Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham&#8217;s comments defending women&#8217;s sports continued to reverberate across the WNBA on Sunday, as Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve appeared to protest the Fever star by wearing a &#8220;Trans Kids Belong&#8221; shirt during Minnesota&#8217;s 108-100 victory over Indiana.
Reeve&#8217;s shirt marked the latest public response to Cunningham, who has become one of the league&#8217;s most polarizing figures after saying biological males should not compete in girls&#8217; and women&#8217;s sports.
Before tipoff, Cunningham and Reeve met briefly at midcourt in what appeared to be a cordial conversation. Reeve later <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/sparks/story/2026-08-02/lynx-coach-wears-shirt-supporting-trans-kids-joining-protests">told reporters</a> the two discussed the responsibility that comes with having large public platforms but declined to elaborate on the specifics. &#8220;Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,&#8221; Reeve said after the game. &#8220;There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on.&#8221;
The atmosphere inside Target Center reflected the controversy surrounding Cunningham&#8217;s remarks. She was loudly booed during player introductions and again nearly every time she touched the ball throughout the afternoon. Some fans inside the arena also wore shirts displaying the same &#8220;Trans Kids Belong&#8221; slogan as Reeve.
The tension spilled onto the court during the second quarter when Cunningham absorbed an elbow to the face while defending a Minnesota player. Despite appearing to take the contact, officials assessed Cunningham with a defensive foul instead. The ruling prompted confusion from the game&#8217;s broadcast crew and loud cheers from the home crowd after officials briefly reviewed the play and allowed the call to stand.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Sophie Cunningham got ELBOWED in the face&#8230;
Refs call a foul on Sophie Cunningham 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/IiDJGMT0UO">pic.twitter.com/IiDJGMT0UO</a>
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) <a href="https://x.com/BrickCenter_/status/2083971409924223143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
Outside the arena, supporters and opponents of Cunningham&#8217;s position staged competing demonstrations before the game.
Women&#8217;s sports advocates gathered wearing XX-XY Athletics apparel and carrying signs reading &#8220;Thank You Sophie,&#8221; &#8220;Pro-Women, Not Anti-Trans,&#8221; and &#8220;Trust the Science.&#8221; Nearby, pro-transgender activists assembled with signs supporting transgender athletes and used megaphones to challenge Cunningham&#8217;s supporters.
Video from the demonstrations showed heated verbal exchanges between the two groups, with security personnel intervening after at least one physical confrontation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 BREAKING: The trans supporters just assaulted a Sophie Cunningham supporter outside Target Center in Minneapolis.
Security has stepped in. <a href="https://t.co/wW0IsAtFnp">pic.twitter.com/wW0IsAtFnp</a>
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) <a href="https://x.com/GrageDustin/status/2083946263314043288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
The demonstrations marked the third consecutive Fever road game to feature organized protests framed around Cunningham&#8217;s remarks. Similar rallies took place in Seattle and Portland after the Fever guard publicly stated that young female athletes &#8220;shouldn&#8217;t have to go against biological men.&#8221;
The Seattle demonstration ultimately resulted in disciplinary action from the WNBA after Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sophie-cunningham-rips-wnba-team-co-owner-for-harassing-teens-girls-with-xx-xy-shirts?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Sophie+Cunningham+Rips+WNBA+Team+Co-Owner+For+Harassing+Teen+Girls+With+XX-XY+Shirts">confronted</a> two teenage girls wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts, cursing at them and leaving one in tears. The league later fined the Storm and suspended Keaton from attending the team&#8217;s next five home games.
Despite the backlash, Cunningham has repeatedly said she does not intend to back away from her position. &#8220;I&#8217;m here to play basketball, but I&#8217;m also here to be me,&#8221; Cunningham <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49502120/sophie-cunningham-unconcerned-rallies-transgender-participation-women-sports-distraction-fever">said before</a> Friday&#8217;s game in Portland. &#8220;I&#8217;m not going to shadow that or hide or dim my light just because maybe people don&#8217;t agree with that.&#8221;
The controversy has increasingly overshadowed Indiana&#8217;s recent road trip, with organized protests, fan demonstrations and public responses from coaches and team officials following the Fever from city to city as Cunningham&#8217;s profile continues to grow off the court.

