NEW YORK ― Under the sweltering New York sun ahead of an Indiana Fever and New York Liberty matchup, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn stood at the center of a national debate on transgender athletes in sports
that has engulfed the WNBA over the last month.
Fans decked out in Fever and Liberty jerseys excitedly walked into Saturday's game, past large groups of people on opposite sides of the main entrance. New York police were nearby, overseeing the groups behind barricades.
"Trans lives matter! Trans lives matter!" one group says as they pound the pavement with signs that read "Stomp out transphobia" or "Ban bigots, not trans women." Numerous trans flags and a ginormous wave of bubbles surround them. The group also gave out free shirts that read "trans people belong here" with the backdrop of a basketball court.
"All we want to do is celebrate diversity and inclusion, especially (because) so many of us are Liberty fans, are WNBA sports fans. So we wanted to come out and support all women, and that includes trans women," a supporter named Augie, who was part of the large group of people supporting the trans community, told USA TODAY Sports.
"I'm here because this is the WNBA; we're a progressive league. We are and have always been a safe space for queer people, for trans people, for people of color ― for everyone," said Hannah, a Liberty fan and a veteran protester. "This is not what the league is about. Transphobia is not what the league is about, and quite frankly, I think the argument that trans people don't belong in women's sports is just a gateway to saying trans people don't belong."
Across the pavement is another group holding up signs that say "let liberty and fairness ring" with a picture of Sophie Cunningham's viral pointing meme and the words "save women's sports." The group wore foam Statue of Liberty crown hats and gave out bracelets for their cause.
"Tell me what a woman is! We know you know!" an on-site rapper said to the crowd as she performed an original song. "Boys have a penis! Girls have a vagina," she later said to those gathered, including apparel company XX-XY, which has been at multiple WNBA rallies.
"I know truth. I live in truth, and the truth is men are stronger than women. And when they enter women's sports, sports will change," one person told USA TODAY Sports. "Women's sports will definitely change by putting men in them. When they say there's only 10, it starts out as 10 ... So as someone who was an athlete and had a great time in all the camaraderie in women's sports, I absolutely want to save them."
In 2024, NCAA president Charlie Baker testified to the Senate that he knows of fewer than 10 transgender students out of 510,000 college athletes.
There has not been an openly transgender player in WNBA history.
"Knowing that rallies are happening on both sides shows the platform that the W has and the stunts for attention are just continuing to try and ride the wave that we have," Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart told a small group of reporters Saturday morning. "I want Liberty fans and even Indy fans that are going to come here tonight to be able to have this arena be a safe space."
The scene outside Barclays was relatively calm less than two hours before the 7:00 p.m. ET game, which boasted a sold-out crowd of 17,581 that watched the Liberty win 109-102.
There were brief moments of tension, but not because the opposing groups addressed one another. Multiple unidentified people walked directly into where both groups stood and started shouting. This caused a brief stir, and one individual was escorted away from the premises shouting, "I wanna play in the WNBA! I wanna play in the WNBA!"
People from both groups felt viewpoints were getting lost in the ongoing national chatter surrounding the WNBA. They eagerly shared what they want people to remember as this conversation continues.
"I think that people are forgetting about the humanity," Augie said. "There's like this scary monster in the closet for a lot of people. They are getting this vision of this scary, trans person, this monster, this like conglomeration of all the worst things that they've heard ... about the stressful things that are going on in our country and how it's trans people's fault.
"But the unfortunate thing is, it's not so easy to just scapegoat one community and one bad thing goes away. It's actually much easier if we all come together and we work together and we see that we're actually not so separate. And we all have things that we love about each other and things that we wanna work on together. I wish that more people were open to having the difficult conversation."
Protester Kim Jones had a different opinion, putting the onus on the support systems of women and girls.
"Young girls in locker rooms should not have to be standing up for themselves, for their right to privacy and dignity. The adults in the room should be standing up for them," Jones said, holding a sign that said "liberty to speak; courage to stand" with a picture of Cunningham. "Young girls in sports, from the youngest of ages all the way up to professional and masters levels, need to be able to have an opportunity to grow individually and celebrate the unique attributes and accomplishments of the female athlete.
"We are amazing in our own right."
There were also much smaller efforts happening around the arena, on less busy streets away from the main activity.
One Liberty season ticket holder, who asked to remain anonymous, told USA TODAY that they and another neighbor had been texting about who should do something on Saturday. Then, they had the realization that they were the "somebody" and decided to print up "trans people belong in sports" signs to hand out. The signs also urged people to support a local organization in Brooklyn, which "creates LGBTQ+ affirming sports spaces where queer and trans Brooklynites can connect, move and thrive."
"I think what's getting lost is that this has never really been an issue in the W. It's almost like our league has been hijacked for a broader message that has nothing to do with us. And it feels almost like we're being used for the outrage cycle," the season ticket holder said. "There's no reason for that. I think that's why taking the stance now, saying that the W stands for inclusivity ― yeah, you're gonna upset a few people, but they aren't the people that were gonna stay here in the first place. They weren't gonna be the fans that were gonna support the league five years from now.
"The fans that are here for the long haul are fans that became supporters of the league because we support an inclusive environment, and the W has done such a great job of being just that."
WNBA continues to face scrutiny
Although no transgender women play in the WNBA, the league has become a lightning rod for the topic following comments made by Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham in an ESPN story. Cunningham then doubled down, saying young girls playing sports “shouldn't have to go against biological men.”
Controversy has followed. A Seattle Storm co-owner was suspended for five home games for comments she made to Cunningham fans. On Aug. 16, a security guard at an Atlanta Dream vs. Indiana Fever game asked two fans to cover up their XX-XY shirts. XX-XY Athletics opposes transgender athletes in women's sports and was founded by Jennifer Sey, a former gymnast and former Levi Strauss chief marketing officer who says her brand exists to “protect women’s sports and spaces."
WNBA coaches recently weighed in on the ongoing controversies. Minnesota Lynx's Cheryl Reeve called for less hate and more love, while the Golden State Valkyries' Natalie Nakase didn't want to give the conversation "oxygen," saying "transgender kids belong." Dallas Wings coach Jose Fernandez said, “I’m not partaking in the circus and everything that takes away from our team, the league. This (expletive) is not happening in the NFL, MLB, NBA.”
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has faced calls for resignation and criticism for not swiftly handling the issue. The league put out a statement Aug. 12 denouncing "bad faith actors," and Engelbert first spoke publicly to the Associate Press Aug. 20, saying: "People are trying to use the league to sow divisiveness. . . . We're being made the center of a political football by individuals who have never watched the WNBA, never written about it, or reported on it. These voices are using our league as a platform for their own agendas, rather than supporting our athletes and the growth of women's sports."
Transgender athletes legislation
Cunningham's comments on transgender athlete participation and the ensuing conversation came after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld states' right to ban transgender girls and women from participation in women's sports.
Legislation passed in 27 states barring transgender girls and women from participating in women's sports is aimed at a small portion of the population — 1% of people aged 13 and over in the U.S. identify as transgender, according to a 2025 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law.
The Human Rights Campaign reported in 2023 that 19% of transgender youth nationwide were playing sports, including fewer than 1,300 who played sports in school.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Outside a sold-out WNBA game, dueling protests mirror America's transgender-athlete debate
