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"If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports...you should be able to play," Staley said.
As the women's basketball NCAA Tournament championship in Ohio on Sunday approaches, a conversation during a Saturday press conference from Cleveland meant to celebrate the achievements in women's basketball put a spotlight on transgender inclusion in sports.
The moment was sparked by a question to Dawn Staley, the head coach of the University of South Carolina women's basketball team, from Dan Zaksheske of OutKick, a right-wing outlet with connections to anti-trans activist Riley Gaines.
"Coach, you just talked about what a massive weekend this is obviously for women's basketball, women's sports in general," Zaksheske said. "One of the major issues facing women's sports right now is the debate discussion topic about the inclusion of transgender athletes, biological males in women's sports. I was wondering if you would tell me your position on that issue."
"Damn, you got deep on me," Staley said before taking a sip of water and gathering her thoughts. "I am under the opinion [that] if you are a woman, you should play. If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play,” Staley said. “That's my opinion."
With the questioner appearing dissatisfied with the answer, she asked, "You want me to go deeper?"
Zaksheske pressed further: "Do you think transgender women should be able to participate?" to which Staley responded affirmatively, "In college? That's [the] question you want to ask, so I'll give you that. Yes. Yes."
Staley's tenure at South Carolina has been nothing short of transformative. Since taking over in 2008, she has turned the Gamecocks into a perennial powerhouse in women's college basketball. Under her leadership, South Carolina has claimed two NCAA titles (2017 and 2022) and made six Final Four appearances—a remarkable feat given the program's history before her arrival. Staley's accomplishments have been recognized widely, earning her the Naismith National Coach of the Year award three times consecutively, for a total of four times in the past five years.
Video of Staley's response shared by journalist Lindsay Gibbs received more than 270,000 views on X, formerly Twitter.
Anticipating the backlash her remarks would trigger from right-wing corners, she added, "So now the barnstorm of people are going to flood my timeline and be a distraction to me on one of the biggest days of our game, and I'm okay with that. I really am."
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, praised Staley and highlighted her as a beacon of leadership.
“Coach Dawn Staley is the best in the business—she is a visionary who knows women’s collegiate basketball better than anyone and has elevated the level of play,” Ellis told The Advocate. "Staley using her platform on the biggest weekend of the season to unequivocally support trans women athletes is a beacon of light and true leadership."
Adding to the chorus of support, Hudson Taylor, founder and executive director of Athlete Ally, remarked on the significance of Staley’s advocacy in a statement to The Advocate.
“To have one of the best basketball coaches, of one of the greatest teams, on the eve of one of the biggest sporting events, speak out in support of the .0007% of college athletes who have been the most socially and politically targeted, is what leadership is all about. Staley’s comments show that those who most fight for and believe in the growth of women’s sports, are also those who fight for and believe in a future for sports filled with inclusion, love, and acceptance for transgender athletes," Taylor said.
The portrayal of transgender athlete inclusion as a "major issue" in women's sports is misleading. According to research from the Williams Institute at UCLA's Law School, over 1.6 million adults and youth identify as transgender in the United States, constituting about 0.6 percent of the population aged 13 and older. Among youth ages 13 to 17, 1.4 percent identify as trans. These figures indicate that the number of transgender people, while significant for representation and rights, constitutes a small fraction of the population. Thus, the heated debate over transgender athletes in sports disproportionately amplifies a situation involving a very small number of athletes, often overshadowing the broader issues of inclusivity and human rights.
South Carolina will play the Iowa Hawkeyes for the 2024 championship title on Sunday.
Editor's note: This story was updated to include a statement from Athlete Ally executive director Hudson Taylor.
