Elizabeth Stokes

music, sports, cats, women’s basketball, stuff.

[Jeff Timmer @jefftimmer]

Hey, @AbdulElSayed campaign. This is fantastic and Michigan voters need to see a general election version of this.

Right now would be good.

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@RealMamaEagle omg. Just finished watching it on delay. 🤯

[Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 @cmclymer]

So, you want to know what I think about Sophie Cunningham and this unfolding drama within the WNBA regarding her remarks on trans athletes.

Do I want to be talking about this?

Let’s zoom out for just a second.

The disastrous War in Iran is entering its sixth month with no end in sight and there’s every reason to expect there will be more unnecessary and horrific and tragic deaths of Iranian civilians and U.S. service members — all cannon fodder in service to a narcissistic and deeply irresponsible foreign policy agenda.

The Midterm elections are in 94 days, and—I mean this quite seriously—no less than the fates of both American democracy and the NATO alliance hang in the balance while Russia and China are openly salivating.

A gallon of gas is 30% more expensive than it was two years ago. Food is more expensive, too. So is housing. So is childcare. So is education.

We are suddenly confronted with quite the unexpected thought experiment: should the average American be more worried over the odds of being detained or shot by an ICE agent because of no real government oversight OR should they be more worried over the odds of eating contaminated lettuce because of no real government oversight?

And on top of all of that, there’s a looming existential crisis in the form of the “AI revolution,” which, as best as I can tell, is rapidly dissolving every essential bond in our society, from public education to our legal system — but that’s okay because in five years, when there’s massive unemployment, you can cheer yourself up by asking ChatGPT to tell a few jokes and offer disembodied, soulless reassurance that you’re a special individual light in the whole of the universe.

You want to know what I think about Sophie Cunningham?

I don’t have enough time in the day to sort through all of the above, much less consider the public comments of any given professional athlete on any given political issue.

But here we are.

I’m a trans woman in the United States, and every day is a fresh cycle of public discourse on which rights (if any) trans people deserve and to which degree our basic dignity as human beings should be acknowledged and protected.

Actually, it’s much worse than that: the big question is whether or not we should exist.

And I’m a grown adult. Imagine what a trans kid is experiencing on a daily basis as they watch this all go down.

Since we know the vast majority of Democratic lawmakers and politicians are terribly afraid of the optics of rightly defending trans youth, it falls to the rest of us—the reasonable adults, trans and non-trans alike—to speak up and remind trans youth that their lives and their rights and their dignity are as worthy as those of anyone else.

I don’t want to be talking about this. I don’t think we can afford the distraction of this inane conversation at the moment. I feel as though I’m standing in front of a house engulfed in flames, and a jackass is inexplicably aiming the garden hose at me.

Why are we talking about this? Why is this an issue? Why are grown adults still attacking innocent kids?

Trans women have been banned from the Olympics and all NCAA women’s teams, and trans girls have been banned from competing at any level—down to kindergartners—in 29 states, restrictions which were upheld recently by the 6-3 conservative majority of the Supreme Court.

FIDE, the world chess organization, bizarrely banned trans girls and women from women’s tournaments, much to the bafflement of the vast majority of the chess world.

Somehow, it gets even more ridiculous.

Seven states (Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas) have banned trans boys from competing on boys’ teams. Not even an attempt at a logical argument for that one. No pretense about fairness or safety. They just don’t want trans boys competing. So, they banned them.

So, you see, Ms. Cunningham, I will admit that I don’t understand what you’re aiming at here with your public concerns about trans youth in sports. I don’t get it. The population of trans youth in sports in this country was incredibly low five years ago, and it’s practically microscopic now.

When you chose to be very public about this matter in that glossy ESPN profile, I’m sure you subsequently saw many of the theories being floated around in regards to your supposed “true motivation.”

Some say you’re prepping for a post-WNBA career and this is a highly effective launching pad for brand endorsement deals, paid speaking gigs, etc.

I don’t know if that’s true. I’d like to believe it’s not true.

I have noticed, of course, that you’ve been remarkably silent about the Heritage Foundation’s report published this past month that took direct aim at girls’ and women’s sports by essentially proposing the gutting of Title IX. It included this astonishingly blunt assessment:

"The current Title IX regime as applied to sports (and elsewhere) is part of a sustained social engineering effort that is designed to produce a new sort of woman—one that is more aggressive, more competitive, more male, less relational, and less oriented toward the goods of family and motherhood."

I mean, as a strong advocate for girls’ sports, this surely must have found its way to your inbox at some point over the past few weeks, right?

Maybe not?

And yet, to be honest with you, Ms. Cunningham, I don’t think it’s remotely close to being the most important thing here.

Nor are the people protesting in support of you outside WNBA games. They have the right to protest, and they’re entitled to their opinions. I don’t agree with them one bit, but I’ll defend their right to shout their loud and wrong opinions into a bullhorn.

Nor is the fact that so many WNBA players and officials—including your own coach—have made it abundantly clear they oppose your exclusionary mindset.

