Academy Award-winning producer and Higher Learning co-host Van Lathan condemned Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham's remarks about transgender athletes during the podcast's 7 August 2026 episode.
Speaking alongside former Bachelorette star Rachel Lindsay, Lathan urged Cunningham and others driving the debate to stop targeting a marginalised community. His response followed Cunningham's claim that allowing transgender women into women's sport could place girls at risk.
Van Lathan Calls for Silence Instead of Scrutiny
Lathan said people unwilling to give transgender people 'visibility, humanity and acceptance' could at least give them silence. He then asked, 'Could you at least leave them alone?' The podcast host argued that transgender people were being singled out while the US faced rising food costs, environmental concerns and conflict overseas.
The former TMZ personality, who won an Academy Award as an executive producer of the short film Two Distant Strangers, became visibly frustrated as he continued.
He questioned why public figures were still focused on transgender people after restrictions on their participation in sport had already expanded across the US. 'You are still picking on these people after all of this time,' he said.
Lathan's comments were part of a wider discussion on Higher Learning, the culture and politics podcast he co-hosts with Lindsay.
The episode also covered US primary results, A$AP Rocky's relationship with Rihanna and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams.
However, the segment about Cunningham quickly circulated online because of Lathan's direct appeal for transgender people to be treated with basic dignity.
Cunningham Says She Is Protecting Girls
Cunningham, a guard for Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever, sparked the controversy in July while discussing transgender participation in women's sport. She said she had received criticism for supposedly hating transgender people, an allegation she denied. 'I think that I am here to extend love,' Cunningham said before arguing that girls should not have to compete against what she called 'biological men'.
The WNBA player later stood by her position during a media appearance on 22 July 2026. Cunningham described her view as 'common sense' and said protecting children was central to her argument. In a subsequent post on X, she wrote that there was 'a safe space and love for everybody', listing women, men, trans women and trans men.
Her attempt to frame the position around inclusion did not end the backlash. Critics said her language misgendered transgender women and portrayed them as an inherent threat to girls in changing rooms. Supporters, meanwhile, praised Cunningham for raising concerns about competitive fairness and sex-based sporting categories.
The Debate Spreads Across the WNBA
The dispute has increasingly followed the Fever on the road. Before Indiana's game against the Minnesota Lynx on 2 August 2026, demonstrators gathered outside the Target Center, while Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve wore a T-shirt reading 'Trans kids belong'. Cunningham and Reeve were also seen speaking on the court before the game, later describing the exchange as respectful despite their opposing views.
Golden State Valkyries forward and Olympic medallist Gabby Williams publicly pushed back against Cunningham's position on 6 August 2026. Williams said she would welcome a transgender athlete as either a teammate or opponent 'any time'. She added that the controversy was 'another way to kind of attack trans people'.
Lathan's response shifted the conversation away from competitive policy and towards the human impact of repeatedly debating transgender people's right to participate in public life. Rather than offering another technical argument about eligibility rules, he focused on the people subjected to the rhetoric. His message was blunt: if acceptance remains out of reach, leaving transgender people alone should be the minimum.
