A former college soccer player who has emerged as a leading California critic of transgender participation in women’s sports is bringing her fight to Nike — backing a shareholder measure as investors scrutinize corporate ties to groups that support gender-transition care for minors.
Sophia Lorey, 26, was set to address Nike shareholders Tuesday on behalf of a proposal from Christian investment firm Inspire Investing that calls for greater scrutiny of the sneaker giant’s charitable partnerships.
The Vanguard University alum was expected to focus on Nike’s relationship with the Human Rights Campaign, arguing that the company’s support for the LGBTQ advocacy organization clashes with its marketing of women’s athletics, according to Bloomberg, which obtained a recording of her planned remarks.
The Nike vote is part of a wider pressure campaign by Inspire, which manages $5.4 billion and has been questioning scores of major corporations about their policies on transgender issues.
The investment firm and its allies have contacted 242 employers seeking information about whether their health insurance plans pay for gender-related surgeries for minors, Bloomberg reported.
That campaign is separate from the Nike proxy measure backed by Lorey, a proposal that focuses on potential risks stemming from the company’s charitable giving.
Lorey was set to invoke Nike campaigns including “Play Like a Girl” and “Get Her in the Game” while challenging the sports giant’s association with groups that support transgender women competing in women’s fields, according to Bloomberg.
The shareholder proposal cites an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation involving allegations of systemic race discrimination at Nike.
“Given the EEOC’s current high-profile investigation into Nike over ‘systemic race discrimination allegations’ occurring partially as a result of the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, investors are right to be concerned about what further brand politicization could do to company performance,” the proposal states.
Nike has told shareholders to reject the measure, maintaining that another examination of its charitable relationships would duplicate safeguards already in place.
“Charitable partnerships are approved … only after a robust due diligence review of the proposed recipient organization,” Nike’s board said in a regulatory filing cited by Bloomberg.
Lorey brings an athletic background to the campaign.
The 5-foot-4 defender played women’s soccer at Vanguard from 2018 through 2021 and majored in business administration, according to university records. Vanguard competed in the NAIA during her career.
She joined the California Family Council as outreach director in 2022 and has since become a prominent advocate against transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
Her advocacy has also extended into schools. In July, a podcast she co-hosts promoted a campaign helping parents seek exemptions for their children from what the program called “gender ideology lessons, CRT, DEI programming” and other curriculum conflicting with their religious beliefs.
Meanwhile, Inspire has broadened its corporate campaign with backing from investors that collectively oversee more than $100 billion, according to the firm’s director of corporate engagement, Tim Schwarzenberger.
The 242 companies approached by the coalition were identified partly through the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, Bloomberg reported. Inspire is seeking disclosures about their insurance coverage and other policies involving transgender issues.
“We feel that this is an important topic, there’s regulatory, legal and financial risks,” Schwarzenberger told Bloomberg. “We think shareholders have a right to know, have a right to transparency.”
According to Inspire, Walmart told the group that its plans do not pay for gender surgeries for minors. Charles Schwab told the group it previously offered such coverage but had stopped, Bloomberg reported. Neither company commented to the outlet.
The Human Rights Campaign has pushed back against the campaign, arguing that conservative shareholder initiatives targeting diversity and LGBTQ policies have failed to attract significant support from investors.
“There is no question that extraordinary political and legal pressure has made some companies less willing to publicly document their LGBTQ+ workplace practices,” HRC senior vice president Jonathan Lovitz told Bloomberg.
“But less disclosure doesn’t mean … that they have actually changed practices internally,” he added.
The Post has sought comment from Nike.