Indiana Fever v Seattle Storm

WNBA Coach Protests Sophie Cunningham With Pro-Trans Shirt

Indiana

Indiana Fever

LGBTQ

Minnesota

Protest

Sophie Cunningham

trans

trans kids

Transgender

transgender athlete

Transgender Athletes

WNBA

Women's sports

In a huge win for parental rights and free speech, a federal judge in Michigan <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mied.392969/gov.uscourts.mied.392969.15.0.pdf">slapped down</a> school district bureaucrats, granting a preliminary injunction to a fed-up father who was hit with a &#8220;no-trespass&#8221; order after speaking out against Pride flags inside his son&#8217;s middle school.
U.S. District Judge Robert J. White ruled last week that the Grosse Pointe Public School System likely engaged in unconstitutional First Amendment retaliation against Gary Shane Pruitt. The court ordered the district to immediately stop enforcing the ban, take down a mugshot-style photo of Pruitt displayed in the school office, and cease any further retaliatory acts.
The legal showdown <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dad-doesnt-go-quietly-after-school-district-bans-him-over-pride-flag-showdown?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Dad+Doesn%E2%80%99t+Go+Quietly+After+School+District+Bans+Him+Over+Pride+Flag+Showdown&amp;utm_source=chatgpt.com">kicked off</a> back in September 2024, when Pruitt attended a back-to-school event at Parcells Middle School and noticed a sea of rainbow and transgender pride flags covering the walls. When he took his concerns to district leadership, administrators shrugged him off. School board member Valarie St. John even fired back with a sarcastic snub, telling Pruitt that if he didn&#8217;t like his kid seeing rainbow colors, he should send the child &#8220;with tinted sunglasses so they [sic] aren’t subjected to the full spectrum.&#8221;
Refusing to take the dismissive attitude lying down, Pruitt visited the school after hours with the permission of school staff and recorded video of the displays. He posted the four-minute clip to a local parents&#8217; Facebook group, adding voiceover commentary slamming the flags as &#8220;political,&#8221; &#8220;divisive,&#8221; and a push by &#8220;groomer teachers&#8221; to force a &#8220;distorted worldview&#8221; on kids.
School officials immediately hit the panic button. Principal Jason Wesley initially emailed parents admitting the video was non-threatening political speech, but the district quickly doubled down amid pressure from community members and staff. One week later, school lawyers served Pruitt with a nuclear &#8220;no-trespass&#8221; order.
The harsh directive banned Pruitt from setting foot on any district property or attending his child&#8217;s extracurricular activities under threat of criminal prosecution, limiting him strictly to picking up or dropping off his son from inside his car. To add insult to injury, administrators plastered Pruitt’s photo right in the school&#8217;s main office, branding him as a forbidden trespasser.
“To the extent Defendants assert that certain staff felt threatened and/or intimidated by Pruitt’s conduct, the Court concludes it unlikely that the video rises to the level of a true threat,” Judge White wrote. “The video never mentions violence or harm whatsoever, it was posted publicly online rather than targeted at any specific individual or group, it concerned a divisive political issue, and there is no evidence Pruitt had a history making prior threatening statements. Further, despite Defendants’ stated concerns with the tone of Pruitt’s commentary, he largely spoke in a calm and measured voice, even if the views expressed were hurtful or distasteful, and explicitly stated that the video was meant to be informational. And his call to action merely encouraged other agreeable parents to speak out.”
After complying with the order without incident through the 2024–25 school year in hopes the district would show reason, Pruitt asked Superintendent Andrea Tuttle to lift the ban ahead of the 2025–26 school year. She flatly refused. Left with no choice, Pruitt retained counsel and filed a federal lawsuit in March 2026, alleging First Amendment retaliation, defamation, and state constitutional violations.
White completely dismantled the district&#8217;s defense. The court rejected the school&#8217;s excuse that the ban was issued over &#8220;safety concerns&#8221; or &#8220;disruption&#8221; caused by Pruitt&#8217;s walk through the halls, pointing out that officials let him enter, never asked him to leave, and took zero action until after his social media post went live.
&#8220;At bottom, Pruitt’s video criticizing public-school officials constitutes speech protected by the First Amendment,&#8221; Judge White wrote, noting that public education is a &#8220;core matter of public concern and debate&#8221; and that school administrators cannot use safety policies to punish parents over offensive rhetoric or crowd hostility.
The ruling ensures Pruitt can finally attend his son&#8217;s events without needing permission slips like a second-class citizen.

Brighton Beach Pride march in Brooklyn, New York City

School District Picks The Wrong Dad To Silence Over Pride Flags

Michigan

Pride Flag

Public Schools

A Washington mother is removing her children from an elementary school that forced her daughter through a secret, explicit LGBT Pride-themed lesson.
The lesson reportedly occurred during a fourth-grade music class at Martha Lake Elementary in the Edmonds School District on June 15. Parents were not given any notice to opt out or any information about the lesson itself before their children were exposed to the curriculum, according to Maria Varchetto. 
 
