Indiana Fever forward Sophie Cunningham has called the confrontation between a Seattle Storm co-owner and two teenage girls during their WNBA game this week “truly embarrassing.” She noted that disagreement on the participation of transgender individuals in women’s sports is acceptable.
Cunningham made the remarks on a recent post on X late Wednesday. In her post, she complimented the two girls and berated the executive.
“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,” Cunningham wrote. “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.”
Cunningham posted on X following an incident that occurred Tuesday evening in Climate Pledge Arena during their 105-95 victory over Storm. According to podcaster Brandi Kruse, who was present with the girls, Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton screamed at the girls who were holding handmade posters thanking Cunningham for speaking out on the girls’ behalf.
According to yoursourceone.com, two 16-year-old girls seated courtside said they were cheering for both teams and were respectful before the encounter. The two girls wore shirts from XX-XY Athletics, which advocates for sex-based categories in women’s sports. One of the girls identified is Ahnaleigh Wilson, 16, a track and cross country athlete from East Wenatchee, attending Eastmont High School.
Kruse shared the account of the girls saying Keaton insulted them in profane language and asked Jesus to forgive them, leaving one of the girls crying. Kruse added that she reported the matter to arena security and advised them to contact the team’s front office.
Ahnaleigh’s mother, Elizabeth Wilson, told yoursourceone.com that fans nearby mocked the girls’ shirts and her daughter felt pressured to hide her sign. “Adults should never intimidate, shame or bully a 16-year-old girl,” she said.
The ownership group of Storm issued an apology on Wednesday without naming the executive. “We apologize that this happened,” Ginny Gilder, majority owner, said, stating that the team hopes for a respectful environment for all fans, according to OutKick.
The league later fined Keaton and barred her from participating in the Storm’s next five home games. The league informed Fox News Digital of this punishment through OutKick. Keaton is a minority owner and a member of Force 10 Hoops along with Gilder, Lisa Brummel, and Dawn Trudeau, according to The Post Millennial.
The above confrontation occurred during a tense night in Seattle. A couple of dozen people showed up at the arena before tipoff to show their support for Cunningham and also to promote two state-wide measures, IL26-638, which would prohibit transgender students from girls’ sports in Washington’s schools, and IL26-001, which would extend the parents’ bill of rights in the state, according to The Associated Press. Some other supporters of transgender individuals also appeared for counter-protests.
“Washington State is a very caring, inclusive place,” Heather Weiner, spokesperson for No Hate in Washington State, which opposes the above-mentioned legislation, per The Associated Press.
Cunningham, 29, in an ESPN article last week, advocated for banning transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports. She said that she is not a hater of transgender individuals but wants to protect the opportunities of female athletes. The Storm fans booed Cunningham when she checked into Tuesday’s game and also during her first free-throw attempts, according to The Associated Press.
Neither Cunningham nor her teammate, Caitlin Clark, answered questions from reporters after the game. Cunningham nor her team had any prior information regarding the above-mentioned rally, the Fever spokesperson informed The Associated Press.
Seattle Storm coach Sonia Ramony said after the game about the pre-game protest that her organization works with the arena and security to ensure that fans feel welcome and safe, ESPN reported.
