Fans Told to Cover Up Pro-Female Shirts or Leave [WATCH]

A mother and daughter say they were threatened with removal from Sunday evening’s game between the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream because other fans found their shirts offensive.

The confrontation unfolded during overtime, with the pair sitting just two rows back from courtside.

Georgia residents Kasey Thomason and her 17 year old daughter, Annie, attended the game wearing shirts supporting Sophie Cunningham and the effort to keep women’s sports and spaces female.

Kasey’s shirt featured XX XY lettering in stars and stripes.

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Annie wore a Riley Gaines collaborative shirt with “XX” on the front and “For the Girls” on the back.

The two said they encountered no problems until a security guard approached them during the five-minute overtime period.

Around halfway through overtime, the guard attempted to get Kasey and Annie to leave their seats and speak with him.

Unsure why they had been singled out, Kasey asked, “[Is it] about our shirts?”

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The guard told them that a fan or multiple fans were offended by the shirts.

According to Kasey, they were given a choice between putting on provided Atlanta Dream “Wellness & Health Night” shirts or being escorted from the building.

Kasey responded, “Biology and science is offensive?” She and Annie reluctantly agreed to cover their original shirts because they did not want to miss the final two minutes of overtime.

The ESPN broadcast showed the Thomasons holding the tan Dream shirts with about two and a half minutes remaining.

They were also seen speaking with nearby fans, who they said had praised their shirts and supported them and Cunningham throughout the game.

With approximately 1:30 left, both Kasey and Annie had put on the Dream shirts.

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The Fever eventually completed a 95 point to 91 point victory over Atlanta.

State Farm Arena’s prohibited items list bars “Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s).”

The NBA Fan Code of Conduct also states, “Obscene or indecent messages on signs or clothing will not be permitted.”

However, the security guard did not claim that the shirts contained explicit language, derogatory characterizations, or indecent messaging.

Kasey said the only explanation offered was that the shirts were “offensive.”

Applying those policies to shirts displaying XX and XY would be arbitrary at best and discriminatory at worst.

Nothing described on either shirt contained explicit language or profanity, making the treatment of Kasey and Annie especially disturbing.

Kasey told Fox News Digital and OutKick that she assumes a woman sitting courtside in a “Protect Trans Rights” T-shirt complained to security.

That woman had reportedly appeared on the video board earlier during the game.

Speaking with conservative YouTuber Adam Francisco, Annie said, “She was the one that told on us.”

The Thomasons also said the woman later mockingly told them, “I like your shirt,” after they had changed into the tan Atlanta Dream “Wellness Night” shirts.

Kasey and Annie said they did not know whether security held that woman to the same standard.

They noticed that her jacket was zipped up later in the game, meaning the message on her shirt was no longer visible.

The situation was discriminatory, disgusting, and Orwellian.

Shirts displaying four letters representing the view that women have XX chromosomes and men have XY chromosomes should not have resulted in an ultimatum to cover up or leave.

The confrontation was especially ironic because Sunday’s event was promoted as “Wellness and Health Night.”

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According to the Dream’s website, the event was intended to “use the power of sport to improve health outcomes for women and girls across Georgia.”

The organization’s messaging also stated, “The Atlanta Dream and Emory Healthcare believe sports can become one of the most powerful vehicles for improving women’s health.”

Yet Kasey and Annie left the experience feeling targeted, threatened with ejection, and embarrassed.

The episode occurred less than a month after two teenagers wearing similar shirts courtside were verbally confronted by Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton, causing one teenager to cry.

Keaton was eventually suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount.

Now another mother and daughter say they were targeted merely for wearing shirts supporting the same cause, adding to demands that the league address the treatment of women and teenagers expressing that message.

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