Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve reiterated her support for transgender athletes on Saturday, a day before Sophie Cunningham and the Indiana Fever visit Minneapolis for a showdown between two of the WNBA’s top teams.
“I come from a space of inclusion,” Reeve told reporters. “The narrative that I think is problematic is to suggest that transgender athletes are the biggest problem in women’s sports. This is what’s bothersome. There is a faction of people in our country that are making this a massive issue.”
Define “inclusion”.
If “inclusion” means including men in women’s sports then there is no longer such a thing as women’s sports. If women can’t have their own sports then they can’t have any sports at all. Is that the goal? Are all women happy with that plan?
In a July 21 story on ESPN.com, Cunningham said she supported restricting transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports. Cunningham’s statements have brought significant attention to the issue within women’s basketball.
Of course “transgender girls and women” should not be in girls’ and women’s sports. That’s because they’re boys and men. No matter how much they fantasize themselves as girls or women, they remain boys or men.
Reeve said she had no objections to people voicing their opinions.
“I don’t think these demonstrators are not being peaceful,” she said. “Everyone has a right to peacefully assemble. That’s whether you agree with them or not.”
Reeve added that she thought the topic required “nuance,” especially when looking at competitive and elite sports beyond puberty.
“That’s where I say common-sense people get together and you find common ground,” she said. “To find a way to be inclusive. The answer isn’t ‘no.’”
Yes it is. That’s exactly what it is. The answer is, precisely, no.
We already have the common ground. The common ground is that men are not women and boys are not girls. Finding the common ground can’t entail endorsing silly conspicuous lies.
The 2026 collective bargaining agreement signed in March states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.” There is no further definition of a woman or any publicly available policy governing transgender or intersex athlete eligibility. The WNBA did not respond to multiple requests this week for clarification of the league’s policy.
There’s no need for further definition. The definition is what it’s always been and always will be. Look around you. What do you see? A world full of people. How did the people get there? By connecting one woman and one man to produce a new person, times millions. See also: cows and bulls, mares and stallions, hens and roosters, ducks and drakes, does and stags.
Twenty-seven states, including Indiana, have passed legislation barring transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s school and collegiate sports. The NCAA enacted a policy last year that bars transgender women from women’s competition. The International Olympic Committee and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee also have banned transgender women from the women’s category.
Better late than never.
On Thursday, the WNBA suspended Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton for five home games after she confronted two fans wearing XX-XY shirts when Seattle hosted Indiana on Tuesday. The Storm apologized for the incident Wednesday.
Storm majority owner Ginny Gilder said the team is “committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.” One of the fans confronted by Keaton, Ahnaleigh Wilson, told Fox News Digital she had competed and lost to transgender girls in middle school track and high school cross-country.
Again: it’s not “inclusive” to let boys compete against girls.
H/t J.A.
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