Caitlin Clark is trusting her gut when it comes to navigating political issues.
Before the Fever’s 86-84 overtime loss to the Aces on Thursday, Clark told reporters that her approach to handling controversial topics is straightforward.
“I think first and foremost, like you know, you speak when you feel like you want to speak,” Clark said, according to ESPN.
“I try to just show up and be myself every single day.”
Clark’s comments come as the discourse has surrounded the WNBA following Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham’s comments on transgender athletes late last month.
Cunningham, 29, told ESPN in July that she is against transgender women’s participation in women’s sports.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham told ESPN. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest.
“And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Her comments ignited a firestorm across the WNBA, resulting in multiple demonstrations outside of Fever games both in support of and against Cunningham’s words.
Clark shut down reporters when first asked about her thoughts on the issue, saying that it’s not a topic that comes up in the Fever locker room.
“I think, for us, it’s not really a discussion we really have in our locker room,” Clark said. “I think it’s for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions, but our focus is on basketball.
“That’s what we talk about and how we can get wins, and, obviously, we didn’t do that tonight.”
When a reporter attempted to ask a follow-up question to Clark, she quickly fired back, saying, “I just answered for you.”