“My daughter came home just so drastically upset the last week of school telling me that the music teacher decided to teach a whole curriculum about Pride history and Pride Month,” Varchetto <a href="https://www.kvi.com/2026/07/23/washington-mom-pulls-kids-from-elementary-school-after-pride-lesson-taught-in-music-class-without-parental-notice-or-opt-out/">told</a> Talk Radio 570 KVI, a conservative Washington radio station.
“I assumed I had probably missed an email asking for consent, but there was nothing,” Varchetto <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/washington-mother-pulls-children-school-pride-lesson-shown-music-class-without-notice">said</a> in communications with school administrators that she shared with Fox News. “No advanced notice, no opportunity to review the lesson, no information letting parents know this topic would be discussed. No option to request that our kids be allowed to opt out and participate in an alternative activity. There was nothing.”
According to Varchetto, her daughter was forced to watch a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBZqmZAgoxo">video</a> called “Why is PRIDE in JUNE?” from the channel Queer Kid Stuff that discussed the history of the gay movement and so-called bathroom rights for trans-identifying people. Her daughter said the class also watched videos of performances by LGBT singers such as Freddie Mercury of Queen and Lil Nas X, as well as Billy Porter dancing in a ball gown on “Sesame Street.”
Varchetto’s daughter said that students were also told they could identify as gay, lesbian, asexual, transgender, non-binary, or two-spirit.
“No handouts were sent home (which is typical for music class),” Varchetto told Fox News. The mother emailed administrators for a copy of the lesson materials, but she was told they could only be reviewed in person, not electronically.
“I need parents to be informed of this,” Varchetto said. “Parents have the right to know what was taught to their kids. Whether or not you agree with it or disagree is irrelevant. You don’t get to teach and go rogue on subjects that are this controversial without providing parents a notice to opt out.”
The principal explained to Varchetto in a meeting that the Pride lesson was not district-approved curriculum and that teachers are allowed to make their own lessons. The principal said that the music teacher tied a lesson to a month’s theme, such as &#8220;Black History Month&#8221; for February or &#8220;Hispanic Heritage Month&#8221; for September. 
Varchetto said she told the principal, “Okay, that makes sense. Those are cultures. Those are not gender identities. Big difference there.”
The principal gave Varchetto a list of the subjects covered in the music class, and Varchetto reviewed the end-of-year summary that the music teacher sent to parents. Neither document mentioned the &#8220;Pride Month&#8221; lesson.
The principal reportedly explained that the school was apprehensive about telling parents about the lesson because it “would just isolate the LGBTQ community, making them feel like people can opt out of their content.”
Unsatisfied with how the school handled the situation, Varchetto said she gave the school several weeks to notify parents before making her concerns public. When no notice was posted, she sent an email to district administrators requesting that her children be transferred from the school.  
Varchetto ultimately decided to put her kids through hybrid homeschooling. 
“We are 100% removing our kids from this school as I have no trust in the leadership,” Varchetto said.
“I feel mad they did this, mad they hid it,” Varchetto added. “I feel insulted, offended, angry, and sad that my kids are now being taken out of a lifestyle they&#8217;ve grown to love, away from the friendships they&#8217;ve built, all because this one teacher didn&#8217;t care to ask permission and a principal lied and hid it.”

Screenshot 2026-07-30 at 11.34.13 AM

Family Erupts Over Fourth Grade Trans Lesson

Elementary Schools

LGBT

Pride Month

Washington

Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson wore a &#8220;Trans Rights Are Human Rights&#8221; shirt Tuesday, days after Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham defended keeping biological males out of women&#8217;s sports. 
As part of a Seattle Storm promotional campaign sponsored by Alaska Airlines called &#8216;Arrivals,&#8217; Dolson posed in a pro-trans tank top on Tuesday. Several photos showed her pointing to the word &#8216;Human&#8217; on the shirt. Several photos posted to the team&#8217;s X account showed Dolson pointing to the word “Human” on the shirt. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🗣️🗣️🗣️<a href="https://x.com/AlaskaAir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlaskaAir</a> | Arrivals <a href="https://t.co/IruaBJsY4J">pic.twitter.com/IruaBJsY4J</a>
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) <a href="https://x.com/seattlestorm/status/2082265656586871242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This move comes a week after Cunningham <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-breaks-with-league-on-explosive-issue?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WNBA+Star+Breaks+With+League+On+Explosive+Issue">said</a> in an ESPN interview that female sports should be protected and biological males should not be allowed in these female-only spaces. 
When she was pressed about these comments the following day, Cunningham <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sophie-cunningham-triples-down-on-haters-with-ice-cold-instagram-post">stood by</a> her remarks, saying her position is “common sense” and won’t change based on others’ positive or negative feedback.
“I think I said what I said,” Cunningham responded. “It’s kind of common sense, 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 and I’m going to always believe that.”
“I’m not a very political person, but I do have beliefs,” she continued. “I have morals, and I’ll always stand on those and be true to who I am, and I think people are going to take it how they want to take it. … When it comes to protecting young girls in sport and women in sport, I feel very strongly about that.”
On Tuesday, Cunningham’s Indiana Fever defeated the Storm 105-95. Outside the arena, several dozen supporters gathered to back Cunningham and advocate for a November ballot initiative barring biological men from competing in girls&#8217; sports at Washington schools.
The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nfl-hall-of-famer-backs-sophie-cunninghams-stance-on-transgender-athletes">reported</a> that Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, and women’s rights advocate J.K. Rowling praised Cunningham’s stance.
Unlike the Storm, which reposted images from Dolson&#8217;s photo shoot, the Indiana Fever declined to endorse Cunningham&#8217;s remarks. Instead, the team <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/indiana-fever-announce-decision-sophie-104529021.html">stated</a>, &#8220;Our players are thoughtful adults with their own perspectives and voices, and those views are their own. We are committed to welcoming fans from every background and treating everyone with respect, and that&#8217;s what guides us as an organization.&#8221;
The WNBA has long promoted LGBTQ initiatives, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wnba/posts/bold-authentic-unapologeticthis-pride-month-we-celebrate-the-voices-perspectives/1525305948951538/">including</a> annual Pride campaigns, partnerships with LGBTQ groups, and Pride-themed merchandise. 
“The WNBA is deeply committed to the values of diversity, equity and inclusion,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-celebrates-lgbtq-pride-month-in-june-3">said</a> in a 2022 statement. “WNBA Pride highlights our year-round devotion to supporting members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community, celebrating the diverse WNBA family and uniting people through the game of basketball.”
Almost half of the league&#8217;s players identify as LGBTQ, Outsports <a href="https://www.outsports.com/2026/7/24/24140277/wnba-all-star-game-coop-spoon-paige-bueckers-out-lgbtq-players/">reports</a>.
The WNBA currently has no active players who openly identify as transgender. Former Los Angeles Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon was the league&#8217;s first player to openly identify as transgender and &#8220;non-binary.&#8221;

