During Sunday’s game at Atlanta between the Dream and the Indiana Fever, WNBA security personnel asked at least three fans to cover up shirts with messages about transgender women participating in women’s sports.
The league said in a statement Monday the fans should have been allowed to wear the shirts.
“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,” the statement said. “This should not have happened.”
The Incident
Two individuals were wearing shirts with a message that women’s and girls’ sports should be limited to those assigned female at birth, while one person was wearing a shirt in support of transgender people.
The WNBA has sparked recent debates over the participation of transgender women, or people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity, in the league.
No player has ever been like this in the WNBA. The WNBA is limited to women under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, but there’s no language more specific to gender identity or sex assigned at birth.
Some players in the league were assigned female at birth and later came out as transgender or nonbinary.
Last month, ESPN profiled Sophie Cunningham of the Fever, who said she was against transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
Her stance sparked small rallies and protests outside Fever games in Seattle and Portland, and Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton received a five-game suspension for confronting two fans with signs backing Cunningham.
The league told the security workers at the Atlanta game that they were wrong to ask that the messages be covered up.
Club Official Statement
The Dream said the team had no involvement in the actions of the security men.
— Atlanta Dream (@AtlantaDream) August 17, 2026
