The article reports that right-wing commentators have falsely suggested that WNBA player Brittney Griner is transgender, despite her being a cisgender woman and the league having no transgender women players. It argues that the claims are part of a broader campaign against transgender inclusion in sport, which is now also exposing cisgender women athletes to harassment and demands for sex testing.

The controversy intensified after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham publicly opposed trans women competing in women’s leagues, while former athletes Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White made unsuccessful claims relating to possible WNBA draft eligibility. The WNBA said it has “no immediate eligibility matters” to address, and commissioner Cathy Engelbert described online abuse and small protests as the work of “haters”; nevertheless, social-media influencers circulated posts naming Griner and other players as supposed evidence.