America’s well-known freedom speech, which actually protects even offensive language be, uhm, darned!
A security guard at a WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream has imposed his own, and presumably the team’s, speech code on fans.
That is, that they are not allowed to have scientific facts emblazoned on their T-shirts. Cover up or begone, he orders.
It is in a report posted by Fox that the details appear:
The report explains Kasey Thomason and daughter Annie had tickets just two rows back from the court, and they chose to wear XX-XY Athletics T-shirt to support Sophie Cunningham “and the ongoing fight to keep women’s sports and spaces female.”
BREAKING – This mother and daughter paid $1,000 per ticket to attend today’s Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream game at State Farm Arena, specifically to see Sophie Cunningham — a woman they respect and admire for taking a clear stance against biological men in women’s sports. They… pic.twitter.com/Mv6VyOigXw
— Adam Francisco (@adamfrancisco_) August 17, 2026
Through much of the action there was no difficulty.
Then overtime, and a security guard appeared. He ordered them to cover their shirts or leave.
The report explained the guard claimed that other “fan(s)” were offended so they could wear the Atlanta Dream “Wellness & Health Night” shirts or be taken out of the building by escort.
Kasey wondered, so “biology and science is offensive?”
Mother and daughter “reluctantly” agreed to put on the offered shirts so they didn’t miss the end of the game.
Then, the report pointed out, “the Thomasons are seen on the ESPN broadcast with the tan Dream shirts in hand. They can be seen talking to fans around them, who they said loved their shirts and showed support for them and Cunningham throughout the game.”
The report said the prohibited items at State Farm Arena include, “Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s).”
Fox reported, “If State Farm Arena and the Atlanta Dream were really trying to claim the shirts worn by the Thomasons were a ‘derogatory characterization’ or ‘indecent messages’ on clothing, that would be an arbitrary way of enforcing their rules, at best. Discrimination, at the worst. But the fact remains, the security guard didn’t claim any of these things from the prohibited items list or the Fan Code of Conduct. He just said the shirts were ‘offensive.’”
Kasey told Fox she assumes a “trans rights” promoter sitting at courtside had complained.
The Fox report said, “This whole situation is discriminatory, disgusting, and quite frankly, Orwellian. In no shape, manner, or form, is a shirt that displays four prominent letters, representing a biological truth that women have XX chromosomes and men have XY chromosomes, ‘offensive.’”
BREAKING: A local Georgia mom & daughter were discriminated against at Sunday’s Fever vs Dream game for wearing @xx_xyathletics shirts
During OT, a security guard told them
they had to put provided Atlanta Dream shirts over their shirts or they would be escorted out…This is… pic.twitter.com/9VDzB31nmy
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) August 17, 2026
An online comment pointed out: “The WNBA and stadiums like State Farm Arena continue to be a national embarrassment.”
The attack follows by only a few weeks an attack on two teenagers by a co-owner of the WNBA Seattle team, Celeste Keaton, for wearing XX-XY T-shirts.
Bob Unruh
Bob Unruh joined WND in 2006 after nearly three decades with the Associated Press, as well as several Upper Midwest newspapers, where he covered everything from legislative battles and sports to tornadoes and homicidal survivalists. He is currently a news editor for the WND News Center, and also a photographer whose scenic work has been used commercially. Read more of Bob Unruh’s articles here.