Girls Sports

WNBA Issues Non-Apology After Mother and Daughter Were Told to Cover XX-XY Shirts

The WNBA continues to make headlines over its unwillingness to stand for women’s athletics. 

The most recent controversy occurred when the security guard at a game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream told Kasey Thomason and her daughter, Annie, to cover up their “offensive” XX-XY Athletics t-shirts – or be removed from the game.

The league compounded its wrongdoing with this tepid 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.

With this lame non-apology, the WNBA takes no ownership of the incident. The league does not apologize directly to the Thomasons or explain how it will stop similar incidents from happening again. 

The Thomasons paid $1,000 apiece for tickets near courtside at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. Both wore shirts with the XX-XY logo on the front, while Annie’s also said, “For the girls,” on the back.

XX-XY Athletics was founded by Jennifer Sey, an elite gymnast, seven-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Gymnastics Team and the U.S. Women’s All-Around National Champion in 1986.

Sey explains the company’s mission on the XX-XY website: 

We are unapologetic about our goal. We are here to protect women’s sports and spaces.
Women deserve the opportunities that sports and single sex spaces provide. Sex matters. It is the single biggest determinant of athletic performance. It is unfair and dangerous to allow males (XY) to compete in girls and women’s (XX) sports.

Social media content creator Adam Francisco reported the Thomasons attended the game to support Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, who has been outspoken in her support for girls and women’s sports. 

Mother and daughter wore their shirts the entire game until a security guard approached them halfway through a five-minute overtime, as Fox News explained: 

The security guard told them that a fan(s) were offended by their shirts, so they had the choice to wear the provided Atlanta Dream “Wellness & Health Night” shirts, or they would be escorted out of the building.
To this, Kasey responded by saying, “Biology and science is offensive?”, before reluctantly agreeing to put the shirts on so they didn’t miss the last two minutes of overtime, where the Indiana Fever eventually secured a 95-91 victory.

Francisco videotaped the Thomasons after the game and posted the incident on X, writing: 

Earlier in the game, a woman wearing a “Protect Trans Rights” shirt was prominently featured on the Jumbotron. Only after receiving that stadium spotlight was she also told to cover her shirt.

Kasey supported the other woman’s right to wear a “transgender” t-shirt, saying she shouldn’t have had to cover up her message, either. 

The WNBA has completely mishandled the issue of males in female sports and private spaces. The WNBA’s official policy reserves the league for women: “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

However, the policy does not define “women.” 

A WNBA task force of team presidents and general managers met to discuss males who claim to be women playing women’s basketball, but the league could not clarify its eligibility rules. 

It shouldn’t be that difficult. Women and men are different, and we acknowledge those differences with separate sport teams, locker rooms, restrooms and showers. 

Related articles and resources: 

Clay Travis Calls the WNBA’s Bluff With $10 Million Challenge

Enes Kanter Freedom Declares for WNBA Draft Amid ‘Trans’ Controversy

The Impending Extinction of Women’s Sports – Jennifer Sey | ReFOCUS

Seattle Storm Co-Owner Suspended After Cursing at Sophie Cunningham Supporters

The WNBA’s Culture War Has Arrived

WNBA’s Sophie Cunningham Stands Firm in Face of Criticism

Enes Kanter Freedom Declares for WNBA Draft Amid ‘Trans’ Controversy

Enes Kanter Freedom, an NBA star, anti-communism advocate and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is calling the WNBA’s bluff by declaring for the league’s 2027 draft.

“Well, it’s officially official. I just declared for the 2027 WNBA draft in April,” Freedom said in a social media video. “Join me in this journey.”

“If simply declaring who you are is all that’s required, then I meet every single requirement necessary to compete in the WNBA,” Freedom said days earlier.

“I’m simply asking that the current rules be applied equally to everyone – the rules that represent the very values many WNBA players and coaches have publicly advocated for. … I look forward to the WNBA honoring its stated principles.”

What are those “stated principles?” Following Freedom’s declaration, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association released a statement on social media re-emphasizing “equity, diversity, and inclusion” as “values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change.”

“Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns,” the association claimed.

The WNBA’s official policy reserves the league for women: “Only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA.”

However, the policy does not define “women.” And the players association strongly supports men participating in girls and women’s sports.

“The WNBPA will fight for trans youth across the country,” the association asserts. “Banning trans kids from sports ostracizes them from a fundamental part of growing up and a lifeline to feel welcome and a part of their community.”

The WNBPA’s open invitation for male inclusion meant it was just a matter of time before a talented male athlete like Enes Freedom called its bluff. Will the association stand behind its “transgender” activism when its lofty language meets reality? Time will tell.

