WNBA co‑owner fined after confronting anti‑trans teen activists at Indiana Fever game

Seattle Storm co‑owner Celeste Keaton intervened with two teenage girls seated courtside during a game against the Indiana Fever. The girls wore shirts reading “XX/XY” and one held a sign thanking Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who had recently called for banning transgender athletes from women’s sports. Keaton’s confrontation prompted the WNBA to levy a monetary fine and suspend her for five home games.

The shirts were produced by XX‑XY Athletics, a brand founded by former U.S. gymnast and right‑wing activist Jennifer Sey, which promotes the exclusion of trans women from women’s sports. Sey, along with former swimmer Riley Gaines and podcaster Brandi Kruse, were present at the game, underscoring a broader right‑wing effort to use WNBA events as a platform for gender‑and‑race debates. The league issued an apology for Keaton’s behavior, while the incident reignited discussion over trans‑inclusion policies in professional women’s basketball.