Megan Rapinoe has spoken out in support of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports after swimming banned them from elite events.
FINA, the world governing body of swimming, decided over the weekend that any athlete who has gone through any stage of male puberty, including transgender athletes, is ineligible to compete in the women’s sport.
FINA plans to create a “open” category for athletes whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.
Former Australian swimmer Maddie Groves, who was one of the first to criticize the decision, was one of the first to speak out against it.
Rapinoe, one of the most well-known names in US soccer, has defended the inclusion of transgender athletes in all sports, claiming that most people “don’t know much” about the topic.
“I’m 100% supportive of trans inclusion,” the 36-year-old told TIME, “People do not know very much about it. We’re missing almost everything.
“Frankly, I think what a lot of people know is versions of the right’s talking points because they’re very loud. They’re very consistent, and they’re relentless.
“At the highest level, there is regulation. In collegiate sports, there is regulation. And at the Olympic and professional level. It’s not like it’s a free-for-all where everyone’s just doing whatever.”
Rapinoe isn’t afraid to have difficult conversations, and her politics and calls for equality have a funny way of getting people worked up.
She was at the forefront of the fight to get equal pay for the women’s national team earlier this year, after a long battle with the football association.
It’s no surprise that the OL Reign’s star is all for inclusion, claiming that there is no evidence that trans athletes are unfairly taking up anyone’s spot in women’s sport.
The two-time World Cup champion has previously claimed that lack of equal pay and other factors posed a threat to women’s sport, not transgender athletes.
