Fans wearing shirts about trans athletes asked to cover up at Fever-Dream game

Two fans were asked by league security to cover their shirts, which bore messages regarding transgender athlete participation in women’s sports, during Sunday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream. A statement from a WNBA spokesperson said the individuals should not have been asked to do so.

Per the statement, “The WNBA is aware of interactions at last night’s game in Atlanta in which fans were asked by league security to cover their shirts. This should not have happened.”

One individual was wearing a shirt in support of transgender people, while the other was wearing a shirt with the XX-XY message. During a segment called “Jam Cam” between the first and second quarters on Sunday, the State Farm Arena video board briefly showed a woman wearing a “Protect Trans Kids” T-shirt. Another individual wearing a T-shirt saying “Trans kids belong in sports” was shown on the broadcast during the end of the regulation and in overtime.

The security officials have been informed by the league that they acted incorrectly by asking the messages to be covered.

The Dream released a statement Monday, saying, “The Atlanta Dream believes in creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone. Unfortunately, at last night’s game, WNBA security took actions that fell short of that standard. At no point was Dream personnel involved in the decisions made by WNBA security.”

The subject of transgender athletes competing in sports has been in the WNBA discourse since Fever forward Sophie Cunningham spoke on the topic in an ESPN profile that ran in July. She said in the article that it was “common sense” to bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. Small demonstrations including people in support of and against Cunningham’s comments popped up in Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis in the aftermath.

Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “Protect Trans Kids” shirt when Indiana played at Minnesota two weeks ago.

The players union denounced “hate, abuse, and demonization” of the transgender community in a statement released on Aug. 7. The same day, commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to team presidents, coaches and general managers stressing the need to approach the subject with integrity and respect. A task force of general managers and presidents held a meeting with league leadership the following week, during which the WNBA condemned the “bad-faith efforts” to use the league as a prop regarding transgender athlete participation in women’s sports.

The WNBA doesn’t currently have any transgender individuals in the league. There are no imminent eligibility concerns regarding prospective transgender athletes.