If Brittney Griner is female, how can she have an Adam's apple?

1. Who do the major profiles say Brittney Griner is?

Profiles in reference works and major outlets describe Brittney Griner as a woman: Wikipedia lists her as an American professional basketball player born in 1990 and emphasizes her career accomplishments in the WNBA ^[1]; Britannica’s biography likewise identifies her as a leading center in women’s basketball ^[2]; NBC’s athlete bio repeats those facts and her physical stature ^[3]. These sources present her identity and public role as a female athlete without noting any medical or legal change of sex in those biographies ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

2. Why do people notice an “Adam’s apple” on a woman like Griner?

Coverage repeatedly notes that Griner is unusually tall and physically large for a woman — descriptions that draw attention to features some associate with masculinity, including a pronounced neck or voice qualities ^{[3] [4]}. The New York Times summary of an interview reported that prison guards questioned her gender because of her body and height, showing how appearance can trigger gender assumptions ^[4]. The presence of an Adam’s apple (laryngeal prominence) is a visible trait that can be more noticeable in some people regardless of sex; available sources discuss observers’ reactions rather than medical explanations ^[4].

3. Do the sources say Griner is not female or has male anatomy?

None of the provided sources state that Brittney Griner is not female or that she has male anatomy; mainstream reporting treats her as a woman and an openly gay female athlete ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Some pieces record that she has been misgendered, bullied, or subjected to transphobic or sexist taunts — for example, Elle and earlier coverage describe online invective and people mistaking her for a man at times ^{[5] [6]}. Those reports document prejudice and misperception, not medical facts about her sex ^{[5] [6]}.

4. Medical and social context the articles do — and do not — provide

The provided sources focus on biography, athletic achievement, and episodes of public mistreatment; they report that guards or strangers questioned her gender because of her size, but they do not provide medical evaluations or definitive statements about anatomical details like an Adam’s apple ^{[4] [5] [6]}. Available sources do not mention any medical diagnosis, hormone treatment, surgery, or clarification about an Adam’s apple specifically. They instead show that visible traits and gender presentation prompt assumptions and discrimination ^[4].

5. Why this question circulates: appearance, stereotypes, and online abuse

Several profiles and features document that Griner’s height, build, and androgynous style have long made her a target of jokes and hostile online commentary — sometimes explicitly questioning her gender or anatomy ^{[5] [6]}. The material shows a pattern: atypical physical traits for a woman in the cultural imagination invite scrutiny and sometimes cruel speculation; reporting frames this as bullying rather than factual evidence about biological sex ^{[5] [6]}.

6. What a careful reader should take away

Biographical and news sources consistently identify Brittney Griner as a female athlete and public figure ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Observers’ claims about an “Adam’s apple” reflect perceptions shaped by size, voice, and style, and reporting notes misgendering and harassment without offering clinical confirmation of anatomy ^{[4] [5]}. If you need a definitive medical statement about physical anatomy or sex characteristics, available sources do not mention such details and do not supply a medical answer — the reporting documents appearance-based assumptions and their social consequences instead ^[4].

If you want, I can collect and summarize scientific material about why an Adam’s apple can be visible in people assigned female at birth, or compile reporting specifically documenting incidents when Griner was misgendered.