New York Liberty Displays Pro-Trans Messages On Scoreboard During Half-Time

Interesting sophie cunningham, transgender athletes, wnba, xx xy athletics admin August 24, 2026 0 Comments

New York Liberty Displays Pro-Trans Messages On Scoreboard During Half-Time

The New York Liberty flashed messages welcoming transgender fans on the Barclays Center scoreboard during halftime of Saturday’s win over the Indiana Fever.

The gesture landed one day after the team refunded a fan whose paid tribute to a women’s sports advocacy brand was rejected, according to OutKick.

Three separate messages ran during the break in the Liberty’s 109-102 victory, OutKick reported. “Big welcome to the NY Liberty transgender fan community! So excited to be here with you all!!” the first read. A second told fans, “Welcome Trans Liberty fans! You are loved and you belong!” The third said, “Hey trans fans! Glad you’re here! Go Liberty!”

Those messages appeared during the same halftime slot where Julie Potter expected her own submission to run. Potter, a lesbian hip-hop artist, spent more than $2,000 on 25 tickets and paid another $100 for a scoreboard tribute reading “Thank you Jennifer Sey! XX-XY Athletics will Save the Day!!” according to OutKick. The team accepted her payment, then told her a day before the game it had rewritten the wording, the outlet reported. The Liberty later refunded her. (RELATED: ‘See You At Training Camp’: Former NBA Player Enes Kanter Freedom Declares For 2027 WNBA Draft)

“Unfortunately, this is censorship. My message was approved and payment was accepted. You then changed it without giving me any opportunity to revise or respond, and you did so inside your own 48-hour window,” Potter wrote in an email reviewed by Outkick. She added, “Why would I pay to let you speak for me?”

The team defended the decision by citing its content rules. “Our scoreboard messages are limited to positive, celebratory content, and submissions that may intentionally or unintentionally violate that spirit are not eligible for display,” the Liberty sales team told Potter, according to OutKick.

Jennifer Sey founded XX-XY Athletics, an apparel company that campaigns to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports categories, Fox News Digital reported. Sey is a former national champion gymnast and former Levi Strauss brand president. The dispute grew out of comments by Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who said in July that she wanted to “protect young girls in a locker room” and believed girls “shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” according to Mediaite.

Outside the arena, supporters and opponents of Cunningham’s position clashed at dueling rallies separated by NYPD barriers, according to the New York Post. The confrontation followed earlier incidents involving fans who backed Cunningham, including a Seattle Storm co-owner’s suspension and an episode in Atlanta the WNBA said should not have happened.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told Outkick he admired Cunningham for speaking out despite the criticism she faced. Paxton said the league should protect the ability of fans to express differing opinions peacefully, and he would not back away from his stance on women’s sports or the treatment of Cunningham’s supporters.