Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve recently made headlines for making a powerful statement at a WNBA game. Amid the controversy surrounding Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham’s comments about trans athletes, Cheryl made her own feelings known in a simple way: by wearing a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt when her team played against Indiana.
Lots of fans loved that she did this—but they also pointed out that it’s not the first time Cheryl has spoken up at WNBA games via the T-shirts she chooses to wear.
In addition to wearing the “Trans Kids Belong” T-shirt, Cheryl expressed her opinions verbally.
I think this is the fastest anyone has ever won my unconditional loyalty. It’s official: I would run through a brick wall for Cheryl Reeve. https://t.co/NvOjSd9FkO
— Charlotte Clymer 🇺🇦 (@cmclymer) August 2, 2026
Before the game, Cheryl said that it’s “problematic” to act like “transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports.” But beyond that, there are some people in the United States who have latched onto this topic and turned it into “a massive issue,” for some reason.
As for her own views, Cheryl said, “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 diverse, transgender. Every kid has the right to access.”
She also took issue with the way in which certain people talk about trans athletes. “It is not the case that we have ‘biological men in girls’ locker rooms,’ the way it’s being phrased,” Cheryl added. “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.”
Meanwhile, Sophie has specifically spoken out about trans athletes in locker rooms.
Sophie Cunningham is getting booed every time she touches the ball here in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/AkzLK3jMGa
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 2, 2026
The basketball player told ESPN, “I get 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 sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
In spite of the backlash that followed, Sophie has doubled down on these claims.
Fans saw Cheryl’s T-shirt as a powerful statement.
In a world of Sophie Cunninghams, be a Cheryl Reeve.
— Matt (@nosoupforgeorge) August 2, 2026
(Lynx beat the Fever, btw) https://t.co/GbWqoiAlQo
Especially because Minnesota was playing against Sophie’s team that day. But Cheryl’s desire to make a statement and speak up about what matters to her is not just about Sophie. On Reddit, one user outlined 14 different T-shirts Cheryl has worn to raise awareness of different issues, including immigrant rights and women’s rights. And people find it iconic.
“Her wardrobe has become a press conference at this point,” another Redditor wrote in response. “It really warms my heart to see her constantly standing on principle,” someone else commented.
“Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear t-shirts,” another commenter joked.
Before the game, Cheryl was also spotted chatting with Sophie. It seems like she approached her to have a conversation about her views. When asked about her conversation with Cheryl, Sophie said, “She just came up, and I respect her for coming up in person… She had stories about her point of view and I had stories about my point of view. We left with love and respect and I think that’s what it’s all about.”
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