The WNBA should welcome XX-XY shirts and protect girls’ sports fans

The WNBA should welcome fans who wear XX-XY shirts and enforce its arena code against fans who curse at women for defending girls' sports. At Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Oct. 17, 2026, the Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-64 at Chase Center¹. Sey, founder of XX-XY Athletics and a former gymnast, attended with several people wearing XX-XY shirts. Sey posted video of it and wrote: "We were scolded for antagonizing people with our shirts. But allowed to go back to our seats²."

Sey told OutKick that security told her and her three friends to come with them after another fan complained³. In the video, USA Today reports, a person who appeared to be security gave the reason: "Their complaint is you guys are antagonizing them... with your shirts pointed in their direction¹." Antagonizing whom? USA Today reports that security asked both groups to stay to themselves; after Sey’s group said, “We didn't do anything,” security told them they could return to their seats.

The shirt broke no fan rule

The shirt itself broke no rule. OutKick reports that the guard told Sey's group the complaint was about the shirts, then affirmed they did not violate the Fan Code of Conduct and asked only that the group not hold them up or point them at fans³.

What did break the spirit of an arena was the walk up the stairs. USA Today reports that one attendee yelled "You're disgusting" at the group while flipping them off¹. Sey told OutKick that fans along the stairs gave them the finger and said they hoped the group would die. OutKick reports that one fan tried to knock Sey's phone from her hand and told her to kill herself³. The shirt got a warning, and the threats got none.

Girls’ sports advocates face hostility at games

San Francisco is not the first arena where a girls' sports message drew pressure. OutKick reports that a mother and daughter at an Atlanta Dream–Indiana Fever game were threatened with ejection over XX-XY shirts. OutKick also reports that two teenage girls in XX-XY shirts at a Seattle Storm–Indiana Fever game were cussed out by a Storm co-owner, who was eventually fined and suspended³.

A mother covering her daughter's shirt to keep her seat, and two teenagers cursed at courtside, are the families the league invites to buy tickets. Girls should be able to watch their sport without learning that defending it gets them shouted down.

The arena code applies to harassment too

The best answer for the other side is security's own: other fans complained, and the group was asked to keep to itself. The group was not expelled, and USA Today reports it was allowed back to its seats¹.

But the arena's code cuts both ways. The Chase Center code lists ejection without refund, season-ticket revocation, and denial of access to future events as penalties, and says violations are assessed case by case¹. A rule with that reach has to protect the people being cursed at, not only the people who object to a message. Sey told OutKick that security offered the group an escort out of the building because the Valkyries fans became so hostile³.

USA Today reports that the WNBA and the Golden State Valkyries declined to comment¹.

The WNBA should welcome girls’ sports advocates

The law is moving toward Sey's side of the stands. USA Today reports that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld states' right to ban transgender girls and women from women's sports. It also reports that 27 states have passed legislation barring transgender girls and women from women's sports¹.

The morning after the game, Sey wrote: "I'm just a lady who gets yelled at everywhere I go. They always hope I die. Because I think men can't be women⁴."

The WNBA should welcome the women and families who defend girls' sports, and it should answer three questions with a yes or no. Will the league say that a shirt supporting sex-based competition is not grounds for removing a fan? Will it say so before Game 3?

Sources

1. XX-XY shirts at center of fan confrontation during WNBA Finals
2. @JenniferSey on X, 2026-10-17: We were scolded for antagonizing people with our shirts. But allowed to go back to our seats. https://x.com/JenniferSey/status/2111572306820821414/video/1, 2026-10-17
3. Hostile Valkyries fans verbally attacked women's sports activists at WNBA Finals Game 1 in San Francisco | OutKick
4. @JenniferSey on X, 2026-10-18: I’m just a lady who gets yelled at everywhere I go. They always hope I die. Because I think men can’t be women., 2026-10-18