WNBA: JUN 13 Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun

WNBA Player Sends Sophie Cunningham A Trans-Themed Message

Basketball

Women Sports

The Trump administration announced Monday that it is taking enforcement action against two public school districts accused of concealing students&#8217; gender identity information from parents, warning the districts could face lawsuits and the loss of federal funding for violating federal privacy law.
The Department of Education said it has partnered with the Justice Department to pursue enforcement against Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland. It also gave Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan until August 10 to explain why similar action should not move forward. 
The investigations center on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which guarantees parents access to their children&#8217;s education records. The Trump administration argues that school policies directing staff to withhold information about a student&#8217;s gender identity or social transition from parents violate those protections.
&#8220;As a mother and a grandmother, it is unconscionable that any school district would hide the most sensitive information about children in their care from their own parents,&#8221; Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a <a href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/trump-administration-cracks-down-school-districts-secretly-transitioning-students-and-hiding-it-parents">statement</a>. &#8220;This is not only an affront to basic moral principles, but also to parents&#8217; rights under federal law.&#8221;
&#8220;Today, ED and DOJ are putting districts on notice that we will use every tool available to hold them to account for this egregious behavior,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Under the Trump Administration, ED and DOJ are working together to vigorously uphold parents&#8217; federal protections, and we will work to ensure that no parent is ever kept in the dark about important matters relating to their children.&#8221;
According to the Education Department, its Student Privacy Policy Office received complaints from parents in Anne Arundel County who discovered their daughter was being referred to by male pronouns at school. The parents said they learned about the situation only after receiving an email from school staff.
When the parents sought information about what the school described as their child&#8217;s &#8220;gender transition,&#8221; the principal allegedly refused to provide details while an assistant principal declined to turn over relevant records, prompting the federal investigation. The Education Department said Anne Arundel County improperly classified information about a student&#8217;s so-called &#8220;gender identity&#8221; as confidential medical information that could not be shared with parents. The agency said those practices unlawfully prevented parents from exercising their rights under FERPA.
The action comes weeks after the same parents <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/education/k-12-schools/arundel-schools-transgender-children-policies-lawsuit-6BKCHH25O5HP7FLPPGNF7RQFWU/">filed a federal lawsuit</a> against the district with representation from America First Legal, the conservative organization founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The lawsuit claims school officials socially transitioned their daughter by using a masculine name and pronouns without notifying or obtaining consent from her parents. The Education Department said it is working with the Justice Department&#8217;s Civil Rights Division to pursue enforcement against the Maryland district, including potential judicial proceedings and termination of federal funding.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the administration intends to aggressively enforce the law. &#8220;School districts that hide information from parents are violating federal law,&#8221; Dhillon said. &#8220;FERPA is not optional, and any districts that attempt to bypass or distort its requirements should expect immediate federal action.&#8221;
Additionally, the administration found Ann Arbor Public Schools&#8217; policy requiring employees to conceal a student&#8217;s &#8220;transgender status&#8221; from parents likely violates FERPA. Federal officials also questioned the district&#8217;s practice of maintaining records related to a student&#8217;s &#8220;gender identity&#8221; in a separate filing system. 
The Education Department said the cases build on a broader effort by the Trump administration to strengthen parental rights. Earlier this year, the department launched statewide investigations into policies that allegedly concealed students&#8217; &#8220;gender identity&#8221; from parents and issued a finding against the California Department of Education over the use of secret &#8220;gender support plans&#8221; and hidden student records.
In March 2025, the department sent a nationwide <a href="https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/sites/default/files/resource_document/file/Secretary_Comb_SPPO_DCL_Annual%20Notice_0.pdf">letter</a> reminding state education officials that concealing a child&#8217;s &#8220;gender identity&#8221; from parents was a priority enforcement issue under FERPA.
FERPA violations can ultimately result in the loss of federal education funding, though that penalty has historically been used sparingly.

Transgender Symbol and Pencils With The Color of Lgbt Flag

Trump Admin Takes Action Against School Districts Hiding ‘Transgender Status’ From Parents