Enes Freedom was raised in Turkey and moved to the United States as teenager. He spoke out against President Erdogan’s human rights abuses in his home country. In response, the Turkish government “canceled his passport, placed his name on an Interpol list, banned communication with his family, imprisoned and tortured his father, [and] placed a $500,000 bounty on his head.”

The Utah Jazz selected the 34-year-old as the third overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He went on to play for the Thunder, Blazers and Celtics, and used his famous “Freedom Shoes” in NBA games to speak out about the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights abuses.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 24: Enes Kanter #13 of the Boston Celtics sneakers are seen at Toyota Center on October 24, 2021 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

After wearing “Anti-CCP” shoes in 2021, every Boston Celtics game was immediately banned by China and Turkey. The Celtics traded him to the Houston Rockets in February 2022, which then released him just three minutes later, a decision which Freedom believes was made to silence him and cost him around $50 million.

Freedom, who became a U.S. citizen in 2022, is now using his freedom to advocate for the right of women to compete freely, fairly and safely in athletics. And he’s not alone.

Royce White, a former NBA player, has also declared for the WNBA draft, saying the league is “an example of a herald of us losing a lot of things in this country.”

Sophie Cunningham, who plays guard for the Indiana Fever, recently ignited a firestorm by speaking out against men playing in women’s sports.

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” the star player said. “And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’ I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

Cunningham’s bold remark stands in stark contrast to Cheryl Reeve’s, head coach of the Lynx, outspoken advocacy for transgender-identified players.

When the Lynx faced off against the Fever, Reeve wore a “Trans Kids Belong” shirt.

“We need to protect trans kids,” Reeve said. “To me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports.”

Outkick founder Clay Travis devised a creative proposal to expose the WNBA’s transgender activism: A head-to-head basketball game between the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and a boy’s high school state team.

“If the Aces beat my team, I will give them $10 million,” Travis said. The Las Vegas Aces and WNBA have not accepted, or even acknowledged, Travis’ offer.

In recent days, the pressure being placed on the WNBA by Freedom, White, Cunningham and Travis may have started to break through.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to teams addressing the controversy.

“I know many of you have received questions in recent weeks regarding transgender athlete participation in women’s basketball, and I expect this topic will continue to receive significant attention,” Engelbert wrote.

A task force of team presidents and general managers will discuss the topic at a meeting this week, she acknowledged.

For a league dedicated to female participation – it is the Women’s National Basketball Association after all – it’s quite silly to think there’s anything to “discuss.”

Nevertheless, the WNBA must recognize what a woman is – and fast. Otherwise, its players may be competing against the 6’ 10” Enes Freedom and the 6’ 8” Royce White next season.

Related articles and resources:

The Impending Extinction of Women’s Sports – Jennifer Sey | ReFOCUS

Clay Travis Calls the WNBA’s Bluff With $10 Million Challenge

WNBA’s Sophie Cunningham Stands Firm in Face of Criticism

The WNBA’s Culture War Has Arrived

Photo from Getty Images.

Clay Travis Calls the WNBA’s Bluff With $10 Million Challenge

Outkick founder Clay Travis is calling the WNBA’s bluff.

In response to the latest kerfuffle within the professional women’s basketball league over Sophie Cunningham’s defense of women’s sports, Travis, who’s also a sports journalist and co-host of “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” tweeted out a provocative offer this past Tuesday:

“Important announcement: I am upping my offer, $10 million dollars for a head-to-head basketball game between the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces and a boy’s high school state title team of my choice,” he wrote. “If the Aces beat my team, I will give them $10 million.”

The Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham has ignited a firestorm of criticism from leftists for suggesting women’s sports should be reserved for women.

Cunningham’s position is straightforward common-sense that’s been widely accepted forever. It’s only been in recent years with the introduction of the “trans” movement that anyone would have objected to such a position. Sadly, even Cunningham’s coach has been infected by the inanity. Asked recently whether sexually confused men should be permitted to play in the league, the Fever’s Stephanie White refused to answer. 

“I don’t know that I would say I’m educated enough from a scientific standpoint,” the coach told the press. “I don’t ever believe that exclusion is the answer. I just don’t. I do think that when we think about various levels of sport, various governing bodies of sport, and things that go into that, like I said, I’m not educated enough at the different levels. I know growing up I played with the boys all the time.”

So Coach White is educated enough to coach a women’s basketball team, but not informed enough to recognize the fundamental and foundational physiological differences between male and female athletes?

It’s been long established that males have between 30% and 40% more upper-body muscle mass and between 20% and 30% more lower-body muscle mass than females. Males generally have larger skeletons, longer limbs, broader shoulders, larger hands and feet, and higher bone density. They also have larger hearts and greater lung capacity. As a result, men run, on average, 8% to 12% faster than women.

