Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said on July 21 that she wanted to "protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men." Protests broke out outside Fever games within days — supporters on one side, critics on the other. On August 2, the Fever lost 108-100 to the Minnesota Lynx, and reporters asked Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, the league's biggest star, where she stood. She stepped out of it. That same night, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve walked the sideline in a "Trans Kids Belong" shirt. The WNBA's 2026 collective bargaining agreement says "only players who are women" can play — but the league hasn't defined what that means.

Cunningham Won't Walk It Back — and Conservatives Want the League to Codify It

She doubled down; advocacy groups say the WNBA should turn her position into official policy.

Cunningham doubled down after the backlash. "I said what I said," she told reporters. "I think it's kind of common sense." She said the rallies outside Fever games didn't distract her: "That doesn't even cross my mind. Doesn't cross my teammates' minds."

Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America, called on the WNBA to "immediately adopt a policy that establishes only biological women can play basketball in the league" and said the league must choose between "fairness in women's sports or not." Activist Riley Gaines attended the August 2 game and held signs reading "SOPHIE, THANK YOU – A GIRL MOM." Organizer Jennifer Sey coordinated rallies at Fever games across multiple cities.

But Reeve Says the Answer Isn't No

The Lynx coach wore the shirt, spoke with Cunningham beforehand, and called exclusion a human rights problem.

Trans kids belong in sports, Cheryl Reeve argued. "The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women's sports," she told reporters on August 1. "We need to protect trans kids. To me, it's a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports."

Reeve also pushed back on the binary framing: "That's where I say common-sense people get together and you find common ground. To find a way to be inclusive. The answer isn't 'no.'" Seattle Storm player Stefanie Dolson wore a "Trans rights are human rights" shirt during a separate game. Indiana Fever player Brianna Turner wrote in USA Today that the IOC's recent transgender ban "effectively bans transgender athletes from participating in Olympic women's sports." That is the direction Cunningham's supporters want the WNBA to go.

Clark Stepped Out — and So Has the League

She said governing bodies, not players, should define the rules. The WNBA's own rules leave that definition blank.

Clark put the question back on the league. "I think it's for leagues and the governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions," she said after the August 2 loss. She described the issue as "way above my pay grade" and said it wasn't discussed in the locker room. When a reporter pushed for more, Clark cut it off: "I just answered for you."

The WNBA's 2026 CBA uses "women only" language but offers no definition of "woman" and has no publicly stated transgender eligibility policy. The league didn't respond to multiple requests for comment. For what it's worth, the question remains hypothetical: no publicly known transgender woman has ever played in the WNBA.

Where This Lands

Both sides agree on one thing: the league said "women only" and then stopped. Cunningham says define it one way; Reeve says the other; Clark says it's not the players' call. The protest signs outside Fever games aren't going away. Without a league definition, every game hands Clark another press-conference question she has to dodge.

Sources