Civil Rights

Civil Rights Division

Department of Education

Department of Justice

Gender Pronouns

Gender Transition

Harmeet Dhillon

Linda McMahon

Maryland

Parental Rights

Parental Rights in Education

Pronouns

Transgenders

Transparency

Trump Administration

Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher is backing Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham after her comments opposing transgender-identifying athletes in women&#8217;s sports drew backlash. 
The former Chicago Bears linebacker discussed Cunningham during an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402329121112">interview</a> with Fox News Digital published Wednesday.
As the Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-sophie-cunningham-doubles-down-on-protecting-girls-from-trans-athletes?row=0&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;rowType=Web+Search">reported</a>, Cunningham declared in a recent ESPN interview that female sports should be protected and biological males should not be allowed in these female-only spaces. When she was pressed about these comments the following day, Cunningham stood by her remarks and said her position won’t change based on others’ negative or positive feedback.
“I follow her on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sophie_cham/?hl=en">Instagram</a>. She’s got great stuff out here. So she says what’s true. She says common sense things!” Urlacher <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/nfl-legend-praises-sophie-cunningham-saying-whats-true-transgender-athletes-girls-sports">said</a>.
Urlacher praised Cunningham for not backing down when left-wing activists pushed back on her.
&#8220;[Transgender-identifying athletes in women&#8217;s sports] is an 80–20 issue. Eighty percent of the country thinks it’s true. The other 20% is crushing her. Let them. Who cares? But I love that she didn’t back down.” Urlacher said. &#8220;That’s what I love about when people say things: Don’t back down. If you say something, stand by it. And she said it. She backed it up. She’s not backing down, no matter how much heat she gets from certain people.&#8221; 
Urlacher criticized what he described as the league&#8217;s left-leaning culture.   
&#8220;It’s a liberal and mostly gay league, which is fine. I have no problem. My daughter is gay. No problem,” Urlacher said. “I’ve got no problem with that. But the way they push things on people in the WNBA, it’s why I’m not a big fan of watching their games and supporting it. But man, what do you do, right? She said what she said. I cannot disagree with her.&#8221;
Urlacher is the latest prominent figure to publicly defend Cunningham.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently <a href="https://x.com/tedcruz/status/2079952067951477021">posted</a> on X that Cunningham’s position was “well said,” and former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines <a href="https://x.com/Riley_Gaines_/status/2079055068670640375">said</a>, “If the league was smart, they&#8217;d lean in to Sophie. Fans love her &amp; young athletes look up to her!”
Harry Potter author and women&#8217;s rights advocate J.K. Rowling also praised Cunningham, <a href="https://x.com/jk_rowling/status/2080766847259934762?s=20">posting</a> on X, “Caution didn&#8217;t win women the vote, or equal pay, or fair sport, or the right to single-sex spaces. Sophie Cunningham is standing up for women and girls everywhere and it&#8217;s glorious. F*ck caution.”
Cunningham&#8217;s comments also drew criticism online, with some commentators labeling her “transphobic” and “a MAGA Barbie.”

Screenshot 2026-07-28 at 12.49.11 PM

NFL Hall-of-Famer Backs Sophie Cunningham’s Stance on Transgender Athletes

Minnesota schools and hospitals will provide dolls with removable genitals to children as young as four in order to allow them to express their sexual identities.
MyGender Dolls were created by staff at the University of Minnesota, a publicly funded university. They are intended for use as an educational toy for children ages four through ten.
The idea for the dolls came from University of Minnesota professor Rachel Becker-Warner. Associate professors Dr. Dianne Berg and Nic Rider then developed the dolls for a research project, later turning it into a commercial venture.
MyGender Dolls website describes the <a href="https://mygenderdolls.com/">toys</a> as “a new play-based therapeutic approach for trans and gender diverse children — and the clinicians who support them.”
“We make gender fun! Our award-winning dolls and services are community-informed, research-driven, culturally-attuned, and grounded in gender-affirming clinical practice,” the website said, adding that the dolls will be released to educators this year.
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/us-news/taxpayer-funded-transgender-dolls-to-hit-classrooms-this-fall/">said</a> the toys are “like a trans Mr./Mrs. Potato Head” and come with removable internal and external genitalia, and over 100 interchangeable pieces of clothing including underwear and skirts.
“The concept is similar to classic paper dolls; kids can select bodies, genitals, clothes, and other accessories as a way to visualize their anatomy and genders,&#8221; according to a deleted summary of the project from the University of Minnesota&#8217;s Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health (ISGH) <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/transgender-dolls-available-minnesota-schoolchildren-young-4-under-walz-backed-program-report.amp">recovered</a> by Fox News.
“I think everyone should know that there’s diversity in gender identity and that what is ‘real’ is not what your body parts are, but how you think and feel,” Berg <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CtxIqcgp-oQ/?img_index=2">stated</a> on social media and in a now-deleted article in the university’s Discovery Magazine.
Berg also admitted that she and other medical professionals have been using the dolls on their child patients to help them explore their identity and get them to talk about their private parts.
“We were able to explore and brainstorm not just what our bodies are able to do now but what we want our bodies to do and look like in the future,” Adjunct Assistant Professor Elizabeth Panetta said.
The University of Minnesota Medical School’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Health paid the families of “trans and gender diverse children” between $20 and $60 to play with the dolls and “talk about gender and bodies” in groups.
Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), who received the “Distinguished Sexual and Gender Health Champion Award” in 2023 from the University of Minnesota’s ISGH, has been giving $15 million annually to “increase the medical school’s research capacity” and “ensure its national prominence.”
Dr. Quentin Van Meter, past president of the American College of Pediatricians, called the dolls a “grooming tool” that would likely only create anxiety and confusion.
“The younger kids — many of them still believe in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. And you’re then presenting them with paper dolls that kind of look fun, and you can change clothing, hair, genitals … It’s well beyond their ability to sort out fantasy from reality.”
“Until age 7 years, kids don’t really understand the immutability of the sexes,” Van Meter <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/uminn-scholars-launching-transgender-doll-project-for-4-year-olds/">told</a> the College Fix, adding that gender dysphoria is “emotional trauma caused by ideologues as parents or teachers or counselors.”
A university spokesperson told The Post that no public funds were diverted “to support MyGender Dolls’ commercialization efforts,” but refused to mention whether taxpayer funds went into either the research and development of the dolls or to the salaries of the professors who worked on the project.

