Several WNBA fans were recorded berating the young Sophie Cunningham supporters who attended Tuesday’s Seattle Storm-Indiana Fever game to voice their opposition to trans athletes in female sports.
‘Garbage! Take the trash out!’ one man is heard yelling while gesturing to the girls and reporter Brandi Kruse, who is credited for organizing the protest in Seattle.
Several voices can be heard calling for security to have the man taken away in the video shared by Fox News. But despite the pleas for help, the confrontation continued.
‘Some of the fans were relentlessly booing at them,’ Kruse told Fox News Digital. ‘And I kind of turned around and said, “Look, they’re just teenage girls.”‘
Another viral video purportedly shows an angry Storm supporter spitting in a Fever fan’s direction after Indiana’s 105-95 win, but that has not been corroborated.
The game drew national attention when Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was accused by the unidentified girls of calling them ‘f***ing insane.’ Keaton has since been fined and banned from attending the team’s next five home games over the incident, while Storm spokespeople have also issued an apology.
Several WNBA fans were recorded berating the young Sophie Cunningham supporters who attended Tuesday’s game to voice their opposition to trans athletes in female sports
Several voices can be heard calling for security to have the man taken away in the video shared by Fox News . But despite the pleas for help, the confrontation continued in Seattle
The girls (left) accused Keaton of calling them ‘f***ing insane’ and berating them
In addition to Keaton’s comment, Kruse said the girls faced abuse from players, who gave a ‘thumbs down’ sign, and a number of other fans. At one point, Kruse said, she noticed one of her two subjects was crying.
‘I look over at halftime, and she’s sobbing,’ Kruse said of one of the girls, both of whom were wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts. ‘They were so excited for those seats, like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see some of their favorite players. They stayed up the night before making signs.’
The young fans were seen holding signs at the game thanking Indiana’s Cunningham for her objection to transgender athletes in women’s sports.
‘Thank you Sophie for speaking up for girls,’ read the sign.
The pair defended their actions to Kruse.
‘We’re not being hateful,’ one of the unidentified girls told Kruse. ‘Maybe they should work on being more kind to people, even though our opinions differ. We were being respectful and kind to people, even though I don’t care if you think something else.’
Cunningham, 29, recently insisted women ‘shouldn’t have to go against biological men’
WNBA star Cunningham took to X to slam Keaton and called her ‘truly embarrassing’
Cunningham broke her silence on the incident, writing on X on Wednesday night: ‘I truly believe there is a safe space and love for EVERYBODY. Biological girls, biological boys, trans women, and trans men. Everyone is welcome at my table!
‘You can disagree and still be kind. Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe. You’ll be hearing from me soon. Yay for gifts.
‘Truly embarrassing of the co-owner. Unfortunately shows the type of leader she is.’
There was also an anti-trans rally near the arena in support of Cunningham before Tuesday’s game.
A crowd of a few dozen had gathered outside Climate Pledge Arena to both support Cunningham and promote statewide initiatives 638 and 011, which would bar transgender students from participating in girls’ athletics at Washington schools.
Media members asked to speak to Cunningham and Caitlin Clark postgame, but neither player was made available. Kelsey Mitchell and Monique Billings addressed the media instead, alongside head coach Stephanie White.
When White was asked about the rally and Cunningham’s recent comments, a Fever public relations representative intervened with the following statement:
‘Neither our organization nor Sophie had any knowledge of this demonstration and no contact with its organizers,’ the statement said. ‘Our only goal as a team, whether at home or away, is to win basketball games and make Fever fans for life, and we are united in that mission.’
