Minnesota Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve Supports Transgender Community Amid Sports Debate

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve reiterated her support for the transgender community on Thursday. Her comments came as protests over transgender athletes in women’s sports occurred outside her team’s game for the third time this year.

Reeve addressed the media following the Lynx’s 86-66 victory over the Indiana Fever at Target Center, marking one of several occasions this season she has discussed transgender issues during the WNBA media sessions.

“I think that’s probably one of the more meaningful things that would mark the season for me,” Reeve said. “It’s that the transgender community is one that deserves our support, and what is happening in the name of some issues of transgender in sports is really an attack on all transgender community. They don’t want transgender people to exist.”

Previously, Reeve wore a “Trans Kids Belong” T-shirt during the Lynx’s earlier home game against the Indiana Fever. That game followed comments by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who endorsed keeping biological males out of women’s and girls’ sports.

In response, “Save Women’s Sports” activists organized a rally outside Target Center supporting Cunningham, sparking a counterprotest from pro-trans activists. Similar protests occurred during the Lynx’s game against the Golden State Valkyries in August.

Reeve has described wearing the shirt as a “small gesture” but stated that the feedback from transgender people and their families made it significant.

“The number of people affected by wearing a T-shirt in support of them and helping them be seen was overwhelming. With the platform of professional sports, it was a small gesture by me,” Reeve explained. “If I could have helped just one to feel differently about themselves, for the transgender community, this is about life and death. Many parents of transgender kids told me it helped them and their families know there are people who believe they belong.”

Reeve first addressed the topic during a July media session that followed Supreme Court rulings backing state laws limiting transgender participation in women’s sports. She criticized the political emphasis on the issue as “sickening” and stated, “exclusion is never the answer.”

She revisited the topic before the Aug. 2 game with Indiana, when Cunningham’s supporters held a rally. Reeve defended the group’s right to protest but disagreed that transgender athletes are a primary concern in women’s sports.

“Every kid has a right to sports, regardless of gender diverse or transgender,” Reeve stated, noting that eligibility questions become complex after puberty.

Reeve and Cunningham conversed following the game, and Reeve reiterated her belief in access to sports for transgender children. She noted other issues affecting female athletes were being neglected, such as poor facilities and inadequate uniforms.

Cunningham maintained her stance wasn’t rooted in hate, saying, “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room or in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

The ongoing debate resulted in the WNBA hosting discussions with team leaders. The league stated there are no current transgender eligibility concerns in the WNBA. It emphasized that fairness, competitive integrity, and inclusion remain top priorities, noting no transgender women have played in the league.

The Minnesota Lynx concluded the regular season with a league-best 33-11 record, and Indiana entered the playoffs as the sixth seed with a 28-16 record.