Brittney Griner backs transgender participation in sports: ‘A crime' to 'separate someone for any reason’

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Brittney Griner spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of the 2023 WNBA season and immediately weighed in on the major political debate in the country. 

Griner, who recently returned to the United States after nearly 10 months in captivity in Russia, was asked about legislation aimed at preventing transgender participation in sports. 

Brittney Griner, #42 of the Phoenix Mercury, poses for a portrait on January 13, 2022, at the Mercury practice facility in Phoenix, Arizona.  (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

"That ranks high on the list of things I’ll be fighting for and speaking up against," Griner said when asked by an ESPN reporter about advocating for transgender athletes. "Everyone deserves the right to play. Everyone deserves the right to come here, sit in these seats, and feel safe. And not feel like there’s the threat, or they can’t be who they are, or like it’s just all eyes on them. 

BRITTNEY GRINER RULES OUT PLAYING OVERSEAS IN THE FUTURE, UNLESS SHE'S REPRESENTING THE US IN OLYMPICS

"I think it’s a crime honestly to separate someone for any reason. So, I definitely will be speaking up against that legislation and those laws that are trying to be passed, for sure." 

On Wednesday, the Kansas State High School Activities Association's executive voted that high schools and middle schools must see the first birth certificates of transgender athletes in order to decide which teams they can play on. 

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The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passed in the House last week, which aims at preventing biological males from competing in girls' and women's sports.

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