WNBA says security was wrong to make fans cover shirts with opposing transgender messages
TheGrio...
The league said fans on both sides of the debate should have been allowed to wear their shirts during Sunday’s Dream-Fever game.
The WNBA says security personnel were wrong to make fans cover shirts carrying opposing messages about transgender participation in women’s sports during Sunday’s Atlanta Dream-Indiana Fever game. in an incident that comes days after the league addressed the broader transgender athlete debate and amid continuing scrutiny over player safety and inclusion.
The Associated Press reported that at least three fans were asked by WNBA security to cover their shirts at Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta. Two wore shirts arguing that women’s and girls’ sports should be limited to people assigned female at birth, while another fan wore a shirt supporting transgender rights.
The league acknowledged the interactions Monday and said the fans should have been allowed to wear the shirts. In a statement, the WNBA said the requests “should not have happened” and confirmed that the security workers involved had been told they were wrong to require the messages to be covered.
The Atlanta Dream also distanced the organization from the security decisions. The team said it aims to provide a safe and inclusive environment and that Dream personnel were not involved in asking the fans to cover their clothing.
The incident unfolded against a growing debate around transgender participation in women’s basketball. No transgender woman has ever played in the WNBA, and the league’s collective bargaining agreement says only women are eligible to play without providing more specific language on gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham recently said she opposes transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Her comments were followed by small rallies and protests around Fever road games in Seattle and Portland.
Earlier this month, the WNBA said there were no immediate transgender-player eligibility issues affecting the league and condemned what it called bad-faith efforts to demean or marginalize others through the debate.