university-minnesota-medical-school-launching-135407417

Trans Dolls With Removable Genitals Will Be Used To Teach 4-Year-Olds

Education

grooming

Tim Walz

University of Minnesota

A woke, taxpayer-funded exhibit in England claims the Care Bears toys are LGBT icons, describing one of the beloved children&#8217;s characters as &#8220;transgender or gender fluid.&#8221; 
“Funshine Bear is our yellow bear with a smiling sun in his belly, and is considered to be transgender or gender fluid,” the exhibit <a href="https://villiers.digital-exhibition.uk/">claimed</a>, arguing that the character was voiced by female actors before 2004 and by male actors afterward. 
“Bears like True Love Bear … and others, disrupt gender norms through their expression of their true selves but are accepted regardless,” the museum stated. “This enables children and adults to realize that regardless of their identity, sexuality, or self-expression — they are loved.&#8221;
The Care Bears were also praised for their “deep association with symbols such as the rainbow — which became a symbol for the queer community in 1978.”
The exhibit drew criticism from family advocacy organizations. 
“Taxpayers should not be funding such blatant attempts to sexualize children’s toys and promote false gender ideology,” the Family Education Trust <a href="https://x.com/FamEdTrust/status/2081463243365605477">said</a> in an X post. 

The Care Bear display was part of a larger exhibition <a href="https://www.cultureleicestershire.co.uk/projects/villiers-revealed-welcome-to-our-virtual-exhibition/george-villiers/">exploring</a> historical figures and artifacts through a modern LGBT lens, including George Villiers, whom the exhibition claimed would be considered &#8220;queer&#8221; today because he was the &#8220;favorite&#8221; gay lover of King James I. 
The exhibit claimed Villiers is a “reminder that LGBTQ+ life and love isn’t a side story in history, but it shapes history. A history we all inherit and can explore together,” and promoted a “powerful exploration” of reclaiming queer icons that experienced “bi and pan erasure” throughout history by the British Empire. 
The Care Bears were in the Villiers Revealed Student Gallery, where University of Nottingham student volunteers found objects in the museum collections “having queer resonance.” Among the other selections were coins of Emperor Hadrian, whom the museum described as “an openly queer figure,” a portrait of a mermaid, praised by transgender-identifying people for their “ability to transform,” and dolls, criticized because they “uphold patriarchal values and are either forced upon or forbidden to gender non-conforming children.”
The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/26/some-teddy-bears-are-trans-says-taxpayer-backed-arts-group/">notes</a> that the display has been made digital because, according to its creator John Sleigh, “some people simply aren’t ready or able to access queer spaces physically.”
Elena Kucharik, the American illustrator who created the original Care Bears, has never confirmed the characters as transgender or LGBT symbols. After creating the franchise, she went on to illustrate Tyndale House&#8217;s Christian children&#8217;s series &#8220;Little Blessings.&#8221;

Screenshot 2026-07-27 at 2.15.52 PM

Woke Exhibit Claims Popular Kids Character Is Transgender

Children

Politics

Toys

United Kingdom

An LGBTQ activist is doubling down, blaming white men after a Muslim man with known Islamist associations rammed a vehicle into Berlin’s Pride festival on Saturday before attacking bystanders with a machete, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
A viral video circulating online shows an <a href="https://x.com/iAnonPatriot/status/2081229875361325146?s=20">unidentified pink-haired woman</a> lamenting not the terror attack, but the public&#8217;s reaction to it.
“I&#8217;m getting really, really sick of this. I&#8217;m getting really tired of having to repeat myself over and over again,” she said. “So the suspect is an Islamic extremist. That&#8217;s their suspect right now. That&#8217;s what I read. Okay, I&#8217;m not going to say anything about the rest of the Muslim population because of actions of this one person.”
Then, the leftist shifted her focus and hurled unfounded accusations towards another demographic: white Christian men.
“But what I can say is the people who were celebrating about this were all white men, young white men with crosses in their profiles because we&#8217;ve all seen it. We&#8217;ve all seen how you guys react towards gay people, and how you wish harm on them constantly,” she said. “I get a constant hate on my videos, especially about trans people. You&#8217;re not going to hide behind another scapegoat group and pretend that they&#8217;re actually the violent ones when it&#8217;s you.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
OMG. Liberal women are blaming “white men” for the Islamic extremist who ran over people at an LGBTQ parade in Berlin.
“You’re not going to scapegoat the Muslim community like they’re the violent ones, when it’s actually you (white men).”
Can’t make this sht up. 💀💀 <a href="https://t.co/0nbsKYgqys">pic.twitter.com/0nbsKYgqys</a>
— American AF 🇺🇸 (@iAnonPatriot) <a href="https://x.com/iAnonPatriot/status/2081229875361325146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
The woman claimed white Christian men share the same ideology as Abdul Ballout, who police say deliberately drove a white van into Berlin’s Tiergarten Park around 10 p.m., killing one woman and injuring at least 29 others before attacking festival goers with what authorities said may have been a machete. The 21-year-old convicted terrorist had previously attempted to join the Islamic State in Syria and was released from German custody just months before Saturday’s attack, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/known-islamic-terrorist-on-the-run-unleashed-machete-attack-after-plowing-van-into-crowd?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Known+Islamic+Terrorist+On+The+Run+Unleashed+Machete+Attack+After+Plowing+Van+Into+Crowd">The Daily Wire reported</a>.
Migration levels in the European Union remain high, with approximately <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20260227-1">4.2 million</a> immigrants arriving in 2024 and total foreign-born residents reaching roughly 64 million. Spain and Germany recorded the largest absolute numbers of new arrivals, according to the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Migration_to_and_from_the_EU">European Commission</a>.
“You hold the same exact beliefs that this man who did this attack did, and you&#8217;re trying to distance yourself from it. And you know why you&#8217;re trying to do that? Because you&#8217;re ashamed, and you should be,” she said in the video.
The passionate defense highlights the growing, confounding alliance between LGBT activist groups and Islamic ideology in Western countries.
“Ahmad attacks people at a Pride Parade because Islam. White liberal woman with aposematic hair coloring concludes white men are to blame. Suicidal Empathy is a fatal disease of the human spirit,” Gad Saad, an evolutionary behavioral scientist, <a href="https://x.com/GadSaad/status/2081359046775275807?s=20">said</a> on X.
“Queers for Palestine real quiet about this one,” Kangmin Lee, a conservative digital content creator, <a href="https://x.com/kangminlee/status/2081243091629904336?s=20">reacted</a> on social media.
Germany’s latest terror attack, which is said to have left a “horrific scene,” left Pride attendees reeling, including Ricarda Hofmann, a presenter at one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ celebrations.  “What happened today has changed something in me,” she <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbPTNq6iDz4/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">wrote on Instagram</a>.
On Sunday, organizers of the Berlin Pride festival vowed not to allow the Islamic terror attack to be used &#8220;for political ends.&#8221;
&#8220;People are trying to divide our society and set some people against others. As the CSD in Berlin, we will not allow this,&#8221; a representative for the group <a href="https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2081393662244646936?s=20">said</a> at a press conference.

