France men’s basketball gold medal game at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics at Accor Arena on August 10, 2024. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports)
Rapinoe, who won world championships and Olympic gold with the US national team, took issue with the New York Post for using a photo of Orlando Pride player Barbra Banda in the op-ed, even as Banda was forced to withdraw from the Zambian national team after failing to meet gender eligibility requirements in 2022.
She then raised her issue with the “Save Women’s Sports” movement on the “A Touch More” podcast.
“Are we really protecting women in sports or are we just doing this thinly veiled, ‘Oh my God, we’re scared and we have to protect women in sports?'” Rapinoe said in a mocking tone. “And it’s like, we’re fine. We don’t even have any trans players in the NWSL. It was really, I felt like it was pretty frivolous.”
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Then-Olympic Reign forward Megan Rapinoe (15) and midfielder Jessica Fishlock (10) march onto the court before a game against the North Carolina Courage at Lumen Field on Oct. 1, 2023. (Stephen Brashear/USA TODAY Sports)
Rapinoe turned her attention to Landon Donovan and the former American football star’s new hairdo. Donovan opened up about his new hair in The Athletic in October.
Rapinoe compared the situation of gay and transgender people to that of Donovan, who wanted to get rid of being the target of jokes in public and social media.
“I was just completely struck by the familiarity of the story and the similarity to, as a gay person, our own pursuit of gay rights and of being our full selves, trans specifically, in this moment in general,” Rapinoe said. “And like, it matters how you feel when you look in the mirror. It matters how you feel inside your own body. It doesn’t matter what other people think.
Former Seattle Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe (15) acknowledges fans during a jersey retirement ceremony before a game between the North Carolina Courage and the Seattle Reign at Lumen Field on August 25, 2024. (Stephen Brashear/USA TODAY Sports)
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“I think so often when we talk about gay rights, and specifically trans rights, we’re trying to express on a fundamental level how important and important it is for everyone to be able to exist in their own skin and in their own body in the way that they want and the way that feels comfortable. It has nothing to do with anybody else. And that can really be life-saving, and in so many ways it can just be life-saving. Important,” she added.
