WNBA says fans should have been free to wear shirts with messaging about transgender issue
At least three fans were asked by WNBA security personnel to cover shirts that had messages about transgender women participating in women’s sports during Sunday’s game at Atlanta between…
During Sunday's WNBA game between the Atlanta Dream and the Indiana Fever in Atlanta, at least three fans were instructed by security personnel to conceal shirts displaying messages concerning transgender women participating in women's sports. In a statement released on Monday, the WNBA expressed its disapproval of the incident, asserting that the fans should have been permitted to wear the shirts without any interference.
According to the league, "The WNBA is aware of interactions at (Sunday) night’s game in Atlanta in which fans were asked by league security to cover their shirts. This should not have happened."
The WNBA has been at the center of ongoing discussions regarding the inclusion of transgender women in the league. Despite the collective bargaining agreement stipulating that the WNBA is open solely to women, it lacks precise guidelines on gender identity or sex assigned at birth. Consequently, there has never been a transgender woman player in the WNBA.
While some players who were assigned female at birth later identified as transgender or nonbinary have participated in the league. Sophie Cunningham, a guard for the Fever, expressed opposition to transgender girls and women competing in girls' and women's sports in a recent ESPN profile, leading to protests and rallies outside Fever games in Seattle and Portland.
Celeste Keaton, a minority owner of the Storm, faced a five-game ban for confronting two fans who displayed support for Cunningham. The WNBA has notified the security staff involved in the Atlanta game that their actions were incorrect.
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