Sophie Cunningham’s anti-trans comments have sparked calls for the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) to cancel the rally in her support.
The Indiana Fever, earlier this month on ESPN, offered her opinion on protecting women’s sports from transgender athletes, triggering a strong reaction, The Comeback reported.
Later, reacting to the backlash, she told the worldwide leader, “I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that.’ I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room or young girls in sports who shouldn't have to go against biological men."
She also doubled down on her comments, saying that “I said what I said.”
With Love is Truth rally
After her comments some of the community members in Seattle have planned a “White Love is Truth” rally before the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm game on Tuesday, July 28, outside Climate Pledge Arena to support the WNBA player.
The celebratory pre-game fan rally is organized by Women Are Real, Known Heretic, and Brandi Kruse.
The community announced, “The rally will show public support for Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who has faced a wave of criticism since a July 22 ESPN profile in which she expressed support for female-only sports and locker rooms. Cunningham describes her position as one of honesty and care, saying her concern is for young girls who should not have to compete against males.”
Fans demand the WNBA cancel the rally
The rally fueled the outrage of the fans who were already criticizing Cunningham’s comments as they demanded the WNBA cancel the rally while describing the Fever guard as a “very disgusting person.”
A fan wrote on social media, “The Fever org and WNBA should be ashamed of themselves if they do nothing to stop this.”
“When is the league gonna address the harm Sophie is inciting??” another asked.
“I know at this point it really shouldn’t be, but this is absolutely blowing my mind. If the league or teams and players involved don’t say anything about this, it will be an extraordinarily irresponsible misstep, imo,” the third one added.
A user said, "She is a stain on this league and a stain on society.”
The WNBA has remained tightlipped on the matter, however, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert at the All-Star Weekend said that misogyny, racism, harassment, and homophobia have no place in the league.
