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    • Angel speaks into microphone wearing sunglasses and magenta lipstick

      Layshia Clarendon

      The Basics

      Position: Guard

      Current Team: New York Liberty | #7

      Draft: 2013 | Cal | 1st round (9th overall)

      Key Accolades: All-Star (2017)

       

      WNBA Profile | Stats | Instagram | Twitter

       

      The Pet: Mowgli

      The Down Low

      Clarendon calls himself a “lead by example person,” and that statement holds true on and off the court. On the court, they are known as a facilitator who can not only create plays for their teammates but also has a dangerous three-point shot of their own. Layshia's veteran presence was crucial for the rookie-filled Liberty roster in 2020. As head coach Walt Hopkins described, Layshia "leads vocally, but also by consistently modeling a tireless work ethic and respect for those around her." Layshia also apparently has an underrated skill at trash-talking, which I'd personally love to see.

       

      Off the court, Layshia leads with his authenticity and advocacy. They are the first openly transgender athlete in the WNBA. In 2021, amidst a bogus debate about whether trans people belong in sports (hint: they do), Layshia bravely revealed that she had top surgery. I personally was inspired by their courage, and was also proud to see how the WNBA community openly celebrated with them.

       

      Layshia is keenly aware that this authenticity is itself activism: "Ultimately, my biggest form of activism is just showing up authentically and giving other people around me the light and the freedom to hopefully show up and be their full selves."​

       

      He wants the league to use this power as well. They are a member of the Social Justice Council and have pushed conversations about the power of authenticity in the league and making sure its policies are queer-inclusive. Hopefully, the WNBA will follow Layshia's lead.

      Notable Quotables

       

      [T]he labels that we give ourselves matter. That’s why I claim them so boldly and loudly. Because they are political statements. And there’s power in them. So, in that way, I try to own it and empower as many people as I can....

       

      I want us to remember that our existence truly is resistance.

       

      [Source]

      Highlight Reel

      Merch

      (BreakingT)

      More on Layshia

      • “Being Black and Non-Binary Is My Superpower”: Layshia Clarendon on Race, Gender, Social Justice and the WNBA (Dani Bar-Lavi, Sports Are From Venus)
      • Layshia Clarendon: ‘Kelly Loeffler is the anti-movement’ (as told to Sean Hurd, the Undefeated)
      • Layshia Clarendon is trans, and yes, also non-binary​ (Dawn Ennis, SB Nation)
      • How Layshia Clarendon, Athlete and Activist, Spends Sundays (Alexandra E. Petri, New York Times)
      • Connecticut Sun guard Layshia Clarendon an activist, a survivor (Jim Fuller, New Haven Register)
      • It’s Time to Think Bigger (The Players' Tribune)
      • Social Justice Council Video (WNBA.com)
      • Yes, Trans People Belong in Sports (The Players' Tribune)

      Back to the Database

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