Over the last two years, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has built a strong fanbase in Indiana. However, she has also faced criticism for her stance on transgender athletes competing in women's sports.

A corner of the internet has called Cunningham the "MAGA Barbie." The Fever star said that people project her to be so because of her looks, but also because she is vocal about protecting women's sports.

"I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that,'" she told ESPN on Monday. "I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest."

Cunningham has not explicitly attacked trans athletes, but her social-media posts have drawn criticism for their framing.

Before February 2025, trans athletes were allowed to participate in women's sports. However, an NCAA rule change in 2025 restricted the participation to athletes "assigned female at birth."

"I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men," Cunningham said in an interview with ESPN.

The Fever guard maintained that she does not intend to hurt anyone's feelings, but she has strong personal beliefs that she wants to stick by.

"I'm very much in the middle. I agree with things on both sides, disagree with things on both sides. And that's all I've ever said about my political beliefs. But people love to assume," she added.

This is not the first time that Cunningham has made her stance clear on the issue. Four years ago, she made her stance clear on the subject and faced massive backlash.

"We all have a place in this world": Sophie Cunningham once responded to backlash

Previously, Cunningham has faced massive backlash for her stance on trans athletes. In 2022, users on X slammed her after she retweeted a post from CBS Sports host Josh Pate.

"Female collegiate athletes deserve so much better than this," Pate’s tweet said.

The Fever star later released a statement on her X handle. She said that she didn't discriminate against people based on their religion, sexual preferences or race.

"To my teammates, friends, family, supporters and fans, you know that I stand with all people, especially my fellow athletes," she wrote on X. "I do not judge, but support all races, religions, s***** preferences and gender equity. We all have a place in this world to compete, and I hope we are able to grant everyone that opportunity fairly."

Cunningham has indeed been largely painted as an athlete with conservative views. However, as she recently reiterated, "people love to assume" things about her.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore