Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase makes strong statement on trans athletes in sports: ‘I’m all about inclusivity’

SAN FRANCISCO — Natalie Nakase didn’t shy away from giving her thoughts about transgender athletes.

The Valkyries’ second-year coach was asked before Sunday night’s game against the Toronto Tempo about Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s recent comments about transgender athletes participating in women’s sports, and Nakase was resolved in her convictions.

“For me, sports is about belonging,” Nakase said. “It’s about inclusivity. It’s about allowing everyone to be their authentic self.

Since Cunningham re-sparked the debate about transgender athletes two weeks ago by saying in an ESPN profile that she believed “young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” the sports world has entered another chapter of debate regarding trans women’s participation in sports.

Asked about Cunningham’s comments, Nakase leaned into her own experience as someone excluded from sports in the past.

“I’m big on that just because I have been criticized for my height, for my ethnicity,” continued Nakase, who is Japanese-American. “I’ve been in those ‘you shouldn’t belong here’ moments many times. And for me, I don’t want that space, especially Golden State, to ever feel like that. So I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women. So I’m all about inclusivity.”

Nakase is not the only coach who has spoken out – Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt during the Fever-Lynx game in Minneapolis on Sunday.

After Sunday’s game in Minneapolis, Reeve and Cunningham spoke briefly on the court in a conversation that appeared somewhat animated. Recent Fever games, including today’s, have seen protests outside the arena both for and against trans participation in sports.

Reeve fleshed out her thoughts on the issue Saturday, telling reporters, “I come from a space of inclusion. The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports. This is what’s bothersome. There is a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue.”

Nakase echoed that sentiment in her response.

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