Pro-Transgender Counterprotester Targets Supporters of Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham

A counterprotester advocating for transgender rights recently made headlines at a game between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx. While outside the Target Center, he used a bullhorn to tell Cunningham’s supporters that they “should have been aborted.” He was wearing a T-shirt with the word “abortion” prominently displayed as the rally unfolded, where fans gathered to show their support for women’s sports.

Another individual at the rally also made headlines, repeatedly labeling XX-XY Athletics, a company against biological males competing in women’s sports, as a “hate group.” This added to the charged atmosphere outside the arena.

NCAA softball player Kendall Kotzmacher, who attended the event, recognized the man as the same counterprotester who had told her at a previous rally that she “should’ve been aborted.” Kotzmacher recalled how he was yelling at the crowd, making derogatory comments about them during that earlier encounter. “At one point, he just yelled that I should’ve been aborted when I was younger,” she said.

Kotzmacher, who hails from Minnesota and plays for Colorado Christian University, became an advocate for women’s sports after her high school team lost a championship game to a squad that included a transgender pitcher. She has since been vocal about the importance of maintaining a level playing field for women athletes.

This recent protest was the second rally for Cunningham in Minnesota. The first event drew well-known supporters like Riley Gaines and Michele Tafoya, alongside both supporters and counterprotesters. The movements began after Cunningham publicly voiced her opinion on keeping biological males out of women’s and girls’ sports, sparking similar demonstrations across various WNBA cities, including Seattle and Portland.

While Cunningham has clarified that she didn’t organize the rallies, she has expressed her appreciation for the attendees who are exercising their rights to free expression. “I’m here to play basketball, but I’m also here to be me,” she stated earlier in the season. “I’m not gonna shadow that or hide or, you know, dim my light just because maybe people don’t agree with that.”