Daily Wire/screengrab
The Daily Wire, the right-wing media company founded by conservative host Ben Shapiro, released a trailer on Monday for its first full-length feature film, a virulently transphobic “comedy” about a team of male basketball players who decide to identify as women in order to start competing in—and winning—women’s sporting events.
The movie, Lady Ballers, which features cameos from Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Shapiro himself, is slated for an exclusive release on the Daily Wire’s YouTube channel. Matt Walsh, who put out his own anti-trans documentary for the company, appears in the film as well.
It is a crucial moment in history for trans athletes: Every public comment made in the ongoing, impassioned debate over fairness and participation has the potential to sway a governing body in sports to make it easier or harder for a trans athlete to compete at all, making the cruelty of Lady Ballers all the more stark.