Former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe had a message for her followers after speaking at an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) event.
“Protect trans people,” Rapinoe wrote on her Instagram Stories on Friday.
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OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe, #15, talks to the media after the 2023 NWSL Championship match against New Jersey/New York Gotham FC at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Nov. 11, 2023. (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
Rapinoe was at the ACLU event with her partner Sue Bird and others. She also warned voters in the audience how the presidential election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris would “affect everybody.”
“This election is going to affect everybody,” she said. “The health of all of us affects your individual health. – from a mental health standpoint, from a physical health standpoint, from a safety standpoint.”
Rapinoe announced on Tuesday she will vote for Harris in the upcoming election.
“I’m voting for Kamala Harris because I believe in the power of coalition building—it’s how we create lasting change,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “I have worked toward a goal through different approaches and perspectives, fighting to move forward and make progress for everyone is always worth it. Let’s unite for a better future.”
Sue Bird, left, and Megan Rapinoe look on in the first quarter between the United States and France in the men’s basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena in Paris on Aug. 10, 2024. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
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Rapinoe has been supportive of trans inclusion in women’s sports.
She was among the athletes in April to urge the NCAA not to ban trans athletes from women’s sports after the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics revised its policy on the matter.
When approached about it at a pride parade in June, Rapinoe refused to answer a question on the topic.
The two-time World Cup champion said last July she would support a transgender athlete on the U.S. Women’s National Team even if it meant replacing a biological female.
Megan Rapinoe cheers for Team USA before the women’s soccer gold medal match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Parc des Princes in Paris on Aug. 10, 2024. (Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports)
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“Absolutely,” she told Time magazine. “‘You’re taking a ‘real’ woman’s place,’ that’s the part of the argument that’s still extremely transphobic. I see trans women as real women. What you’re saying automatically in the argument – you’re sort of telling on yourself already – is you don’t believe these people are women. Therefore, they’re taking the other spot. I don’t feel that way.”
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
