Professional women’s Football players in the United States are rejecting attempts by an anti-trans business figure to pressure them into speaking out against trans athletes.
Jennifer Sey, a former gymnastics champion and the CEO of anti-trans clothing brand XX-XY Athletics, recently offered a $10,000 payment to any player in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) willing to publicly oppose the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sport.
“A full-throated defence,” she wrote on X . “A press conference. Nothing mealy-mouthed.”
Sey’s company donates proceeds to groups lobbying against trans inclusion in sport, and she frequently posts anti-trans rhetoric online.
Her offer came after NWSL player Elizabeth Eddy penned an op-ed in the New York Post, criticising her team, Angel City FC, for signing an intersex player. Eddy positioned her stance as defending the “integrity of women’s sports” — a phrase commonly used to push for the exclusion of both trans and intersex athletes from women’s leagues.
The Money Offer Grows – But Still, No Takers
Following Sey’s post, others pledged to increase the bounty. Two anonymous donors added $5,000 each, and Clay Travis, founder of anti-LGBTQ+ sports site Outkick, added $15,000, raising the total to $35,000.
Despite the cash on offer, no NWSL players have accepted the proposal, Out reports.
Notably, there are no openly trans players currently in the league.
Angel City FC Players Push Back Against Hate
In the wake of Eddy’s article, Angel City captain Sarah Gorden and vice-captain Angelina Anderson held a press conference on 30 October, denouncing the piece and standing with trans and intersex athletes.
“That article does not speak for this team and this locker room,” Gorden said. “We don’t agree with the things written… The undertones come across as transphobic and racist as well.”
She also noted that many players felt “hurt,” “harmed,” and “disgusted” by Eddy’s comments.
Eddy’s article had controversially used a photo of Barbra Banda, a cisgender Zambian player for the Orlando Pride, prompting further backlash.
Anderson affirmed the team’s inclusive values:
“Angel City is a place for everyone. Los Angeles is a city founded on inclusivity and love for all people.”
Sey Doubles Down with Misinformation
After Eddy’s op-ed, Jennifer Sey appeared on Fox News, claiming there are “several males” in the NWSL, and falsely referring to Barbra Banda as a man — despite Banda being a cisgender woman.
The NWSL currently lacks a formal gender eligibility policy, drawing criticism from across the spectrum.
“You have to take a stance,” said sports journalist Julie Kliegman in The Athletic. “It has to be clear, it has to be transparent, and it has to be inclusive. Otherwise, this neutral ground isn’t really neutral — it gives space for players like Eddy to steer the conversation.”
For now, Sey’s money remains untouched, and the players’ silence speaks volumes — highlighting a quiet but powerful refusal to be weaponised in anti-trans rhetoric.