Nor is the unnecessary conversation on your career stats, which, believe it or not, I don’t think is germane to the conversation. The fact that you earned your way into the WNBA is enough. You’re a pro, and others attempting to downplay that are missing the point.

No, for me, the most important thing here would be your follow-up statement in response to the public outcry, which began with this:

"I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind."

I find that curious, Ms. Cunningham. I find that very curious.

Because regardless of what you or me or anyone else believes about trans youth in sports (I did notice you intentionally left out trans youth in that sentence), regardless of any of our opinions, one thing is certainly true:

You have absolutely bought into hateful rhetoric.
It's been made pretty clear that not everyone is welcome at your table.

You've promoted content on TikTok that mocks undocumented families and justifies separating children from their parents. That downplays the existence of racist hatred in our country. That seems to promote aggressive bigotry.

You've used language in your public remarks about trans youth that you must have known is, at minimum, offensive and divisive. It feels pretty intentional.

You’re doing a lot of things with your public platform that appear to be the exact opposite of kindness and respect for others, even in disagreement.

You don't seem to want others at your table.

You don’t seem to want a respectful conversation about any of this.

Again, I don’t pretend to know your true motivations here. It could very well be that you’ve suddenly and genuinely landed on this particular issue—dead and buried though it is from a policy standpoint—as your chief advocacy cause.

Maybe you somehow truly believe trans girls are the greatest threat to girls’ sports, despite all evidence to the contrary, and meanwhile, you’ve entirely missed the burgeoning efforts in the conservative movement to defund girls’ sports.

Maybe you haven’t been paying attention. That’s possible.

But regardless of the issue itself, your public rhetoric does not appear to align with this claim that you want to welcome others in disagreement.

If that’s intentional on your part, at least have enough self-respect to be honest in your views and what you truly believe about trans youth instead of opting to back away like a coward and cynically hedge your bets for future marketing value.

There is no having it both ways here. You can’t pretend later that this has all been an unfortunate misunderstanding and trust that if things go the other way, you’ll get credit someday for one cynical tweet pushed out by your PR team.

That’s not me speaking. That’s the inevitable nature of history speaking.

Things are good right now. Folks are buying your jersey. Brand deals are on the way. Money’s rolling in. Maybe this lands you a commentator gig. Maybe you’re hired as the ED of a “protect women’s sports” org, for which you may or may not look the other way as Title IX gets defunded.

There will be galas where you’ll receive awards and cocktail parties with far-right luminaries where you’ll be toasted and offered partnerships.

Life is good for you right now in 2026. I wonder if you’ve thought ahead to 2036 and 2046 and 2056.

I wonder if you’ve thought about all these young, non-trans girls who are coming up and wondering why their friends who are trans girls are being viciously attacked by grown adults.

I’m not sure you have really have thought that far ahead.

History has a way of eventually preserving the past’s spotlights from the most honest angles.

I really hope that, someday, when you look back on your career (and post-career), there will be no confusion over why some tables are open to you and why some are very much not.

I hope you will have future clarity on that. I hope the unexpectedly awkward and cold interactions with others that are coming over the next few decades will never leave you wondering about their catalyst.

I truly hope that you will have at least the benefit of self-awareness down the road.

You ask me what I think about Sophie Cunningham?

I’ll be honest. I feel really bad for her.

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Link to full essay available here for easier sharing: https://t.co/HDDuGIzbK6

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@RealMamaEagle Whoa!

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@KingJames OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!! This is nuts! Welcome King James!!! I have to say, I’m a fair-weather Sixers fan. I check in every year with hope, then drift away. Basketball-wise, I’ve been waiting for the WNBA team that’s due in 2030. But now, WOW! LETS FUCKING GO!!!

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

OH MY GOD!!!!!!

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@Devan_Kaney I just saw this. Holy crap!!!!

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@Devan_Kaney Wut

[Rep. Joanna McClinton @RepMcClinton]

West & South Philly neighbors don’t keep this to yourself! 🌳 If someone in your community could benefit, send them this post.

Deadline: AUGUST MONDAY 10th 2026
#WestPhilly #SouthPhilly #Philadelphia #Community #StormRecovery

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@trendyhoopstars Loved Cappie!

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@ABC Geez I hope so.

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@realLauro5 I’ve just given up and have come to believe it truly is Mary Carrillo on color commentary 🤪

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@RealMamaEagle I’ll never forgot watching SB LII at a friend’s—we saw TB was coming down the field with too much time left on the clock. Friend couldn’t take it and ran up the stairs; then BG stripped TB! & we were all screaming at her come back come back! Just the best

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@CarliLloyd You tell him, Carli!
btw, I’ve really enjoyed your announcing. Keep up the good work!

[Meidas_Charise Lee @charise_lee]

IT IS HEALTHCARE‼️

[Elizabeth Stokes @MizStokes]

@NBCPhiladelphia So glad most performers came back & the City did what it could to salvage the night. Props to the stage crew that had to clear water off the stage to make it safe. I stayed up to watch some on TV— the Roots were great, good energy from the crowd. Sorry about Aguilera but 🤷‍♀️