Frankie de la Cretaz
@thefrankiedlc.news
writing the Out of Your League queer sports newsletter / co-author of HAIL MARY: The Rise & Fall of the National Women’s Football League / they/them 🏳️⚧️🌈
This is rough but I think it talks about a lot of what is missing from the Cunningham/WNBA discourse. Namely, that trans people are not hypothetical thought experiments. They are real people who are being genocided by our government & any coverage that doesn't center that reality misses the mark.
the answer is always to disavow it
Would you let the Proud Boys march in and sit courtside?
thefrankiedlc.news
If your winning issue is trans women in sports, and you're struggling to uncover trans women in any league that anybody has ever heard of, then how do you keep trans athletes at the top of people's minds? Answer: You invent them. defector.com/the-right-ha...
The Right Has Created Their Perfect Trans Athlete | Defector
A lot of people in and around the WNBA are talking about trans women. In the aftermath of Indiana Fever role player Sophie Cunningham’s negative comments about trans people playing sports in an ESPN…
defector.com
“Why are two cis people agreeing to disagree on an issue that doesn’t impact either of them? Who gave all these cis people the right to decide the acceptable terms of debate for the existence and well-being of trans people?” This Cheryl and SC part is huge. You cannot respect bigotry.
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 12h agoThis is rough but I think it talks about a lot of what is missing from the Cunningham/WNBA discourse. Namely, that trans people are not hypothetical thought experiments. They are real people who are being genocided by our government & any coverage that doesn't center that reality misses the mark.
We have higher rates of kidney and bladder problems compared to the general population, and historically rather than address this, medicine has chosen to either ignore it or blame our healthcare. Nope, turns out marginalization just destroys bodies. Quelle surprise.
Sandy Ernest Allen@sandyernestallen.bsky.social · 2h agoHere's my Cosmo piece about how segregated bathrooms have impacted my own health www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a6...
It’s true, in the past I would have had multiple editors in my inbox asking me to write about the Cunningham stuff. I haven’t gotten a single assignment request. Trans writers used to be tokenized to write about these things but now that the topic is “mainstream,” those bylines go elsewhere.
Sydney Bauer@sydney-bauer.com · 19h agoI need people to understand that for the last half decade that there’s been an ecosystem of trans folks in sports media who have worked unpaid to serve as experts for context, sources and educators on what it’s like for trans athletes, in hopes of potential bylines and contacts. That’s dried up.
instead of reading other outlets, read what Frankie wrote
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 12h agoThis is rough but I think it talks about a lot of what is missing from the Cunningham/WNBA discourse. Namely, that trans people are not hypothetical thought experiments. They are real people who are being genocided by our government & any coverage that doesn't center that reality misses the mark.
I'm going to start petitioning the universe for trans invisibility to the NYT
I need people to understand that for the last half decade that there’s been an ecosystem of trans folks in sports media who have worked unpaid to serve as experts for context, sources and educators on what it’s like for trans athletes, in hopes of potential bylines and contacts. That’s dried up.
Sydney Bauer@sydney-bauer.com · 19h agoI hate sounding like a conspiracy person but there’s a reason that this Sophie Cunningham thing is on like day 7 of discourse and how there’s absolutely very little trans staff writers driving the news coverage of it.
white cis gay dudes are at it again I see
The Athletic@theathletic.com · 5h agoAaron Rodgers spoke out about Dr. Anthony Fauci. Sophie Cunningham spoke out about transgender athletes. Caitlin Clark chose not to weigh in. Three different approaches, one common result: criticism. Steve Buckley on how athletes can't win on social media: nyti.ms/3Sa9A7D
“It’s not a different opinion. It’s straight up bigotry and discrimination that we wouldn’t accept or hand wave away if it were targeted towards any other group.”
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 12h agoThis is rough but I think it talks about a lot of what is missing from the Cunningham/WNBA discourse. Namely, that trans people are not hypothetical thought experiments. They are real people who are being genocided by our government & any coverage that doesn't center that reality misses the mark.
Louder for the coaches wearing the correct t shirt and yet still behaving in an appalling manner: "Either you want trans people in your stands or you want transphobes. You can’t have both. And I can tell you that if you choose the transphobes you will be on the wrong side of history."
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 12h agoThis is rough but I think it talks about a lot of what is missing from the Cunningham/WNBA discourse. Namely, that trans people are not hypothetical thought experiments. They are real people who are being genocided by our government & any coverage that doesn't center that reality misses the mark.
Frankie hits the nail on the head here. This is another act in the genocide of trans people that is taking place, and it is utterly disappointing that the WNBA is not standing up for what has always made WNBA games and fandom so joyful in order to appease bigots.
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 12h agoThis is rough but I think it talks about a lot of what is missing from the Cunningham/WNBA discourse. Namely, that trans people are not hypothetical thought experiments. They are real people who are being genocided by our government & any coverage that doesn't center that reality misses the mark.
