WNBA Player Brianna Turner Critiques IOC Policy on Transgender Athletes
WNBA player Brianna Turner recently faced criticism on social media after penning an op-ed that expressed her discontent with the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) policy regarding men participating in women’s sports. Turner, who has joined the Las Vegas Aces after a stint in Australia, articulated her concerns in USA Today, stating that she doubts the new IOC policy genuinely safeguards women’s sports.
The IOC plans to implement genetic testing to ensure only women compete in women’s categories. Turner accused the organization of using this new approach to divert attention from “real” challenges facing women in sports, such as gender inequality and lack of resources.
“Policies that exclude transgender women and athletes with intersex variations don’t protect women’s sports. They create a scapegoat while real issues persist—like funding disparities and gender-based violence,” she wrote.
She also challenged the IOC’s justification for these measures, arguing that transgender athletes typically do not possess any biological advantage over their cisgender counterparts.
Turner, who has over 15 years of experience in organized basketball, shared her perspective, mentioning that she has played alongside transgender individuals and has never perceived any unfair advantage. “To me, they were just fellow athletes, not opponents,” she added.
She urged the IOC to stop using female athletes as a way to marginalize transgender athletes, a sentiment that resonated with others in the sports community. Notably, former U.S. women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe and Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird voiced similar criticisms of the IOC’s policy. Rapinoe noted the invasive nature of the testing, questioning the system’s approach to defining women in sports.
Bird characterized the IOC’s stance as instilling fear rather than fostering fairness.
Turner is gearing up for the upcoming season with the Aces after previously playing with the Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever, and Chicago Sky. Currently, no known transgender athletes participate in the WNBA.
