After a Fox News guest called female soccer superstar Barbra Banda a "male," the NWSL and Banda's team, the Orlando Pride, have issued statements standing by the Zambian forward.As background, last week, Elizabeth Eddy, who is on the roster of Angel City Football Club in the NWSL but hasn't played this year, wrote an essay saying that trans and intersex athletes should be banned from the league for reasons of alleged safety and fairness. On October 31, her teammates, team captain Sarah Gordon and vice captain Angelina Anderson, condemned her essay, calling it racist and transphobic, and saying the team does not agree with Eddy and supports any intersex players who are currently in the league.Now, the debate has reached Fox News, where host Dana Perino spoke with the founder of an anti-trans clothing company about the issue of intersex athletes in women's soccer.Jennifer Sey, CEO and founder of XX-XY Athletics a company that states "biological sex matters, especially in athletics" and says it is "committed to defending women and girls' right to compete on a fair, level playing field" went on Fox News on November 4, to talk about Eddy's essay and her teammates' response.While there, she called NWSL player Barbra Banda, who is a cisgender woman, a "male." On Fox's America's Newsroom, Sey calls Gordon and Anderson's statement a "scathing" and "nonsensical" response to Eddy's essay."The women we just heard from, do they want to compete against transgender males [sic]?" Perino asks Sey."Well, there are several males in the National Women's Soccer League," Sey replies. "They aren't trans identified, they're men with DSDs. In fact, one of the best players in the league is a male, Barbra Banda, who plays for Orlando Pride."Banda, who was born a girl and has lived as a girl and woman her entire life, was left off the Zambian National Team for the 2022 African Championship. While early reports said it was because she had a test showing that she had elevated testosterone levels, her agent later clarified that she had not failed any genetic or hormone tests, and that she was removed from the team after a team doctor evaluated her "physical conditions" and decided not to sign off on her."Nothing, no existing regulations that we are aware of, prevents Barbra's participation," her agent said.FIFA, the world's largest governing body for the sport, said that Banda is eligible to play in the World Cup and it has "never questioned that she is female," according to the AP.See on InstagramAfter Sey's Fox News appearance, both the NWSL and Banda's team, the Orlando Pride, have issued statements praising Banda and standing with her.The NWSL began by noting that Banda was recently named to the FIFPRO World XI, an honor voted on by over 26,000 of her fellow professional soccer players, which "is a testament to her extraordinary talent, relentless work ethic, and impact on our sport and league.""Her contributions to the Orlando Pride and the NWSL have been transformative," the statement continues. "Any harassment or hateful attacks toward Barbra are unacceptable and have no place in our sport, league, or our communities. We stand unequivocally with Barbra and with every NWSL player."See on InstagramOrlando's statement says that Banda is "a superb teammate, player and role model, and we are proud that she represents the Orlando Pride, our fans, and our community.""We look forward to continuing to celebrate Barbra and her future accolades, and to supporting her journey as one of the many incredible athletes in our league."This is, unfortunately, not the first time Banda has been subject to harassment over her gender.In 2024, Banda was named the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year, and author J.K. Rowling attacked her online, saying, "the BBC decided this was more time efficient than going door to door to spit directly in women's faces."At the beginning of the 2025 season, a fan hurled transphobic hate speech towards Banda during a game. The fan was banned from future games.