What percent of WNBA players are lesbians or transgender?

There isn’t a reliable public percentage for “lesbian or transgender” WNBA players, because the league does not publish a full roster-wide sexuality or gender-identity breakdown, and many players are not publicly out. Public reporting does show that a substantial share of the league is openly LGBTQ, but that category is broader than lesbian or transgender alone.

What the public numbers suggest

• One 2024 roundup said there were 42 out and proud LGBTQ+ WNBA players that season.
• A 2026 roundup listed 52 gay WNBA players.
• Another source discussing a 2019 study said about 56.8% of players in that sampled season identified as lesbian, while a separate 2022 figure put LGBTQ+ identification at about 28.7%.

Trans players specifically

Publicly verified counts of transgender WNBA players are much harder to pin down, and I did not find a solid league-wide percentage in the available reporting. Most articles focus on openly LGBTQ players overall rather than separating lesbian, bi, queer, and trans identities.

A careful answer

A fair, evidence-based answer is: a noticeable minority to possibly a large minority of WNBA players are openly LGBTQ, but no trustworthy source gives a definitive league-wide percent for lesbians or transgender players specifically. Older claims like “98 percent” are widely repeated internet talking points, not dependable league statistics.

Why this is tricky

• “Lesbian” and “transgender” are different identities, so combining them into one percentage can be misleading.
• “Out publicly” is not the same as “actually is.”
• Different articles use different methods: public self-identification, season rosters, or small studies.

TL;DR: The best-supported public answer is that the WNBA has a strong LGBTQ presence, but there is no verified exact percentage for lesbians or transgender players league-wide.