Indiana Fever forward Sophie Cunningham faced boos from the crowd in Portland on Friday, days after she ignited controversy within the WNBA by expressing objections to transgender athletes participating in women's sports. During the game against the Portland Fire at the Moda Center, some fans waved transgender pride flags, and Cunningham was audibly jeered upon entering the game and occasionally when she touched the ball. After making a three-pointer, Cunningham responded by making an 'L' sign with her hand, seemingly directed at the jeering fans.
Prior to the game, supporters of Cunningham demonstrated outside the arena, holding signs in support of her stance on transgender athletes in women's sports. According to videos posted on social media, the gathering of supporters was not large. The protests follow a similar demonstration in Seattle, where the owner of the WNBA's Seattle Storm, Celeste Keaton, was banned from her team's next five home games after reportedly confronting young Cunningham supporters and calling them "f***ing insane."
The Daily Mail reported that additional protests were planned, including one before Sunday's game between the Fever and the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis. Rally organizer Amy Sousa described her group as a "cheer squad" of "middle aged women and girls." Sousa has been seen wearing apparel from XX-XY Athletics, a brand that opposes transgender athletes in women's sports.
The controversy was amplified by Cunningham's recent comments to ESPN, where she stated that women "shouldn't have to go against biological men." Following the incident in Seattle, Cunningham took to social media to criticize Keaton, writing, "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. Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe."
In Seattle, video shared by Fox News showed some fans berating young supporters of Cunningham. One man was heard yelling, "Garbage! Take the trash out!" and gesturing towards the girls and a reporter, prompting calls for security. A video also purportedly shows a Storm supporter spitting in the direction of a Fever fan, though this has not been corroborated. The Seattle Storm have since apologized for the incident involving their co-owner.
The upcoming demonstration in Minneapolis is reportedly being led by Jennifer Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics and a former Team USA gymnastics champion. Sey has been a vocal proponent of the "save women's sports" movement.