Sophie Cunningham has cemented herself within the general public’s subconscious over this past season. Whether or not someone agrees with her stances, her popularity has risen significantly.
So much so that she’s received an outpouring of love from her fans on her birthday today.
Sophie Cunningham Gets a Great Deal of Love to Commemorate Her Birthday
Sophie has become quite the divisive figure in sports lately. After he heavily implied that trans women should be restricted from entering the WNBA to “protect women” in locker rooms, he received a ton of support from her fans who feel strongly about this sensitive topic.
Today, she turns 30. And with her entering a new decade of life came a plethora of well-wishers on X.
“Happy Birthday Sophie! May this new decade be your best yet!” said the founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics.
This brand most recently made headlines for demanding the WNBA define what a woman is. They also want the league to fast-track its decision-making to establish strict guidelines on trans eligibility in the WNBA.
“A big happy happy birthday to Sophie,” said a right-leaning woman on X.
“Happy Birthday, Sis!! We’re throwing you a party in Brooklyn 8/22,” said another woman who, in her X bio, made it clear she shares he exact same sentiments as Sophie.
“Happy Birthday, Young Lady!” said one user who, in their X bio, openly supports President Donald Trump and is a part of the ‘MAGA’ tribe.
“Happy birthday you absolute legend! Thank you for standing up for women and girls. W = XX,” tweeted one user.
“Haters gonna hate. Happy birthday Soph!” said another user as they tried to keep the well wishes simple.
Cunningham has become the face of declining trans eligibility. Granted, she did say she agrees and disagrees with things on both sides of the argument, but her overall view on this subject is pushing for trans women’s exclusion from the league.
She has received pushback on this, however, as there is a sector of the WNBA that doesn’t agree with her. The Minnesota Lynx’s head coach, Cheryl Reeve, wore a shirt during the Fever-Lynx game that read “Trans Kids Belong.”
Reeve also had a conversation with Sophie prior to the game.
It’s unclear what conclusion the WNBA will come to regarding this ordeal. They’ve hinted at not entirely excluding this marginalized community and not following in the WTA’s or the UCI’s footsteps.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.