Sophie Cunningham’s Opposing Coach Pointedly Wears ‘Trans Kids Belong’ Shirt During Game
Sophie Cunningham’s Opposing Coach Pointedly Wears ‘Trans Kids Belong’ Shirt During Game
Anna Lazarus CaplanMon, August 3, 2026 at 8:04 PM UTC
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Sophie Cunningham, Cheryl ReeveCredit: Soobum Im/Getty; David Berding/Getty -
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “Trans kids belong” shirt at the Lynx-Indiana Fever game on Sunday, Aug. 2
Reeve’s shirt appeared to be a rebuttal to Fever player Sophie Cunningham’s controversial comments about trans athletes
Reeve and Cunningham met before the game for a mid-court talk
Cheryl Reeve let her shirt do some of the talking during the Minnesota Lynx’s game against the Indiana Fever on Sunday, Aug. 2.
The Lynx coach, 59, wore a “Trans kids belong” shirt under her blazer, seemingly responding to comments made last month by Fever player Sophie Cunningham.
The WNBA star, 29, has drawn both ire and support after she said she wanted “to protect young girls” regarding trans athletes playing women’s sports.
“I think that I am here to extend love,” Cunningham told ESPN. “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.”
In comments to reporters, Reeve pushed back on Cunningham’s assessment.
“It is not the case that we have quote biological men in girls’ locker rooms,” Reeve said on Saturday, Aug. 1. “The way it’s being phrased, the innuendo there that somehow transgender women are predators of some kind in the locker room.”
She continued, “There’s a lot of narrative that is problematic that we need to address. That is simply not what is happening.”
Sophie Cunningham, Cheryl ReeveCredit: Fox 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
Before the game, Reeve met with Cunningham at mid-court, where the two engaged in an animated conversation.
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“Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve told reporters after Sunday’s game, refusing to disclose further details about their talk. “There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. I think it’s how you handle things. It was nice to be in person, for sure.”
Cunningham also posed for a picture with conservative activist Riley Gaines and former Levi’s executive Jennifer Sey during Sunday’s game.
Meanwhile, outside the Target Center in Minneapolis, Cunningham’s supporters rallied, holding signs that read “Love is truth” and “Thank you Sophie.”
The activism comes after multiple protests have been held in other cities hosting Fever games.
In Seattle last week, a group of fans gathered outside Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena for a demonstration in support of Cunningham’s comments.
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In an exchange with two teenage fans who supported Cunningham, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton cursed at the girls and called them insane. Keaton was later suspended for five home games and fined an undisclosed amount by the league.
In response to the interaction, Cunningham wrote on X: “Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.”
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Source: “AOL Sports”
