As the WNBA finals kick off Saturday in San Francisco, the pro-LGBTQ+ sports fanbase push a message of inclusion in the face of anti-trans attacks
In response, many of the league’s players and fans have made clear they don’t align with anti-trans rhetoric. Several players, like the Chicago Sky’s Natasha Cloud and the Golden State Valkyries’ Gabby Williams, have voiced their support for the trans community; Williams said in May that she would “welcome” a trans teammate anytime.
Fans, too, have loudly pushed back – holding rallies, bringing signs into the games and even defending their sports bars, meant as a safe space for women and LGBTQ+ fans, from aggression. As the WNBA finals between the Dream and the Golden State Valkyries tip off Saturday, the pro-trans, pro-Black, pro-queer fanbase wants to remind others of the original ethos of women’s sports: inclusion and community.
“It’s not about protecting women’s sports,” Allie, another Liberty fan at Wilka’s who asked to go by their first name, said about the anti-trans backlash facing the WNBA. ”And I feel better knowing the fact that the majority of the fanbase is standing up, saying: ‘No, this isn’t right.’”
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