Exclusive Details
WNBA star Layshia Clarendon has had successful surgery to remove her breasts – and is now publicizing it in the hope of inspiring other trans athletes.
Clarendon – who identifies himself as non-binary – uses all pronouns (she / he / they / they / he / she).
In other words … by society’s standards, Layshia feels comfortable being called a woman … but, personally, she doesn’t just identify with a specific gender.
Sources close to Layshia tell us that the 29-year-old NY Liberty star underwent breast removal surgery (also known as “top surgery”) in early January and is recovering well.
“I am feeling free and euphoric in my body and I want trans people to know and see that we always exist and nobody can erase us,” said Layshia in a statement.
You may be wondering … is there a problem with the WNBA, which has the “W” for “Women” right there in the name of the league?
The short answer is no.
We have been informed that Layshia is in contact with the league and there are ZERO problems with her status as a player.
As a source close to Layshia explained to us, “Layshia does not identify as a man. They are not traveling to a destination. Gender is, in fact, a spectrum.”
One of the main reasons why Layshia is spreading her story … we were told that Layshia wants to start a “very real, inclusive and sensitive conversation about how to INCLUDE trans people in sports, rather than how to exclude them”.
“Trans youth want to play sports … let’s talk.”
Layshia was chosen in the first round of the 2013 WNBA Draft – and was an All-Star in 2017.