South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley was asked a pointed question about transgender athletes during her press conference on Saturday, a day before her Gamecocks faced Iowa in the game of NCAA tournament championship.
Staley, South Carolina’s head coach for 16 years, responded in the affirmative when OutKick asked her if she thought transgender women should be able to compete in women’s sports.
She paused before saying, “Damn, you went all in on me, didn’t you?” I’m of the opinion that if you’re a woman, you should play,” Staley said.
“If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play,” Staley added. “It’s my opinion.”
Staley then explained her initial response when asked if transgender women should be able to compete.
“That’s the question you want to ask, I’ll give it to you.” Yes, yes,” Staley said. “So now the Barnstormer people are going to flood my calendar and distract me on one of the biggest days in our game, and I’m OK with that. I am really.”
After his press conference, Staley received a mix of responses, including praise from his former player Markeshia Grant, South Carolina’s guard from 2010-12.
“I love that my coach is inclusive and accepts everyone! I love that there are no limits to one’s ability to empathize and connect with other HUMANS! I love that she is authentically herself and is always a voice for the voiceless. Grant wrote in an article on X.
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder was also asked the same question Saturday, but declined to give a direct answer.
“I understand that this is a topic that interests people. But today I focus on tomorrow’s game, on my players,” Bluder said. “It’s an important game we have tomorrow, and that’s what I want to be here to talk about. But I know that’s an important question for another time.
Per NCAA policy, transgender athletes are allowed to compete within guidelines determined by each sport.
“NCAA policy calls for the participation of transgender student-athletes for each sport to be determined by the policy of the national governing body for that sport,” the NCAA wrote in 2022. “If there is no had no NGB policy for a sport, this would then be determined by the policy of the international federation of that sport. If there is no international federation policy, it would be determined by political criteria previously established by the International Olympic Committee.
In August 2022, an NCAA policy went into effect requiring transgender athletes to submit documentation “and meet athletic standards regarding documented testosterone levels.”
In March, 16 athletes sued the NCAA for allowing transgender athletes to compete in collegiate athletics, with the suit centering on University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas.
The March Madness championship between undefeated South Carolina and Iowa, which is looking for revenge after last year’s loss to LSU in the title game, is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
New York Post
