Hsu Yung-hsiang Column: The Real Problem Isn't Men Playing in the WNBA — It's That 'Woman' Needs Defining

Recently, the left-wing's gender ideology has produced yet another farcical spectacle (no, I won’t dignify this level of performance as 'comedy'). The climax came when two former NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, announced they would enter the draft for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

In short, Sophie Cunningham, a star player for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, stated in an interview that she cannot accept transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. This naturally triggered a furious backlash from far-left activists, accusing her of 'transphobia.' Even her 'colleagues' in the same basketball world began attacking her.

As female athletes resist competing against men, the WNBA was forced to respond. For example, Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the U.S. women’s national basketball team and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, wore a shirt with the words 'Protect Trans Kids' to a game against the Fever and reportedly shouted messages to Cunningham from the sidelines. Despite immense pressure, Cunningham stood her ground, reiterating, 'Female athletes should not compete against biological males or transgender individuals. This should be common sense in sports.'

At this point, WNBA CEO Cathy Engelbert had to step in. In a memo issued on August 7, she stated the league would discuss the issue of transgender athletes in women’s basketball. She wrote, 'I know many of you have received questions recently about transgender athletes participating in women’s basketball, and I expect this topic to remain highly visible.'

Enes Kanter, a retired former NBA star, announced he would join the WNBA draft, sparking widespread controversy. (AP Photo)

Engelbert emphasized that the league would approach the issue thoughtfully and respectfully, in line with its long-standing values. She also clarified that WNBA eligibility rules, unlike other leagues, are determined through collective bargaining between players and owners, and that 'maintaining fairness and competitive integrity' remains one of the league’s top priorities.

It then became clear that while the WNBA rules include a 'women-only' clause, they do not define what 'woman' means—a problem that shouldn’t exist. But because the left, based on 'constructivism,' insists gender should be defined by self-identification rather than biological traits, the question of 'what is a woman' suddenly became one that needs defining.

When 'What Is a Woman' Becomes Something That Needs Defining

Ultimately, since the WNBA, under pressure from the left, refuses to define 'woman' by biological characteristics (what normal people understand), the plot reached its absurd climax: Kanter and White, two former NBA players, declaring, 'I feel like a woman today, so I’m entering the WNBA draft.'

One point worth noting: Since the Trump administration took office, it has clearly made 'banning transgender athletes from women’s sports' a national policy. At a White House press briefing, a reporter asked about President Trump’s stance on this issue.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded: 'This is an 80-20 issue...'—meaning only about 20% of Americans, mostly those whose minds have been indoctrinated by left-wing professors in social sciences, believe biological men should compete in women’s sports, while 80% of ordinary people oppose it. Yet, in the reporting of journalists—many of whom also come from social science departments (journalism falls under social sciences) and have been similarly indoctrinated—it’s portrayed as 'conservative fans' opposing the idea, while 'unlabeled' fans supposedly see it as discriminatory to exclude biological men from women’s competitions. It’s as if supporting men playing in women’s sports is the majority view, and opposition comes only from a fringe 'far-right' Hitler sympathizer.

There’s Only a 'Women’s Division'—No 'Men’s Division' That Excludes Women

The most absurd part of this entire situation is a WNBA spokesperson’s response after the incident: 'We hope no one is excluded from competition'—a classic left-wing platitude. But in reality, most sports competitions and professional leagues don’t actually have a 'men’s division' that excludes women. In fact, only the 'women’s division' restricts male participation. The so-called 'men’s division' almost universally has no gender restrictions—meaning anyone, whether a biological male or female, or one of the hundreds of 'genders' constructed by the left, is not excluded from men’s competitions.

Including biological men who 'identify as women.'

White House press secretary Leavitt, when asked about men competing in women’s sports, stated it’s an '80-20 issue.' (AP Photo)

So why don’t we see women in these competitions or leagues? Unfortunately, in elite sports, men dominate the top levels due to inherent biological advantages. This isn’t me speaking as a 'discrimination advocate' labeled by communists—Serena and Venus Williams, two of the greatest female tennis players in history, have explicitly stated they have no interest in competing against male players when asked by the media. They recognize inherent physiological differences in strength and structure, and believe professional tennis should maintain its current gender-separated structure—i.e., preserving the women’s division.

Ironically, Kanter and White, the two former NBA players who announced their WNBA draft entry, have both retired from the NBA, with White having played only a handful of games. Yet the WNBA treats them as existential threats. Everyone knows that even top-tier female athletes would stand no chance against men—even retired or fringe-level ones.

Not Excluded—Just Trying to Gain an Advantage

So biological men who 'identify as women' aren’t being 'excluded from competition' at all. They’re not. So why do they insist on joining the 'women’s division'? Is it because of 'men and women shouldn’t touch'?

Of course not!

Clearly, these individuals can’t beat other men, so they exploit left-wing rhetoric to enter the women’s division—where their unaltered male physiology allows them to dominate athletes with biologically constrained physical capabilities.

The reason left-wing 'gender identity' ideology repeatedly creates 'controversies' in media is, as mentioned, that global university social science departments have been captured by left-wing communists, brainwashing journalism students into treating nonsense as truth. In reality, these absurd claims collapse completely in the face of reality.

The vast majority of global sports competitions do not have 'men-only' rules. (AP Photo)

For example, some leftists identify as birds (yes, really—this is where those hundreds of gender identities come from). According to left-wing theory, identifying as a bird is their human right, and calling them human instead is discrimination. Then one day, when this person says, 'Why can’t I fly?' the left insists society must do everything possible to enable them to fly—because it’s their right. Seriously, I’m not exaggerating: the left today demands free, unconditional gender reassignment surgery for those with gender dysphoria. Enabling a person who identifies as a bird to fly would be the same kind of 'surgery.'

Show me one doctor who can surgically modify a human body to fly!

The fact that 'woman' even needs defining is proof of the left’s destructive impact on society.

What if someone identifies as gold and wants to jump into a furnace because 'real gold fears no fire'? What should we do—perform surgery to turn them into solid gold, or ban all fire globally to prevent burns?

Honestly, someone who 'identifies as a tree' has a 'cognitive disorder'—a medically recognized mental illness. Yet the left opposes treatment and instead demands the world conform to their delusions. As the Greek myth says: 'Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.' The emergence of the left—opposing the treatment of madness—is perhaps a sign the gods want to destroy humanity!

That such nonsense has become a top domestic issue in some Western countries shows the power of left-wing communism. Even more terrifying is that many European countries have already codified these leftist absurdities into law, turning Europe into a place with frequent 'thought crime' cases and rampant suppression of free speech—rivaling China’s so-called 'human rights nations'!

Leftism always erodes freedom—history has shown this repeatedly. The irony? The murderers of freedom dare to call themselves 'liberals'—a true 'murder of the soul.'

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