Layshia Clarendon has signed with the Minnesota Lynx after being waived by the New York Liberty.
Clarendon, who entered the league in 2013, is the first openly trans and nonbinary WNBA player. It was back in January when she announced on social media that she had surgery to remove breast tissue.
“It’s hard to put into words the feeling of seeing my chest for the first time free of breasts, seeing my chest the way I’ve always seen it, and feeling a sense of gender euphoria as opposed to gender dysphoria,” Clarendon wrote on Instagram, along with a photo taken after the surgery. “Sighhhh…freedom… freedom at last.”
It was announced on Wednesday that Lynx agreed to sign the 30-year-old free agent to replace Aerial Powers, ESPN reported.
Clarendon played at the University of California and won two gold medals with the USA Women’s U19. She entered the league back in 2013 as the 9th pick in the first round.
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Clarendon has career averages of 7.3 points and 3.0 assists. Last season, they played 19 of the Liberty’s 20 games and averaged a career-high 11.5 points with 3.9 assists, ESPN reported.
“Existing outside of the binary for me is freedom,” Clarendon wrote. “I’ve learned that my gender just doesn’t fit into these molds that keep trying to hold it down and box it in. I know that my gender will keep evolving because we change and grow and shape shift and expand. I know that as (nonbinary poet) Andrea Gibson says, my pronouns haven’t even been invented yet. I know that we all have masculinity and femininity inside of us and mine show up equally and wholly and fully.”