"It’s not a different opinion. It’s straight up bigotry ... that we wouldn’t accept or hand wave away if it were targeted towards any other group." Every cis person who follows me for WNBA content better read this. Pay for a sub, you owe the trans community that much & Frankie is a hell of a writer
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 12h agoThis is rough but I think it talks about a lot of what is missing from the Cunningham/WNBA discourse. Namely, that trans people are not hypothetical thought experiments. They are real people who are being genocided by our government & any coverage that doesn't center that reality misses the mark.
This is rough but I think it talks about a lot of what is missing from the Cunningham/WNBA discourse. Namely, that trans people are not hypothetical thought experiments. They are real people who are being genocided by our government & any coverage that doesn't center that reality misses the mark.
the answer is always to disavow it
Would you let the Proud Boys march in and sit courtside?
thefrankiedlc.news
ive been in it for 2 hours and i already feel so much less alone 👍
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 2d agoJust wanna say that if you’re a women’s sports fan who has felt increasingly isolated by the growing transphobia in & around women’s sports & are looking for a community, I run a queer women’s (& some men’s) sports discord for paid subscribers of my newsletter. You can upgrade here for access:
Folks I won’t tell you not to feel your feelings, but this is rage bait. He’s talking about expanding beyond politics into things like live sports.
The Verge@theverge.com · 2d agoBluesky's new CEO Toni Schneider on the platform's reputation for being a liberal bubble: "Yes, we definitely want that to change. It is already changing. It certainly wasn’t designed to attract one specific group of people."
I remember @melissagiragrant.com wrote a great piece about this a while back:
The Mothers Leading the Battle Against Trans Student Athletes
Their tactics mirror those employed by white mothers who fought school integration: disguising bigotry with pleas to protect children.
newrepublic.com
Elizabeth Spiers@espiers.bsky.social · 2d agoI was surprised at how prevalent it is was when I went back to AL to do some reporting. And the parents are driving it, not the kids. The people who can afford to do this are usually white
I can vouch that this is an awesome place to hang out. ❤️❤️❤️
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 2d agoJust wanna say that if you’re a women’s sports fan who has felt increasingly isolated by the growing transphobia in & around women’s sports & are looking for a community, I run a queer women’s (& some men’s) sports discord for paid subscribers of my newsletter. You can upgrade here for access:
Just wanna say that if you’re a women’s sports fan who has felt increasingly isolated by the growing transphobia in & around women’s sports & are looking for a community, I run a queer women’s (& some men’s) sports discord for paid subscribers of my newsletter. You can upgrade here for access:
Upgrade | Out of Your League
Dispatches from the intersection of queer sports and pop culture.
thefrankiedlc.news
Ok well apparently I had a lot to say & I will be sending out a newsletter about it all tomorrow but I can’t pretend any of it will be very professional bc I’m mad and tired
Frankie de la Cretaz@thefrankiedlc.news · 2d agoThis is the WNBA & Indiana Fever’s fault. This is from XX XY Athletics’ IG account—that’s Sophie Cunningham with Riley Gaines & Jennifer Sey. The worst transphobes. I haven’t written about it bc it’s gutting how unprepared the league was for this & now we have explicit hate visible at games.
I've catalogued the gayest parts of WPBL Opening Weekend for you. You're welcome:
the gayest parts of wpbl opening weekend
olivia travel, tarps off for the girls, & hot WAGS!
thefrankiedlc.news
Many of the same culprits of the NWSL's transphobia flare-up in November are gleefully stoking the WNBA's current crisis. There's a lot to learn from Sarah Gorden & Angelina Anderson's responses then, and Brianna Turner & Cheryl Reeve's responses now. Both leagues need to follow suit.
The Anti-Trans Grifters Are Coming For The NWSL | Defector
In July, the Guardian reported that the NWSL had quietly allowed its policy on the participation of transgender players, established in 2021, to expire. The scrapped policy used the testosterone level...
defector.com
Back in 2021, I wrote that genital exams on children were the next step in the bans on trans athletes & now here we are. Here’s that piece:
Attacks on Transgender Athletes Are Threatening Women’s Sports
A flurry of legislation claims to “protect” women in sports by potentially requiring athletes to prove their gender through invasive exams.
glamour.com
The Cut@thecut.com · 2d agoThis November, voters in Washington State will weigh in on IL26-638, a ballot measure requiring that girls who want to play sports in K–12 schools undergo sex-verification tests such as genital exams.
This is the WNBA & Indiana Fever’s fault. This is from XX XY Athletics’ IG account—that’s Sophie Cunningham with Riley Gaines & Jennifer Sey. The worst transphobes. I haven’t written about it bc it’s gutting how unprepared the league was for this & now we have explicit hate visible at games.
I've catalogued the gayest parts of WPBL Opening Weekend for you. You're welcome:
the gayest parts of wpbl opening weekend
olivia travel, tarps off for the girls, & hot WAGS!
thefrankiedlc.news
So far the Firebells have looked like the most well-rounded team but I’m interested to see the Heights and the Queens when the conditions are better because I think that really hampered the players last night, especially defensively.
The way these players come in to pitch after playing other positions all game is badass. MLB could never