Clay Travis is aware of these significant differences, which is why he’s willing to put his money where his mouth is and challenge the absurd premise underlying the “trans” debate, specifically that men and women are interchangeable.

Sophie Cunningham’s famous teammate, Caitlin Clark, has deliberately sidestepped the controversy, a decision that has disappointed many of her fans. Asked about the raging debate this past weekend, Clark deferred.

“I think it’s for leagues and governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions,” she told reporters. “Our focus is on basketball. That’s what we talk about and how we can get wins and obviously we didn’t do that tonight. So we need to find an area to improve in that way.”

Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx, tackled the issue in the exact opposite manner. During a recent game against Cunningham’s and Clark’s Fever, she wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Trans Kids Belong.” She told reporters, “We need to protect trans kids.”

Never mind that there’s no such thing as a “trans” kid – there are boys and girls, and yes, they should be protected, especially girls from boys who claim to be girls.

As of this writing, the Las Vegas Aces haven’t yet responded to Clay Travis’ offer, nor are they expected to take him up on the $10 million challenge. Critics may not appreciate the theater of such an offer, but the Outkick founder is simply using the tactic to make an irrefutable point: the physiological differences between male and female athletes are real and significant. 

In the end, the “trans” delusion is theater itself, and a very bad show where the curtain is falling and whose run is hopefully and prayerfully drawing to a close.

Make-Believe Women Are the Ultimate Male Chauvinists

It has been more than four years since Riley Gaines, then a swimmer at the University of Kentucky, publicly spoke out against University of Pennsylvania swimmer Will “Lia” Thomas competing in women’s sports.

Thomas, who claims to be female, would go on to be declared an NCAA Division I Champion. He won three individual Ivy League titles, along with a relay title and set numerous school records. 

It should be noted that based on Thomas’ times, the Penn swimmer wouldn’t have won anything had he been swimming against men.

Last summer, in response to the Trump administration’s directives to protect women athletes, the University of Pennsylvania revised the school’s swimming records by removing Thomas’ name from the top slots and recognizing the legitimate female winners. Letters of regret were sent to those who had been bumped from the lists.

“While Penn’s policies during the 2021-2022 swim season were in accordance with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules,” Penn President J. Larry Jameson stated. “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”

We’ve come a long way since the height of the “trans” delusion, when few people had the guts to speak out against the unfairness and insanity of it all. 

Testifying before Congress in 2023, Gaines declared:

Let me be perfectly clear: a school that knowingly allows a male athlete to take a spot on a women’s team, or allows a male athlete to take the field in a woman’s game, is denying a female student an athletic opportunity. That is sex discrimination, and it violates Title IX—regardless of what new regulations might say.

The testimony of the 12-time NCAA All-American swimmer and 5-time SEC champion helped turn the tide. Her courage stiffened the spines of other athletes, many of whom also began to speak out.

The NCAA no longer allows men to compete against women, but much like the abortion battle, the issue is now at a state level. While 27 states ban men from competing against women, 23 states do not. This past June, in a unanimous ruling, the United States Supreme Court held that Title IX does not require states to include “transgender” athletes in girls and women’s sports. In a 6-3 decision, the High Court ruled that bans on “trans” athletes do not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. 

As the state “trans” debates now drag on, this next season of the controversy demands that Christians, in particular, must possess a clear-headed understanding and unwavering convictions concerning the issue and what’s at stake.

Scripture makes absolutely clear that God created humanity with a binary distinction between male and female. That’s it. That’s all. And because God is perfect, He doesn’t make mistakes. You can tragically and devastatingly mutilate a body, take hormones and chemicals, but you cannot change your biological sex. A man cannot become a woman, and a woman cannot become a man.

Christians with these commonsense convictions have faced great pressure and harassment. They’ve been called bullies, bigots, intolerant, and “transphobic.”  Ironically, some have even been called sexist, a claim that belies reality. That’s because any male who pretends to be a woman and competes against women is actually thechauvinist – and the ultimate one, at that.

Merriam-Webster defines “chauvinism” as “an attitude of superiority toward members of the opposite sex.” And that’s precisely what these men are doing. By carrying their biological male physical advantages into women’s sports, they’re looking to dominate instead of fairly competing against them. They’re looking to erase biological sex altogether and redefine or recast it in terms of one’s personal choice or “identity.”

The ongoing campaign to protect women’s sports is going well, but its ultimate success at the state level will demand ongoing boldness – and bluntness. Please join us in praying for the protection of the vulnerable and for the courage and strength of those in the battle.

