Cheryl Reeve made her position impossible to miss Sunday at Minneapolis’ Target Center, wearing a light blue shirt reading “Trans Kids Belong” beneath her jacket as rallies and counter-rallies surrounded the Lynx-Fever game. The message landed just as Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham faced another round of boos over her comments about transgender athletes.
Critics and supporters gathered around and inside the arena, with one protester repeating “protect trans women” over a loudspeaker and fans wearing shirts that read “trans kids belong in sports,” according to the Associated Press. It was the third straight Indiana game to draw a rally after Cunningham voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports.
Before tipoff, Reeve and Cunningham held a conversation at midcourt, a brief face-to-face moment inside a game that had become a national culture-war flashpoint. Reeve later said the two women have some things in common, differ on certain issues, and both have platforms they wanted to use to educate, as detailed by the Los Angeles Times.
The Lynx then handled the basketball part decisively, beating the Fever 108-100 for their 10th consecutive victory and improving to 25-6. Kelsey Mitchell scored 37 for Indiana, while Caitlin Clark finished with 19 points and 10 assists; Minnesota’s Olivia Miles led the Lynx with 28 points, according to the Associated Press.
Minneapolis Became The Latest Rally Flashpoint
The Target Center gathering followed demonstrations at other Fever games in Portland and Seattle, turning Cunningham’s remarks into a traveling WNBA sideshow that has reached well beyond the court. Cunningham has said she is not worried the rallies will distract Indiana, describing them as an exercise of free speech, according to the Associated Press.
The league’s rules and culture have also become part of the debate. The Washington Post reported that the WNBA does not have a ban on transgender women and that the players’ union has historically supported LGBTQ+ rights.
The WNBA Is Trying To Contain A Larger Backlash
The dispute arrives as the league deals with a broader rise in abusive online messages aimed at players. In a July 22 statement, the WNBA and WNBPA said league leaders and union representatives had discussed racist, hateful and abusive messages, along with stronger security resources and earlier intervention.
For Reeve, Sunday’s shirt was a compact answer to a sprawling argument: the Lynx could acknowledge the controversy without letting it define the afternoon. The coach’s message was visible from the sideline, while her team’s 108 points supplied the less symbolic statement on the scoreboard.
