Rallies are scheduled to take place outside upcoming Indiana Fever games in Portland and Minneapolis, continuing the public discourse surrounding comments made by player Sophie Cunningham regarding transgender athletes in women's sports. These planned demonstrations follow a recent rally in support of Cunningham and an incident involving a WNBA team executive.
The protests are slated to occur before the Fever's game against the Portland Fire on Friday and their road game against the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday. The rally in Portland is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. outside the Moda Center. The Minnesota rally is being organized by XX-XY Athletics, a company focused on women's sports.
Cunningham recently stated in an ESPN profile her desire to "protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men." Her remarks have become a focal point in discussions about the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports.
Earlier in the week, the controversy intensified when Celeste Keaton, co-owner of the Seattle Storm, reportedly used profane language toward two teenage girls who were wearing shirts from XX-XY Athletics and holding a sign that read, "Thank you Sophie for speaking up for girls!" The WNBA suspended Keaton for five home games and issued an undisclosed fine for her comments.
Following the incident, Cunningham took to social media to express her belief in inclusivity, stating, "I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind."
She also acknowledged the girls' stance, adding, "Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon. yay for gifts. Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is."
Prior to the Fever's recent 105-95 victory over the Seattle Storm, a demonstration took place outside the arena. A spokesperson for the Fever stated that neither the team nor Cunningham had prior knowledge of this pregame demonstration. Both Cunningham and teammate Caitlin Clark were unavailable for comment after the game.