Seattle Storm Co-Owner Suspended After Cursing at Sophie Cunningham Supporters

Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended by the WNBA from attending the team’s next five home games after she walked over and cursed at two teenage girls during a game against the Indiana Fever. 

The young ladies, seated in the front row wearing XX-XY T-shirts, participated in a pre-game rally in support of girls-only sports. During the game they held signs thanking Fever guard Sophie Cunningham for recent statements supporting privacy and safety for female athletes.  

In an ESPN interview Cunningham stated: 

I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.

Brandi Kruse, award-winning investigative journalist and unDivided podcaster, helped organize the rally and attended the game in which the Fever defeated the Storm 105-95. She posted a video interview of the two girls on X, as they described Keaton’s verbal abuse: 

This older lady comes up to us, and at first we think she’s going to be nice, and she asks, “What are you guys doing?” And then it was like “Jesus loves everyone.” … And she goes, “I hope Jesus can forgive you for what sin you’ve done.” And then she told us we were “(expletive) insane.”

Keaton is in a “same-sex marriage” to fellow Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel. As journalist Jesse Singal pointed out on X, “Keaton is a ‘Feng Shui & Intuitive Consultant’” and an “ordained holistic minister.” 

Singal noted that Keaton also practices divination. She describes herself on LinkedIn as “clairsentient and clairvoyant,” saying that her “main divination modality is through reading Tarot cards & by empathically tuning in to the Client.” 

Keaton showed no empathy toward the two young women. 

“Clairsentience” is the occultic practice of using “psychic energy” to “feel” emotions or “vibrational energies” from people or places. “Clairvoyance” is the occultic practice of “seeing” people or events in other times or places. 

Though Keaton told the girls, “Jesus loves everyone,” she clearly does not know the full scope of biblical teaching. Jesus does love all people, but He also affirmed the biblical truth that God created two sexes and that marriage is a male-female institution (Matthew 19:4-6). 

Furthermore, Scripture forbids divination and fortune telling as “abominable practices” that involve demonic spirits (see Deuteronomy 18:10-12 and Acts 16:16-18). 

Jesus does not love these sinful activities. 

Keaton did not apologize for the incident. However, as USA Today reported, majority co-owner Ginny Gilder did offer a tepid apology of sorts, one in which she apologized “that this happened” and did not address the girls directly: 

We are aware one of our co-owners made comments to two fans in attendance at last night’s game. We apologize that this happened. Everyone who attends a Storm game deserves to feel welcome, and we remain committed to creating an inclusive environment where every fan is treated with respect.

One of the girls remained anonymous, but the other, Annaleigh Wilson, knows what it’s like to lose to a male who claims to be female. As a freshman in 2024, she came in second to a male athlete in the 1,600-meter race at the Cashmere, Washington, Junior Olympics, as The Chronicle reported. 

Annaleigh’s family and other girls affected by transgender-identified athletes in Washington filed complaints with the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights. Now, the department is investigating Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and the state’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for violating Title IX.

HeCheated.org reports that at least 1,136 male athletes have competed in more than 20,570 total events around the globe, stealing more than 6,766 first place finishes and 11,518 top three finishes in different sporting events. 

Those who support transgender–identified male athletes in girls sports point to the small percentage of athletes involved. 

This misses the point completely: There should be no boys in girls sports. None. 

In addition, each male athlete in girls sports affects many, many girls.

Each male athlete doesn’t just defeat one girl. If a boy wins a state championship in a track and field event, for example, he takes a spot from a girl on his own team, defeats thousands of girls to qualify, and then beats all the girls at the championships.

Along the way, he will have defeated girls in local meets, his victories will have helped his team to beat other girls teams, and he may have taken records, awards and scholarship opportunities from girls. Again, just one transgender-identified male athlete affects thousands of girl athletes. 

XX-XY CEO Jennifer Sey and other women-only sports supporters have announced more pre-game rallies in support of Sophie Cunningham at Indiana Fever games. 

Related articles and resources: 

Blockbuster Supreme Court Ruling: Girls Sports Are for Girls

Boys Atop Girls’ Podiums: Where Are the Dads?

Department of Justice Launches Title IX Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports

DOJ Lawsuit Describes California Department of Education’s Infuriating Treatment of Girls

Feds Pressure California After Boy Wins in Girls Track and Field Championship

Feds Sue California Department of Education, Interscholastic Federation for ‘Illegal Sex Discrimination’

Female Athletes Beg California Interscholastic Federation to Keep Boys Out of Girls Sports and Locker Rooms

Male Athlete Wins Three Girls California Track and Field Titles — Again

Washington School District Buries Female Wrestler’s Sexual Assault Complaint Against Male Opponent

Yes, Girls Care When Boys Take Their Trophies