NYC Pride

WATCH: Pink-Haired LGBT Activist Blames White Christian Men For Islamic Terror Attack

Berlin

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Christianity

Germany

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Muslim

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Terrorism

A Muslim man with known Islamist associations reportedly rammed a vehicle into Berlin&#8217;s Pride festival on Saturday before attacking bystanders with a machete, leaving one person dead and several others injured, according to German authorities.
A massive manhunt is underway for 21-year-old Abdul Ballout, who police say deliberately drove a white van into Berlin&#8217;s Tiergarten Park around 10 p.m., killing one woman and injuring at least 29 others before attacking festival goers with what authorities said may have been a machete.
Ballout is said to have fled the &#8220;horrific scene” on foot. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt <a href="https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2081357342902300677?s=20">connected</a> the attack to Islamist ideology, according to CBS News. 
&#8220;Everything we see here indicates that this was an Islamist terror attack,&#8221; Dobrindt said at the scene. 
The BBC reported Sunday <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3r2nz9ed3lt?post=asset%3Af7bf096b-0bc4-4496-b0f8-d2def8c5a207#post">Ballout</a> is a German citizen of Lebanese background who was known to police for being part of Berlin&#8217;s &#8220;Islamist scene&#8221; and had previously &#8220;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3r2nz9ed3lt?post=asset%3A679975ea-dc63-4cff-b17e-cc95f0cbef6f#post">committed a number of crimes</a>.&#8221; Ballout was born in Germany, and his mother became a naturalized German citizen in 2002, three years before his birth, police told the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-berlin-lgbtq-pride-parade-van-ramming-3ba5e3f1becffd0da5f47b29aa08da9d">Associated Press</a>.
<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/26/abdul-ballout-berlin-pride-suspect-tried-join-islamic-state/">The Telegraph</a> reported Ballout is a convicted terrorist who tried to join the Islamic State terror group. German authorities previously arrested Ballout in Lebanon after accusing him of attempting to join the Islamic State in Syria and plotting a terrorist attack. Then, he was returned to Germany, where, according to Die Welt, he was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison for plotting a “serious act of violence that threatened the state.” Prosecutors had sought a sentence of two years and 10 months, the newspaper reported. He was released just months prior to Saturday&#8217;s attack.
With the manhunt underway, German authorities warned the suspect may be armed and dangerous, and issued a stark warning to the public. 
&#8220;We cannot rule out the possibility of copycat attacks,&#8221; the interior minister said, announcing the country’s threat level will be raised as a result, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c3r2nz9ed3lt">BBC</a>. 
The terror attack left Pride attendees reeling, including Ricarda Hofmann, a presenter at one of Europe&#8217;s largest LGBTQ celebrations.   
“What happened today has changed something in me,” she <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbPTNq6iDz4/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1">wrote on Instagram</a>.
International leaders across the political spectrum swiftly condemned the attack, with some arguing it highlighted what they described as a growing alliance between Western LGBTQ activist groups and Islamist ideology.
&#8220;Horrendous attack in Berlin last night,&#8221; Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K.&#8217;s right-wing Reform UK party, said. &#8220;The strange left-wing alliance between Islamists and the LGBT community in this country cannot last.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Multiple people reported struck after vehicle rams into crowd at Christopher Street Day event in Berlin -BILD <a href="https://t.co/heweK6iW41">https://t.co/heweK6iW41</a>
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://x.com/Osint613/status/2081117590743552148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2026</a></blockquote>

