Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham’s comments defending women’s sports continued to reverberate across the WNBA on Sunday, as Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve appeared to protest the Fever star by wearing a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt during Minnesota’s 108-100 victory over Indiana.
Reeve’s shirt marked the latest public response to Cunningham, who has become one of the league’s most polarizing figures after saying biological males should not compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
Before tipoff, Cunningham and Reeve met briefly at midcourt in what appeared to be a cordial conversation. Reeve later told reporters the two discussed the responsibility that comes with having large public platforms but declined to elaborate on the specifics. “Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve said after the game. “There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on.”
The atmosphere inside Target Center reflected the controversy surrounding Cunningham’s remarks. She was loudly booed during player introductions and again nearly every time she touched the ball throughout the afternoon. Some fans inside the arena also wore shirts displaying the same “Trans Kids Belong” slogan as Reeve.
The tension spilled onto the court during the second quarter when Cunningham absorbed an elbow to the face while defending a Minnesota player. Despite appearing to take the contact, officials assessed Cunningham with a defensive foul instead. The ruling prompted confusion from the game’s broadcast crew and loud cheers from the home crowd after officials briefly reviewed the play and allowed the call to stand.
Sophie Cunningham got ELBOWED in the face…
Refs call a foul on Sophie Cunningham 🤔 pic.twitter.com/IiDJGMT0UO
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) August 2, 2026
Outside the arena, supporters and opponents of Cunningham’s position staged competing demonstrations before the game.
Women’s sports advocates gathered wearing XX-XY Athletics apparel and carrying signs reading “Thank You Sophie,” “Pro-Women, Not Anti-Trans,” and “Trust the Science.” Nearby, pro-transgender activists assembled with signs supporting transgender athletes and used megaphones to challenge Cunningham’s supporters.
Video from the demonstrations showed heated verbal exchanges between the two groups, with security personnel intervening after at least one physical confrontation.
🚨 BREAKING: The trans supporters just assaulted a Sophie Cunningham supporter outside Target Center in Minneapolis.
Security has stepped in. pic.twitter.com/wW0IsAtFnp
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) August 2, 2026
The demonstrations marked the third consecutive Fever road game to feature organized protests framed around Cunningham’s remarks. Similar rallies took place in Seattle and Portland after the Fever guard publicly stated that young female athletes “shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
The Seattle demonstration ultimately resulted in disciplinary action from the WNBA after Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton confronted two teenage girls wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts, cursing at them and leaving one in tears. The league later fined the Storm and suspended Keaton from attending the team’s next five home games.
Despite the backlash, Cunningham has repeatedly said she does not intend to back away from her position. “I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me,” Cunningham said before Friday’s game in Portland. “I’m not going to shadow that or hide or dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.”
The controversy has increasingly overshadowed Indiana’s recent road trip, with organized protests, fan demonstrations and public responses from coaches and team officials following the Fever from city to city as Cunningham’s profile continues to grow off the court.
