National Champion women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley is making headlines after saying trans women should be allowed to compete on women’s sports teams, a deviation from other coaches in her sport.
Prior to Sunday’s NCAA Women’s National Championship game between Iowa State and the University of South Carolina, press conferences were held to talk to both of the coaches, including South Carolina’s Staley. Both Staley and Iowa State coach Lisa Bluder were asked their opinions on the topic of trans women playing on women’s sports teams.
“I’m of the opinion that if you’re a woman, you should play,” Staley said. “If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports, or vice versa, you should be able to play.”
Bluder, on the other hand, avoided answering the question.
“I understand it’s a topic that people are interested in, but today my focus is on the game tomorrow, my players,” Bluder said. “It’s an important game we have tomorrow, and that’s what I want to be here to talk about. But I know it’s an important issue for another time.”
More than a dozen current and former women’s college athletes filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA last month, claiming the organization is violating their rights by allowing trans women to play on women’s teams. States across the country, including in North Carolina, have barred trans girls in K-12 schools from competing on girls’ sports teams. However, a Biden administration proposal is set to be finalized this year, which would state blanket bans such as barring trans women from competing on women’s teams a Title IX violation.
Staley said she knew answering the question on Saturday would cause a reaction, but for her, it was about being on the right side of history.
“So now the barnstormer people are going to flood my timeline and be a distraction to me on one of the biggest days of our game,” she said. “And I’m OK with that. I really am.”