Berlin Police

Known Islamic Terrorist On The Run After Deadly Berlin Car-Ramming Attack

Europe

Immigration

The White House came to the defense of WNBA star Sophie Cunningham Thursday after the Indiana Fever guard faced criticism for saying that men should not compete in women’s sports or share women’s locker rooms.
When asked about the issue by Daily Wire White House Correspondent <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/mary-margaret-olohan">Mary Margaret Olohan</a>, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump is aware of Cunningham’s comments and shares her concerns about protecting female athletes.
“I don’t believe he has reached out to her,” Leavitt said when asked whether Trump had contacted Cunningham. “I know he is following the story.”
Leavitt said the backlash against Cunningham demonstrated what she described as a disconnect between leftist activists and the broader American public. 
“This is something the president feels strongly about as well, and the American people do too,” Leavitt said. “That men should not be playing in women’s sports. It’s completely ludicrous that anyone could support that.”
“It’s even more ludicrous that you do have Sophie Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth that men shouldn’t play in women’s sports,” she continued.
Leavitt called the criticism Cunningham has received “astonishing” and argued that the administration’s position reflects widespread public opinion.
“They are clearly very out of touch with the American public on this issue, which again is an 80-20 issue,” Leavitt said. “It’s common sense. It’s rooted in basic biological fact that men should not be competing against women on playing fields across the country.”
Cunningham, who has become one of the WNBA’s most recognizable players since joining the Indiana Fever, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-breaks-with-league-on-explosive-issue">said</a> in an interview with ESPN earlier this week that she felt compelled to speak out about biological differences in sports despite backlash from critics who accused her of being anti-transgender. 
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham said. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest.”
Cunningham said her concern was protecting female athletes, particularly young girls. “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” she said.
The comments drew criticism online, with some labeling the Missouri native as a conservative or “MAGA Barbie,” a characterization Cunningham rejected. “I really am right in the middle [politically],” Cunningham said, adding that she agrees and disagrees with positions on both sides of the political spectrum.
Cunningham’s comments come as the WNBA and its players’ union have taken a different position on transgender inclusion. The WNBA Players Association has previously voiced opposition to restrictions on transgender participation in sports and pledged support for transgender athletes.
The Fever guard has also drawn attention in recent weeks for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wnba-star-sophie-cunningham-wont-diss-trump-after-white-house-meme">refusing to join criticism</a> of President Trump after the White House used a viral clip of her pointing at an opponent during a game as a social media meme.
When asked about the White House using the clip, Cunningham said she viewed it as part of a broader internet trend. “Everyone around the world is posting it, every company has done it,” Cunningham said. “They’re just the ones also to get on board and I don’t really think twice about it.”

GettyImages-2280043385

Karoline Leavitt Rips Leftist Backlash To Sophie Cunningham’s Trans Sports Comments

Karoline Leavitt

The Daily Wire

White House

A gay cruise carrying roughly 1,900 passengers was denied entry by both Turkey and Egypt during a Mediterranean voyage after authorities in each country refused to allow the ship to dock.
Atlantis Events, the world&#8217;s largest LGBT vacation company, scheduled the Scarlet Lady to stop in Kusadasi, Turkey, on July 7 as part of its “Athens to Venice” trip. 
However, Turkish officials said the cruise was organized by groups whose &#8220;behaviors do not align with the structure of our society,” according to local authorities <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/world/middleeast/gay-cruise-turkey-egypt.html">cited</a> by the New York Times.
The ship then rerouted to Alexandria, Egypt, but Egyptian authorities withdrew permission to dock about four hours before its scheduled arrival. Unlike Turkey, Egyptian officials did not publicly explain the decision. 
Atlantis Events CEO Rich Campbell said the company had previously docked in both countries without incident and that it was the first time in the company&#8217;s history that one of its cruises had been denied entry for political reasons. 
“We successfully sailed a similar itinerary last year without issue,” Campbell <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/09/lgbtq-cruise-ship-refused-entry-egypt-turkey">said</a> in a statement to passengers. “So we were surprised by this unfortunate decision.”
Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who was on the cruise to perform, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DaUkpPyCosk/">said</a> she was “shocked” by Turkey&#8217;s and Egypt’s decisions.
“A ship — a magnificent ship — full of gay men. And me. Denied entry to Turkey simply because of who is on board,” LuPone said. “I am furious, but I am sailing.”
Kyle Olsen, the owner of the LGBT tour company Hermes Holidays, said that Turkey’s ban empowered Egypt to also turn away the cruise. “I worry that other countries are going to be emboldened in turn to ban gay cruises from their ports as well,” he added.
Turkey’s government under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken a hardline stance toward the LGBT movement over the past decade, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/02/europe/turkey-cruise-lgbtq-american-blocked-intl">reports</a>. Authorities have repeatedly banned Pride marches and other LGBT events, citing public safety and security concerns. 
While homosexuality is <a href="https://www.equaldex.com/region/turkey">legal</a> in Turkey, the country does not recognize same-sex marriage. Egypt also does not recognize same-sex marriage, and authorities have used morality laws to target LGBT people. Both countries have overwhelmingly Muslim populations.

Screenshot 2026-07-17 at 1.10.02 PM

Gay Vacation Cruise Stunned To Be Turned Away From Two Muslim Countries

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