Minneapolis rally sees clashes over women's sports protections

A rally held outside the Target Center in Minneapolis on Thursday night saw confrontations between supporters of Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham and pro-transgender counterprotesters. The event took place ahead of a game between the Fever and the Minnesota Lynx.

During the demonstration, a counterprotester wearing an “abortion” T-shirt used a bullhorn to tell Cunningham supporters they “should have been aborted.” NCAA softball player Kendall Kotzmacher, an advocate for women’s sports, reported that the individual was the same person who directed similar remarks toward her during a previous rally in Minneapolis on August 2.

Another counterprotester used a megaphone to label XX-XY Athletics, a women’s sports apparel company that opposes biological males competing in women’s sports, a “hate group.” The rallies were prompted by Cunningham’s public stance on maintaining biological sex distinctions in women’s and girls’ sports. Cunningham stated she was not an organizer of the rallies but praised the participants for exercising free speech.