A pro-Sophie Cunningham and anti-transgender athletes rally turned ugly in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday.
Cunningham has become the face of a debate surrounding transgender athletes in the United States. She made her opinion clear while speaking to ESPN. Cunningham believes it's "common sense" to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports.
The Indiana Fever guard told ESPN that she wants to “protect young girls in the locker room” and that “they shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
“I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense,” Cunningham told reporters. “And I think I’ll always believe in that. I think it’s really important to protect children, and that’s little girls who are also involved in that category. I stand on what I said.”
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Multiple pro-Sophie Cunningham rallies have taken place in cities around the U.S. ever since, coinciding with Indiana Fever regular season games.
On Saturday, as the Fever took on the Sky in Chicago, another rally took place. But this one turned pretty ugly.
Ugly details emerge from Sophie Cunningham rally
Profanities and slurs were spewed by some.
"While dozens of calm and cordial Cunningham supporters rallied outside of the United Center, they were met by a group of mask-wearing, sign-holding, profanity-spewing counterprotesters playing loud music that included incredibly vulgar and inflammatory lyrics such as: 'and we'll never rest again until every Nazi dies' and '(expletive) these (expletive) fascists," Fox News shared.
"When asked to clarify if they believed the Cunningham supporters were Nazis and fascists for believing women’s sports should remain female, they instead called me a Nazi. Typical.
"When I had the chance to actually speak to one protester, flanked by signs that included, 'Go Home Losers,' 'Trans Kids Belong in Sports,' and 'Rise Up Against Trans Hate,' a self-identified transgender woman told me, "I feel like our rights are being violated. Our trans youth are being taken advantage of. They just want to play sports."
It's a tumultuous time in the WNBA, that's clear.
