National Women's Soccer League defends athlete who failed genetic sex test as players clash over gender rules

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The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) put out a statement Tuesday addressing a sudden controversy involving a player who previously failed a genetic test. 

The statement defended Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda, who was ruled ineligible to compete for Zambia in a 2022 World Cup-qualifying tournament after a test revealed Banda's natural testosterone levels were above those allowed by the Confederation of African Football.

The statement also comes after Angel City FC's Elizabeth Eddy published a New York Post op-ed last week calling for the NWSL to adopt a stricter gender eligibility policy. 

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"Barbra Banda is a top player in the NWSL. Barbra's selection to the FIFPRO World XI, a distinction voted on exclusively by her peers from across the global game, is a testament to her extraordinary talent, relentless work ethic, and impact on our sports and league," the statement said. 

"Her contributions to the Orlando Pride and NWSL have been transformative. Any harassment or hateful attacks toward Barbra are unacceptable and have no place in our sport, league or communities. We stand unequivocally with Barbra and with every NWSL player." 

Meanwhile, the Orlando Pride put out a similar statement in defense of Banda at around the same time as the NWSL's on Tuesday. 

"Barbra Banda is a superb teammate, player and role model, and we are proud that she represents the Orlando Pride, our fans and our community. Both in Orlando and on the national stage, Barbra continues to shine, including most recently being named to her second-consecutive FIFPRO World 11, an award exclusively selected by her fellow peers across the globe," the team said. 

"We look forward to continuing to celebrate Barbra and her future accolades, and to supporting her journey as one of the many incredible athletes in our league." 

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The statements incited mixed responses on social media. 

Eddy's op-ed sparked debate among fans and even garnered rebuke from her teammates. 

Eddy argued in the article that the NWSL "must adopt a clear standard," adding that only players "born with ovaries" should be allowed to play, following the standard in the Women's Super League in the United Kingdom, or the league should adopt an SRY gene test, like World Athletics and World Boxing.

"Fairness and inclusion are core American values. Reasonable people can disagree about where to draw lines, but avoiding the conversation altogether by shutting out diverse views does not serve us. In fact, we owe it to current and future female athletes to solve this," the 11-year veteran wrote.

Eddy's Angel City FC teammates, Sarah Gorden and Angelina Anderson, addressed the op-ed in a press conference over the weekend. 

"That article does not speak for this team in this locker room. I've had a lot of (conversations) with my teammates in the past few days and they are hurt and they are harmed by the article, and also, they are disgusted by some of the things that were said in the article and it's really important for me to say that," Gorden said on Friday.

"We don't agree with the things written for a plethora of reasons, but mostly the undertones come across as transphobic and racist as well. The article calls for genetic testing on certain players and it has a photo of an African player as a headline. That's very harmful, and to me, it's inherently racist because to single out this community based on them looking or being different is absolutely a problem. As a mixed woman, with a Black family, I'm devastated by the undertones of this article."

Anderson talked about what she believed the club stood for.

"For me personally, when I think of LA, and I think of Angel City, I think of a place that was founded upon inclusivity and love for all people - that's what our locker room is, that what our staff is, that's what our fan base is. Angel City is a place for everyone. It always will be. That's how it was from the beginning, that's how it will always be. Period," she said.

"I think this situation, there's an element of timing to it where this feels like another really big challenge that we have to go through as a team on top of an already really challenging year. And it's definitely not the note that we as a group want to end on, and so I just want everyone to know that we're doing our best in the locker room to preserve respect and belonging on this team and we look forward to ending the season on as positive of a note as possible."

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