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Former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe questioned the motives behind efforts to protect women’s sports from transgender inclusion in the latest episode of her podcast with Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird.
Rapinoe was reacting to an op-ed 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 means of testing.
Eddy sparked backlash and support on both sides of the issue for his column.
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Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe during the first quarter between the United States and France in the men’s basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics at Accor Arena on August 10, 2024. (Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports)
Rapinoe, who won World Cups and Olympic gold with the United States national team, took issue with the New York Post by using a photo of Orlando Pride player Barbra Banda in the op-ed, even after Banda was forced to retire 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 doing this thinly veiled, ‘Oh my God, we’re scared and we have to protect women in sports,'” Rapinoe said mockingly. “And it’s like, ‘We’re fine. We don’t even have trans players in the NWSL.’ That was really, I felt, pretty disingenuous.”
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Megan Rapinoe (15) and midfielder Jessica Fishlock (10) march onto the field before a game against the North Carolina Courage at Lumen Field on Oct. 1, 2023. (Stephen Brashear/USA Today Sports)
Rapinoe focused her attention on Landon Donovan and the former American men’s soccer star’s new hairpiece. Donovan talked about his new hair to The Athletic in October.
Rapinoe compared the plight of homosexuals and transgender people to that of Donovan, who wanted to free himself from being the butt of jokes on public and social media.
“I was totally struck by the familiarity of the story and the similarity, as a gay person, to our own quest for gay rights and being ourselves, specifically trans people, right now in general,” Rapinoe said.
“And, 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 acknowledges fans during a jersey retirement ceremony before a match between North Carolina Courage and Seattle Reign at Lumen Field on August 25, 2024. (Stephen Brashear/USA Today Sports)
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“I think very often when we talk about gay rights, and specifically trans rights, we’re trying to express on a basic level how vital and how important it is for everyone to be able to exist in their own skin and in their own bodies in the way that they want and in the way that they feel comfortable. It has nothing to do with anyone else. And it really can be life-changing, it can save lives in so many ways. And I think it’s really important,” he added.
