Pro-Sophie Cunningham Rally to be Held in Seattle Amid Ongoing Controversy
A pre-game fan rally supporting the WNBA star amid her anti-trans controversy is set to be held outside Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena before tonight’s Storm vs. Fever game.
A “Support Sophie Cunningham” pre-game fan rally is set to be held outside of the Seattle Storm’s Climate Pledge Arena before the Fever vs. Storm game on July 28 to “cheer for Sophie” amid her anti-trans controversy.
Organized by “gender abolitionist” groups Women are Real, Brandi Kruse and Known Heretic, the rally will celebrate Cunningham’s recent remarks against trans athletes in women’s sports. The rally will also include a billboard truck with a photo of Cunningham that reads “Sophie supports women & girls! Save women’s sports.”
Related: Sophie Cunningham Speaks Out Against Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports
“We are going to be there, boots on the ground. We are gonna be like the best sideline cheerleaders. We are gonna be like the best welcome committee welcoming Sophie Cunningham and thanking her for her amazing contribution to women and girls,” Known Heretic said on social media. “We wanna go and celebrate her and what she is doing for women and girls.”
Cunningham told ESPN on July 21 that she “want[s] to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
Since then, Cunningham has become a beacon for anti-trans folks throughout the country and has even sold out her first shoe collaboration with Adidas.
While some of the country has embraced Cunningham’s comments, many WNBA fans, especially queer fans, have felt betrayed by the league’s inaction.
One fan wrote on X, “Online trolls are one thing, but a public display for a player that’s rooted in celebrating bigotry right outside a WNBA venue ought to require a response from leadership of some form, whether it’s the league or team itself.”
Despite the league’s commitment to “No Space For Hate,” neither the commissioner, team leadership or league as a whole have come out against Cunningham’s comments or the rally. Over All-Star Weekend, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, “The racism, the misogyny, the homophobia, the harassment, and threats directed to our players, has no place in sport or anywhere else,” but did not address this matter specifically.
The Indiana Fever released a statement following Cunningham’s remarks that said, “Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own. We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that’s what guides us as an organization.” The team has yet to comment on the upcoming rally.
Queer fans of the W have voiced disappointment that the conservative audience now following the league has made it less of a safe space for all kinds of people who used to rely on it as a safe space to go. “One of the best things about going to WNBA games was that it was a SAFE SPACE we could all openly be ourselves and if that’s not the case for our trans family we need to do something about it,” a fan shared on X.
