Lynx Coach Reeve Defends Trans Athletes Before Sunday Rally
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- Cheryl Reeve on Saturday reiterated her support for transgender athletes, calling it a "human rights issue" and saying "every kid has a right to sports," ahead of Sunday's Lynx-Fever matchup in Minneapolis
- Sophie Cunningham said in a July 21 ESPN.com interview she supports restricting transgender girls and women from girls' and women's sports, framing her position as wanting to "protect young girls in a locker room"
- Jennifer Sey, former gymnast and founder of XX-XY Athletics, organized Sunday's rally outside Target Center — the third straight Fever road game drawing a demonstration, following Seattle and Portland
- No publicly known transgender woman has ever played in the WNBA, and the 2026 collective bargaining agreement's language that "only players who are women are eligible" includes no further definition; the WNBA did not respond to multiple requests for clarification this week
- Celeste Keaton, Seattle Storm minority owner, was suspended five home games after confronting two young women wearing XX-XY shirts at Tuesday's game in Seattle; the Storm apologized Wednesday
- 27 states including Indiana have passed legislation barring transgender girls and women from girls' and women's school and collegiate sports, and the NCAA, IOC, and USOPC have also banned transgender women from women's competition
- Stefani Dolson arrived to Tuesday's Seattle game wearing a white shirt reading "Trans rights are human rights"
Why it matters: The dispute has gone from a single player's comments to organized rallies at three consecutive Fever road games, forcing WNBA franchises and ownership into active response — the Storm suspended a minority owner and issued an apology within 48 hours. With the WNBA refusing to clarify its own ambiguous CBA language on who qualifies as a woman, the league is letting courts and state legislatures set the rules instead.
