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Hollywood native and former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz just can’t seem to stay away from sex- and gender-related controversy, from online speculation about his use of Botox and other cosmetic treatments to the very real Department of Justice investigation into allegations of sex trafficking and sexual misconduct. This week, the Florida man signed on as legal representative of former NBA player Royce White while she (as White now identifies) aims to join the WNBA.
White becomes the second former NBA player to announce their intention to join the next WNBA draft as a trans woman after Enes Kanter Freedom, whom basketball fans are more likely to recognize after Freedom’s 700-plus NBA games versus White’s nine minutes (see for yourself). The news comes about a week after White, who for some reason donned a long brunette-and-blonde (balayage, if you will) wig during campaign interviews, lost the Minnesota Republican U.S. Senate primary.
Critics argue that announcements like Freedom’s and White’s amount to nothing more than thinly veiled political theater, as the WNBA has become an arena for debates about gender, specifically in women’s sports. Others argue that women’s sports have no place for trans athletes with traits biologically associated with males.
According to a document posted on X by a Fox News reporter, Gaetz signed and sent the letter to WNBA officials Monday, declaring White’s intent to join the 2027 draft.
“As of the signing of the attached declaration, Ms. White identifies as a transgender woman,” Gaetz wrote in the letter, which the Fox reporter included in his X post.
While White may be relatively new to the controversial limelight (or, checks phone, any spotlight at all), Gaetz is no stranger. He’s remained relatively quiet for about a year, but most recently raised eyebrows last year after publicly declaring he never got Botox in response to the entire internet making memes and jokes about his painfully rigid appearing face at a Republican National Convention.
Gaetz, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, currently works for One America News Network (OANN), where he’s hosted The Matt Gaetz Show since January 2025, just one month after a federal ethics report revealed he paid a 17-year-old girl for sex. Many believe the scandal, which didn’t result in charges, was the main reason he eventually ended his bid to become Attorney General under President Donald Trump.
