Lynx coach advocates for trans rights before rally

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve reiterated her support for transgender athletes on Saturday, a day before Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever visit Minneapolis for a showdown between two of the WNBA's top teams. "I come from a space of inclusion," Reeve told reporters. "The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women's sports. This is what's bothersome. There is a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue." In a July 21 story on ESPN.com, Cunningham said she supported restricting transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports. Cunningham's statements have brought significant attention to the issue within women's basketball. "I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that,'" Cunningham told ESPN. "I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men." A rally to support Cunningham is scheduled for Sunday outside Target Center. It would be the third straight Fever road game -- following games in Seattle and Portland -- that has drawn a demonstration. Former gymnast Jennifer Sey, the organizer of the Minneapolis rally and the founder of the clothing brand XX-XY Athletics, said she was inspired by the Seattle rally. "When I watched the response in Seattle, frankly, the rally was really quite positive," Sey told Fox News Digital. "As soon as I saw that, I felt like, 'Well, I want to support her, too, at upcoming games.' So I figured I'll go to Minnesota." Reeve said she had no objections to people voicing their opinions. "I don't think these demonstrators are not being peaceful," she said. "Everyone has a right to peacefully assemble. That's whether you agree with them or not." Reeve added that she thought the topic required "nuance," especially when looking at competitive and elite sports beyond puberty. "That's where I say common sense people get together and you find common ground," she said. "To find a way to be inclusive. The answer isn't 'no.'" No publicly known transgender woman has ever played in the WNBA. Two nonbinary athletes, AD Durr and Layshia Clarendon, both played in the league, but both athletes' birth sex is female. The 2026 collective bargaining agreement signed in March states that, "Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA." There is no further definition of woman or any publicly available policy governing transgender or intersex athlete eligibility. The WNBA did not respond to multiple requests this week for clarification of the league's policy. Twenty-seven states, including Indiana, have passed legislation barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's school and collegiate sports. The NCAA enacted a policy last year that bars transgender women from women's competition. The International Olympic Committee and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee also have banned transgender women from the women's category. On Thursday, the WNBA suspended Seattle Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton for five home games after she confronted two young women wearing XX-XY shirts when Seattle hosted Indiana on Tuesday. The Storm apologized for the incident Wednesday. Majority owner Ginny Gilder said the team is "committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect." One of the young people confronted by Keaton, Ahnaleigh Wilson, told Fox News Digital she had competed and lost to transgender girls in middle school track and high school cross country. In Seattle, Storm center Stefani Dolson arrived to the game wearing a white shirt that read "Trans rights are human rights." "We need to protect trans kids," Reeve said. "To me it's a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports."