Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson wore a shirt that said “Trans rights are human rights” before Tuesday’s 105-95 loss to the Fever, which seemed to be a direct response to Indiana guard Sophie Cunningham’s recent comments about transgender athletes.
Cunningham voiced support for barring transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports in an ESPN article published last week — and days later, she doubled down ahead of the Fever’s win over the Connecticut Sun.
Dolson — who is publicly out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and shared her story in a ESPN feature in 2016 — flashed the message on a tank top while posing for a tunnel fit photo at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
An anti-trans rally took place before the game, with one reporter saying that it was “inspired by Sophie Cunningham” in a postgame press conference.
Dozens gathered outside Climate Pledge Arena to support Cunningham, as well as promote statewide initiatives 638 and 011, which would bar transgender students from participating in girls’ athletics at Washington state schools, according to ESPN.
After the game, a reporter asked Fever head coach Stephanie White about the anti-trans rally and Cunningham’s recent comments.
A Fever spokesperson immediately stepped in and responded with a statement from the organization.
“Neither our organization nor Sophie had any knowledge of this demonstration and no contact with its organizers,” the team spokesperson said while reading from a laptop computer.
“Our only goal as a team, whether at home or away, is to win basketball games and make Fever fans for life, and we are united in that mission. Anymore basketball questions?”
Cunningham and Fever superstar Caitlin Clark were not made available for postgame questions about the rally.
Cunningham was booed by Storm fans when she entered Tuesday’s game, as well as during her first free throw attempts.
Storm head coach Sonia Raman spoke of safety at the arena when she was asked about the pregame protest.
“Seattle and this organization and Climate Pledge, we always want to be an area where people feel welcome coming into this building,” Raman said. “I think we’ve always done a really good job with that.
“So, I know our organization was working closely with Climate Pledge and the security just to make sure that everybody feels safe and included and welcome when they walk in this door. From what I understand, that was successful.”
