A mother and daughter attended Sunday’s WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream — but with just two minutes left in overtime, they were told to cover up their “offensive” pro-woman t-shirts or leave the arena.
Kasey Thomason and her daughter Annie said that after shelling out thousands for good seats, they were approached by arena security and told to cover their XX-XY Athletics shirts or leave. Kasey’s shirt featured the XX-XY logo in red, white, and blue; Annie’s shirt, with an XX on the front, came from the Riley Gaines collection and read, “For the Girls,” across the back.
Both Kasey and Annie said that they had come to the game — and had chosen to wear those particular shirts — to show their support for Fever shooting guard Sophie Cunningham. Cunningham, who has repeatedly declared her position as not political, unapologetically stood up for women and girls in sports, saying that they deserved a space where they could compete without being forced to take on biological men.
When the security guard first approached, Kasey asked if their shirts were a problem — and was told that someone had found them “offensive,” according to a report from Fox News Digital.
“Biology and science is offensive?” Kasey asked. But with just two minutes to go in overtime, Kasey and Annie did put on the offered Atlanta Dream “Wellness & Health Night” shirts so that they would not miss the end of the game. The Fever ultimately came away with the 95-91 win.
The two said they believe it was another fan who had complained about their attire — a woman wearing a t-shirt that read “Trans Kids Belong In Sports” and was previously featured on the Jumbotron during the game.
Hey @AtlantaDream & @StateFarmArena,
Why was this woman not told to cover-up her “Trans Kids Belong” t-shirt like the mom & daughter were told with their @xx_xyathletics shirts?
Seems like a double standard to me… pic.twitter.com/SAkXiYjrU3
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) August 17, 2026
“She was the one that told on us,” they said, adding that after they’d put on the “Wellness & Health Night” shirts, that same woman had approached them and said, “I like your shirt.”
It was unclear whether she’d also been approached about her shirt, but later in the game, Kasey and Annie noticed that her jacket was zipped up to cover the message.
The WNBA has rules regarding signs and attire, stating that no “obscene” or “indecent” messaging is allowed at the games. In addition, State Farm Arena’s rules state that “clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s)” will not be allowed.
The security guard did not state which of those rules Kasey and Annie might have run afoul of, saying only that they’d been determined “offensive.”
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