The Sophie Cunningham controversy tour continues.
Before the Indiana Fever face the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, a demonstration in support of the WNBA star will be held outside the Target Center in Minneapolis, marking the Fever’s third straight road game featuring a rally in support of Cunningham, who recently voiced her support for restricting transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve took Cunningham’s visit to voice her support for transgender athletes, who represent as few as 0.002 percent of NCAA athletes, according to NCAA President Charlie Baker.
“I come from a space of inclusion,” Reeve said Saturday. “The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports. This is what’s bothersome. There is a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue.”
Cunningham’s stance became known following an ESPN.com story posted on July 21, in which the 29-year-old dove headfirst into the culture wars.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham told ESPN. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Rallies were held in support of Cunningham before the Fever’s most recent games in Seattle and Portland.
Reeve didn’t object to the demonstrations — only the message.
“We need to protect trans kids,” Reeve said. “To me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports.”
