Former gymnast Jennifer Sey said she and three companions encountered hostile reactions from some spectators at Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday. Sey, who founded XX-XY Athletics, told OutKick that the group wore shirts bearing the company’s XX-XY name.
Sey said she had lived in San Francisco for about three decades and wanted to attend the game with local friends. She described the interaction with nearby spectators as initially friendly, but said it became more contentious as the game progressed.
According to Sey, a woman across the aisle pointed at the group, made an obscene gesture and appeared to film them. Sey said she believed the woman objected to their shirts and may have been trying to get them removed from the arena. The source describes video posted by Sey as showing the woman alerting security. It also says the woman was seen holding a “Trans Lives Matter” sign in online posts.
Sey said security then asked the group to accompany staff. As they walked up the aisle, she said, spectators shouted insults, made obscene gestures and told them they should die. The report recounts additional abusive remarks directed at Sey, including one fan attempting to knock her phone from her hand. These descriptions are attributed to Sey’s account and videos cited by the source; the material does not independently establish each person’s identity or account of the exchange.
Sey said a security guard told the group that they had been accused of provoking other spectators by pointing their shirts toward them. She said the guard indicated the shirts did not violate the arena’s Fan Code of Conduct and asked the group not to hold them up or point them at other fans. Security then escorted them back to their seats, according to Sey. She also said staff offered to escort the group out because of the hostility. A later video, as described by the source, showed the group being escorted from the arena after the game for their safety.
The episode occurred amid broader disagreement over transgender participation in women’s sports. The source refers to earlier disputes at WNBA games involving people wearing XX-XY shirts, including an incident in Atlanta in which a mother and daughter were reportedly told to cover their shirts, and an incident in Seattle involving two teenage spectators and a team co-owner. Those accounts are not independently documented in the supplied material.
The article also cites Valkyries player Gabby Williams’s earlier public support for transgender athletes competing on or against her team. Her remarks followed comments by Sophie Cunningham about protecting women’s sports. The supplied report does not include a response from Williams, the Valkyries, the WNBA or Chase Center concerning the San Francisco incident.
Sey’s account describes a dispute that moved from an initial complaint to a security conversation and then a return to the group’s seats. The available source material centers on Sey’s statements and video descriptions, so it does not provide a complete account from the other spectators or arena staff.
