Texas AG Ken Paxton Backs Sophie Cunningham in WNBA Transgender Athlete Controversy

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he’s keeping an eye on how the WNBA treats fans who support Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham amid her stance against transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

Cunningham, 29, has publicly argued that women and girls should not have to compete against biological men, a position that has put her at the center of the WNBA’s ongoing debate over transgender athletes.

Paxton addressed the issue in a report published on Friday, August 21, by Fox News Digital, one day after he attended the Fever’s game against the Dallas Wings at American Airlines Center. Paxton and his daughter, Mattie, wore matching XX-XY shirts to the game as women’s sports advocates rallied outside the arena.

Per Fox News Digital, Paxton’s concerns stem from recent incidents involving Cunningham supporters at WNBA games, including a mother and daughter who were told by security to cover their XX-XY shirts at an Atlanta Dream game. The league later acknowledged that the fans should not have been asked to cover the shirts.

“This should not have happened,” the league said, per the report. That incident followed an earlier one at a Seattle Storm game, where a minority co-owner, Celeste Keaton, allegedly approached two teenage girls holding pro-Cunningham signs and called them “[expletive] insane,” the outlet reported. The Storm apologized, and the WNBA suspended Keaton for five games.

Asked whether Cunningham’s supporters were being treated fairly by the league, Paxton stopped short of criticizing the WNBA outright. “Look, I think they’re working on it,” he said, per Fox News Digital. “I have concerns … but I’m hopeful that things are getting better in that regard.”

According to the article, when asked whether Texas could get involved if supporters face unfair treatment, he added, “Look, we’re looking at it. We wanna make sure that they are treated fairly.”

Paxton praised Cunningham directly. Fox News Digital reported he said, “Look, I admire her. She’s got tremendous courage. It’s what we need in our country, more courage, standing up for what is right, and actually standing up for young women that want the opportunity to compete in sports.”

Paxton’s comments come as he campaigns for U.S. Senate after defeating four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in May’s Republican runoff, per the outlet. He’ll face Democrat state Rep. James Talarico in November.

As Globe previously reported, actor Hugh Laurie also publicly backed the athlete earlier this month following a heated exchange on X with comedian Graham Linehan. “And yes, I support Sophie Cunningham,” Laurie wrote, after telling Linehan to “[expletive] off” for calling his earlier comments on the issue “cowardly.”