Ever since Sophie Cunningham made it clear that she wants to keep trans athletes out of female sports to protect young girls and women, many fans have been showing their support. While she has received plenty of backlash, there are also fans who agree with Cunningham, and some have even held pregame rallies to back her stance.
On Sunday, Cunningham had plenty of supporters at the Fever-Dream game in Atlanta, but several were forced to cover up their XX-XY Athletics shirt, even though another fan was allowed to wear a shirt with a pro-trans message.
WNBA World Reacts to ‘Double Standard’ Over Political Messages on Fans’ Shirts
Georgia locals Kasey Thomason and her daughter, Annie, reportedly purchased $1,000 seats just two rows behind courtside for the Fever-Dream game. Kasey wore an XX-XY Athletics shirt featuring the brand’s logo in a stars-and-stripes design, while Annie wore a Riley Gaines collaboration with “XX” on the front and “For the Girls” on the back.
For most of the game, neither encountered any problems. That changed during overtime. Roughly halfway through the overtime period, a security guard approached the two and asked them to leave their seats to speak with him. Confused about why they had suddenly been singled out, Kasey reportedly asked whether their shirts were the reason.
The guard allegedly told them that another fan had complained about the shirts because they were offended by the message. They were then given a choice: put on Atlanta Dream “Wellness & Health Night” shirts provided by the arena or risk being removed from the building.
Kasey questioned the decision and objected, but the pair ultimately wore the provided shirts because they wanted to remain in the arena and watch the final moments of overtime.
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
The incident quickly went viral across social media, with fans and media questioning the Dream’s decision and questioning whether this policy applied to all political messages on clothing.
Sports content creator Jon Root posted two photos on X showing that another fan was wearing a shirt that said, “Trans Kids Belong in Sports.”
Tagging the Dream and State Farm Arena, Root questioned why that fan was seemingly allowed to wear the message while Kasey and Annie were told to cover their shirts.
“Seems like a double standard to me…” Root wrote on X.
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
XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey also joined the discussion. She shared an image of the pro-trans shirt and pointed out that the fan wearing the shirt appeared on the broadcast multiple times.
She directly questioned the Dream about why the mother and daughter were allegedly forced to remove their XX-XY Athletics shirts or get kicked out of the arena.
“Why can she wear that shirt but @kthomason0702 can’t wear her @xx_xyathletics shirt? @AtlantaDream… thoughts?” Sey posted on X.
I watched the game from home. That woman with her “Trans Kids Belong in Sports” was shown multiple times and her shirt was very visible.
Why can she wear that shirt but @kthomason0702 can’t wear her @xx_xyathletics shirt? @AtlantaDream … thoughts? https://t.co/q2YhCvbrgR
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) August 17, 2026
Some fans also chimed in and challenged the Dream.
“Seems illegal to suppress the free speech of one position,” another added.
“Hey @AtlantaDream @xx_xyathletics is also an athletic brand. Do you make people cover up @Nike branded shirts? You are truly clowns,” one fan wrote.
Hey @AtlantaDream @xx_xyathletics is also an athletic brand. Do you make people cover up @Nike branded shirts? You are truly clowns
— realGeorgiePippen (@Pippen897a) August 17, 2026
“I thought the @WNBAwasn’t political. They are nothing but political,” a user wrote.
The WNBA released a statement addressing the incident, admitting that the Dream’s security mishandled the situation.
“The WNBA is aware of interactions at last night’s game in Atlanta in which fans were asked by league security to cover their shirts,” a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement provided to OutKick. “This should not have happened.”
