Women's sports have long been at the forefront of inclusion, equity, and forward progress for all women. NWSL player Elizabeth Eddy thinks that should no longer be the case.Eddy, who is signed to Angel City Football Club in the National Women's Soccer League, one of the premier sports leagues in the world, published an essay in the New York Post yesterday one day after International Intersex Awareness Day arguing that trans women and intersex women should not be allowed to compete in the league.What did Elizabeth Eddy say about trans women and intersex women in her new essay? A soccer ball on the field.Tony Quinn/Shutterstock"Recent controversies across women's sports from swimming to track and field have highlighted professional soccer lacks clear eligibility policies," Eddy writes."Fairness and inclusion are core American values," she continues. "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."Eddy then lays out what reads as a timeline of steps/actions to follow: "The NWSL must adopt a clear standard. One option is all players must be born with ovaries, as the FA requires. Another option is an SRY gene test, like those World Athletics and World Boxing implemented."RELATED: What are DSDs? And why is everyone talking about them at the Paris 2024 Olympics?Rather than just saying that trans women aren't women and shouldn't be in the league, Eddy is calling out intersex players and players with DSDs, saying they should be excluded from the count of real women as well.Eddy argues that women's sports exist "not to exclude, but to create a space where female athletes can physically compete on equal footing." She then expands to say that intersex females should be excluded from that equality.How many trans players are in the NWSL now? What is the league's history on featuring trans players?The NWSL currently has zero trans players. In the past, only one player Quinn, who was assigned female at birth has played.There have been a small number of players in the league who, either reportedly or according to rumors, have had higher testosterone levels. All those players are cisgender women.One of them is Orlando Pride star Barbra Banda, who was left off of Zambia's national team in 2018 and 2022. In 2022, the president of Zambia's Football Association said she "did not meet the criteria" for gender verification. However, the Confederation of African Football, which administers the tests, said that Banda never took the tests and was withdrawn by her own team.At the start of the current NWSL season, Banda was subjected to insults and hate speech questioning her womanhood by a fan. That fan was subsequently banned from attending games. See on Instagram One NWSL player who has said that she is intersex is Zambian forward Prisca Chilufya, who in 2017 was a part of a report in the Seattle Globalist about intersex identities in her home country. She identifies as female, was assigned female at birth, and has lived her entire life as a woman.Chilufya signed with Angel City Football Club, Eddy's team, earlier this October.Now, Eddy, who has played in only three games over the last two seasons, has decided it is the perfect time to speak up against intersex athletes like her new teammate."Womens sports showcase the full range of human ability as we reach and exceed whats physically possible. Everybody needs a chance to break records and achieve the previously impossible," Eddy writes. "Thats why we love to celebrate women competing against each other and why we need creative solutions to ensure everybody can compete on a level playing field."Here's why Elizabeth Eddy is wrong about trans women in sports. Two players on the soccer field.Anton Vierietin/ShutterstockIn Eddy's eyes, "women competing against each other" doesn't include all women. She's wrong.The "full range of human ability" that is showcased in women's sports includes all women not just those Eddy decides count. To celebrate women means celebrating women of all kinds, not just those who are feminine enough or have the "right" genes.If the league wants to have the best women athletes in the world, that's going to include some intersex women and possibly, in the future, some trans women.Eddy says she knows from experience that the NWSL is "more than just a sports league.""For many, dreams are coming true in real life dreams that were impossible before my generation," she writes. "I also understand that for many athletes and fans, seeing intersex and transgender athletes compete and dominate on sports biggest stages also realizes a dream. How can we make an open arena reality for small and tragically marginalized minorities with nowhere else that may feel safe and inclusive to compete?"Her answer is to offer players who "fail" gender tests "free counseling" and an "open division within the NWSL" that allows the zero trans athletes and handful of intersex athletes in the league to have their own space where they won't bother cis women.Angel City FC still has "protect trans lives" merch for sale on its official website. Angel City FC Pride Unisex Protect Trans Lives Short Sleeve White T-Shirt for sale on the official Angel City FC website.AngelCity.comThankfully, Eddy's opinion is not the one held by the majority of the league. I am a season ticket holder for ACFC, Eddy's team. At every game, I'm far from the only trans fan in the stands. Games are also filled with signs and banners supporting trans rights, trans flags, and even official team merch that say "Protect trans lives."Angel City's captain, Ali Riley, a soccer legend who is retiring this year, made headlines in 2023 when she painted her fingernails the color of the Progress Pride Flag at the World Cup. Christen Press, another team legend who is retiring this year, has also made her trans allyship well known.NWSL games are a safe haven for trans and intersex fans. They are places where trans and intersex kids can go and dream big just like Eddy says women's sports are meant to be.In May, when England's Football Association announced that trans women are no longer eligible to play professional soccer in the country, the NWSL responded.Fan groups for every team started a campaign saying, "Trans People Belong," selling shirts with the slogan."Efforts to exclude trans athletes are fueled by the same forces of misogyny and bigotry that have long tried to dictate who belongs," the groups said in a statement. "These efforts undermine the spirit of women's sports and harm all athletes by reinforcing narrow, discriminatory ideas about gender."At the time, a spokesperson for the league said, "The NWSL strives to be the most inclusive league in the world and we continue to support our athletes and create an environment where they can thrive."Fans, and ACFC itself, can share a message of support for trans and intersex athletes on the team's final game on Sunday, November 2.I know if ACFC had a home game remaining, there would be a huge show of support for trans athletes and fans in the stands. I suspect there will be one in Chicago, where ACFC plays its final game of the season on Sunday, November 2.Fans, and ACFC or the league itself, can, and should, send the message loud and clear that trans and intersex fans and athletes belong.It's unlikely Eddy will be on the bench or the field for ACFC. She is usually left off the game-day roster, so a protest against her or boos wouldn't accomplish anything. A show of support for trans and intersex athletes, however, would. It would let any fans who have ever had their womanhood or gender policed or questioned know that they are safe and welcome.Maybe the league should listen to Eddy and create an open division for intersex and trans athletes and their allies, and women who police other people's womanhood can have their own division. When 95 percent of the league joins the open division, maybe she will see that she's on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of women's sports.Mey Rude is a staff writer for Out.Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit out.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of Out or our parent company, equalpride.