The Indiana Fever are in the midst of a road trip, and the WNBA team has been attracting a certain group of followers wherever they go.
Following Sophie Cunningham‘s comments that she wants to protect “young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” a small group of supporters against transgender participation in women’s sport has appeared outside of the arenas before each game.
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Last week, a few dozen people gathered outside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle to support Cunningham and promote statewide initiatives that would ban transgender students from participating in girls’ sports in Washington schools.
On Friday, a similar rally formed outside of the Moda Center in Portland before the Fever-Fire matchup.
Another rally is planned at the Target Center in Minneapolis for Sunday when the Fever play the league-leading Minnesota Lynx.
On Saturday, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve met with reporters and was asked about the planned rally. Reeve said that the protestors should enjoy the right to assemble peacefully, but she sees the WNBA as a place of inclusivity.
“I don’t think we should feel like our safe space is being threatened,” said Reeve. “That’s what I enjoy about the WNBA. And I think we have to continue to safeguard that I don’t think these demonstrators are not being peaceful, or not that I’ve seen. I haven’t seen all of it. I haven’t heard everything that’s happening, but everyone has a right to peacefully assemble, right?
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“I think the commissioner and the league have a responsibility to ensure that any topic that could be problematic for players- what they perceive to be unsafe or threatened in any way or discriminated against- I think that’s something that’s fair for our leadership. And I’m quite sure that they have eyes on and ears on to make sure that it’s a safe space for everyone. And that’s what makes our league beautiful.
“I come from a space of inclusion. And the narrative that I think that is problematic is to suggest that, number one, that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports. And I think this is what’s bothersome is that there’s a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue.”
Reeve then offered some nuanced thoughts on transgender children and athletes, showcasing an educated opinion that is desperately needed in the conversation, especially from WNBA leaders.
“We have some issues,” she added. “Number one, we need to protect trans kids. Every kid— to me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports regardless of gender diversity, transgender. Every kid has the right to access.
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“Now, what gets nuanced is, you know, when you’re beyond puberty, when you’re in Olympic sport, when… we have scholarships at stake and that sort of thing. That’s where I say that common-sense people get together, and you find common ground to find a way to be inclusive. The answer isn’t no. It is not the case that we have, quote, biological men in girls’ locker rooms, the way it’s being phrased, the innuendo there that somehow transgender women are predators of some kind in the locker room. There’s a lot of narrative that is problematic that we need to address. That is simply not what’s happening. I think take on the issue. There are more and more transgenders in our country as years go by.
The Lynx coach added that she has tried to get the WNBA to consider its stance on the issue and be more forthcoming about its position.
“Years ago, I encouraged the WNBA leadership: what’s our stance? What are we going to do when this occurs? Are we going to be ready? Are we going to be reactionary? And so I think it would make sense for our league to be leaders in this space,” she said. ” … I’ve chosen to educate myself about the space. I’ve chosen to listen to transgender families, and what I know is exclusion is not the answer. We’ve got to find a common ground and be inclusive. That’s the space. I think if we all come from that.”
Reeve then pondered the real issues facing women’s sports and whether the people attempting to “defend” them even know what they are.
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“The [transgender]issue isn’t as big as the issues that we have in women’s sports,” she continued. “Whether it’s cisgender men that have held us down for years in spaces like being able to have access to facilities and uniforms and locker rooms, all the things that these young girls that are sitting at games with anti-trans signs, do they understand actually what the real problems are and how they’re being marginalized? We’re still not in a space where we have equality. We don’t even have the Equal Rights Amendment in all 50 states, right? So there’s real issues. This is an issue that I think that we can thoughtfully work through, and that’s my hope.
“I think Minnesota Lynx fans are some of the best fans in the WNBA, very diverse fans. It is my hope that we demonstrate leadership in this space. You can voice your opinion, have a strong opinion, but it’s a safe space for everyone regardless of whether or not we agree.”
The post Cheryl Reeve offers thoughtful reaction to WNBA anti-trans rallies: ‘Do they understand actually what the real problems are?’ appeared first on Awful Announcing.
