Anita Amma Ankyewah Asante is an English football coach and former player who is the first-team coach at Bristol City. A defender or midfielder, she won 71 caps for the English national team and was selected in the Great Britain squad for the 2012 London Olympics. At club level, Asante has played for English clubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa, whilst also having played for Saint Louis Athletica, Chicago Red Stars, Washington Freedom and Sky Blue FC of the American Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). She also spent six seasons playing in Sweden, two with Göteborg and then four with FC Rosengård.
Nicole Renee Barnhart is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previously played for FC Gold Pride and Philadelphia Independence in Women's Professional Soccer, and for the United States national team where she was a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She competed in qualifying matches for 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, 2011 Four Nations Tournament and 2011 Algarve Cup.
Kelley Maureen O'Hara is an American professional soccer player who plays as a wingback for National Women's Soccer League club Gotham FC and the United States women's national soccer team. A two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist, she previously played professionally for FC Gold Pride, the Boston Breakers, Sky Blue FC, Utah Royals FC and the Washington Spirit. While currently playing as a defender, she began her spent her collegiate career playing as a forward and has occasionally played an attacking role during her professional career.
Samantha May Kerr is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for FA Women's Super League club Chelsea, and the Australia women's national team, which she has captained since 2019. Known for her speed, skill, and tenacity, Kerr is widely considered one of the best strikers in the world, and one of Australia's greatest athletes.
Jessica Anne Fishlock is a Welsh professional footballer and coach who plays as a midfielder for OL Reign and the Wales national team. She previously played for Bristol Academy in England's FA Women's Super League, AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie, Glasgow City in the Scottish Women's Premier League, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City in Australia's W-League, as well as Bundesliga club FFC Frankfurt in Germany.
Caitlin Jade Foord is an Australian professional football player who plays as a forward for FA Women's Super League club Arsenal and the Australia national team, the Matildas. She became the youngest Australian to play at a World Cup when she represented Australia at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup at the age of 16.
Jodie Lee Taylor is an English former professional footballer who last played as a striker for Arsenal of WSL. She began her club career with local team Tranmere Rovers and had brief spells in her home country with Birmingham City and Lincoln Ladies. A well-traveled player, she has also played abroad in the United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden and France.
Feminist views on transgender topics vary widely. Third- and fourth-wave feminists tend to view the struggle for trans rights as an integral part of intersectional feminism. Former president of the American National Organization for Women (NOW) Terry O'Neill has stated that the struggle against transphobia is a feminist issue, with NOW affirming that "trans women are women, trans girls are girls." Several studies have found that people who identify as feminists tend to be more accepting of trans people than those who do not.
Francesca Kirby is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. She began her career with hometown club Reading before moving to Chelsea in July 2015. In August 2014, Kirby won her first senior cap for England. She represented her country at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France and the UEFA Women's Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.
The participation of transgender people in competitive sports, a traditionally sex-segregated institution, is a controversial issue, particularly the inclusion of transgender women and girls in women's sports.
Burnley FC Women is an English women's football club from Burnley, Lancashire, affiliated with Burnley Football Club. From its inception in 1995 until 2018, it was known as Burnley FC Girls and Ladies. The team is currently a member of the FA Women's National League North, the third tier of women's football in England.
Shelina Laura Zadorsky is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a centre-back for Women's Super League club West Ham United on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and the Canada national team. She previously played for Australian W-League club Perth Glory and Swedish top-division club Vittsjö GIK. Zadorsky won a bronze medal with Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won a gold medal with Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Bethany Jane Mead is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Women's Super League (WSL) club Arsenal and the England national team. A creative and prolific forward, she has all-time most assists and all-time second-most goal contributions in the WSL. Joint with Vivianne Miedema, she is the first player to reach a combined total of 100 goals and assists in the WSL. At UEFA Women's Euro 2022, she became the Golden Boot winner, Player of the Tournament, and top assist provider, leading England to win a major tournament for the first time. Later that year, she was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, becoming the first women's footballer to win the prestigious award; and finished runner-up for the Ballon d'Or and UEFA Player of the Year.
Aubrey Renee Kingsbury is an American professional soccer player who plays for the Washington Spirit in the National Women's Soccer League and for the United States national soccer team.
Anna Victoria Moorhouse is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Ella Ann Toone is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for WSL club Manchester United, and the England national team. Toone started her senior career at Blackburn Rovers in 2013, later joining Manchester City and winning the WSL in 2016. Since joining United in 2018, she has become their top scorer with most appearances for the club, has been described as a "household name", as well as a "key player" by manager Marc Skinner.
Charlie Christina Martin is a British racing car driver and transgender rights activist, who competes in endurance racing. In 2021, she participated in the Britcar Championship.
Lia Catherine Thomas is an American swimmer. She is the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, having won the women's 500-yard freestyle event in 2022. During her swimming career, Thomas has been part of the public debate about transgender women in sports.
Transphobia in the United States has changed over time. Understanding and acceptance of transgender people have both decreased and increased during the last few decades depending on the details of the issues which have been facing the public. Various governmental bodies in the United States have enacted anti-transgender legislation. Social issues in the United States also reveal a level of transphobia. Because of transphobia, transgender people in the U.S. face increased levels of violence and intimidation. Cisgender people can also be affected by transphobia.
OneLove is an anti-discrimination, anti-racism, LGBT+ rights and human rights campaign, started during the 2020 football season by the Dutch Football Association, that invites football players to wear armbands with the rainbow-coloured OneLove logo. Attracting controversy when worn in nations that have homophobic or anti-LGBT+ laws, it became prominent during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
