“Sophie Night” is coming to Democratic strongholds this weekend.
Upcoming WNBA games in Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, will feature rallies outside the arenas in support of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham — the fan-favorite teammate of Caitlin Clark who has spoken out in defense of women’s sports.
A rally in Portland will be led by Washington-based activist Amy Sousa, who helped organize the Cunningham rally outside Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday. A second rally in Minneapolis will be led by XX-XY Athletics founder and former U.S. gymnastics national champion Jennifer Sey.
SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM RALLY ROCKS WNBA GAME AS ‘SAVE WOMEN’S SPORTS’ ACTIVISTS FACE COUNTERPROTEST
Sousa said organizers already had a smaller Portland gathering in mind but were unsure whether they would publicize it. The national controversy that erupted after the Seattle game convinced them to make it bigger and louder.
“We were just going to do something quiet with just a couple of us, and seeing what happened to those girls, we just thought, ‘We can’t be quiet,’” Sousa told Fox News Digital.
The Portland rally is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Friday outside the Moda Center before the Fever face the Portland Fire at 7 p.m. local time. The Minneapolis rally will take place ahead of Indiana’s noon game against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center on Sunday.
STORM CO-OWNER SUSPENDED AFTER INCIDENT WITH SOPHIE CUNNINGHAM FANS AS STAR BREAKS SILENCE ON CONTROVERSY
“I don’t want to be quiet about this,” Sousa said. “I want to stand in public solidarity with those girls. I also want to stand in public solidarity with Sophie and keep this momentum going.”
The events follow a chaotic night in Seattle that transformed Cunningham’s position on transgender athletes into a national flashpoint.
Supporters gathered outside Climate Pledge Arena before Tuesday’s Fever-Storm game to thank Cunningham for saying girls should not have to compete against biological males or share locker rooms with them. Counterprotesters carrying signs in support of transgender inclusion assembled nearby.
Sousa described the gathering outside the arena as overwhelmingly positive. The atmosphere changed after some of the Cunningham supporters entered the game.
Two 16-year-old girls wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts sat courtside and held a sign reading, “Thank you Sophie for speaking up for girls.” The teenagers alleged that Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton approached them, cursed at them and called them “f—ing insane.”
The girls said Keaton also invoked religion, telling them that she hoped Jesus could forgive them for their alleged sin and that “God can save you.” One of the girls was left sobbing at halftime.
One of the girls had previously experienced facing a trans athlete in the past, Sousa said.
Sousa added the girl’s courtside ticket should have provided a rare opportunity to celebrate a professional athlete who supported her cause.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people to have courtside tickets,” Sousa said. “When else in her life necessarily is she going to have an opportunity to sit courtside? She should have just been having the time of her life, and instead, she was reduced to tears.”
Journalist Brandi Kruse, who attended the game and helped chaperone the teenagers, told Fox News Digital that she also saw unidentified Storm players direct thumbs-down gestures toward girls in the group. Cunningham was loudly booed by portions of the crowd whenever she touched the ball.
The controversy generated a swift response from the Storm and the league.
“We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game,” Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder said. “We apologize that this happened. Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.”
The WNBA subsequently fined Keaton an undisclosed amount and barred her from attending the Storm’s next five home games. The Storm said it respected the league’s punishment and remained committed to providing “a welcoming and respectful environment” for fans.
Cunningham also responded to the girls’ account and promised to send them gifts.
“I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY,” Cunningham wrote on X. “Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table! You can disagree and still be kind. Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon💕 yay for gifts.”
“Truly embarrassing of the co-owner,” she added. “Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.”
Sousa said organizers expect a stronger counterprotest in Portland than the one they encountered in Seattle.
She has previously organized events in the city with the U.S. chapter of Women’s Declaration International. During one November 2023 event, WDI USA alleged that activists vandalized the event site, slashed vehicle tires and physically attacked women after the gathering moved onto a sidewalk.
Activist Kara Dansky, who attended that event, is traveling from Florida to participate in Friday’s rally, Sousa said.
“We absolutely expect opposition,” Sousa said. “Hopefully, we’ll see things go a little differently, because I do think the cultural temperature is changing a little bit.”
In Minneapolis, Sey’s involvement adds another connection to the Seattle controversy. The girls involved in the Keaton incident were wearing shirts produced by her company, which markets itself as an athletic brand committed to preserving female sports and spaces.
Sey, the 1986 U.S. women’s all-around gymnastics champion, recently told Fox News Digital that she had been trying to recruit Cunningham as an XX-XY Athletics ambassador after discovering that the WNBA player had privately praised one of the company’s advertisements.
“She’s the perfect person for us,” Sey said at the time. “We have wanted to work with her for such a long time.”
Cunningham drew support and backlash after telling ESPN that her position was not based on animosity toward transgender people.
“I think that I am here to extend love,” Cunningham said. “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.”
The guard later called the position “common sense” and said she would not retract it.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Sousa said the reaction to Seattle showed her that Cunningham’s supporters should continue making themselves visible.
“The public outrage at what happened to those girls is heartening, as it should be,” Sousa said. “Now is the time to keep standing up and not keep it private, but do it loud, do it proud, and be there again as cheerleaders and in support of all women and girls.”