A California woman was filmed telling a basketball fan to kill herself because she was wearing an XX-XY Athletics T-shirt, which critics consider anti-transgender.
The fan was Jennifer Sey, founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics, a clothing brand that sells apparel featuring slogans such as “XX-XY.” The slogan refers to the sex chromosomes typically associated with females and males, respectively. The company promotes the view that biological sex determines whether someone is male or female and opposes transgender inclusion in women’s sports.
The company’s messaging has drawn criticism from transgender advocates and others who view its position on women’s sports as anti-transgender.
Sey shared a video of herself and a group of friends attending the first game of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream. Sey and her group wore XX-XY Athletics T-shirts to the game. In the caption, she wrote, “We were scolded for antagonizing people with our shirts.”
In the video, security escorted Sey and her group away from their seats after receiving complaints that they were antagonizing other spectators with their shirts. As they left, Sey filmed the woman involved in the incident. The woman was filmed giving Sey the middle finger and then appeared to try to swat the phone out of her hand.
The woman continued confronting Sey, telling her, “You’re disgusting.” She repeated the insult and made the same vulgar gesture again before escalating the confrontation by saying, “[expletive] kill yourself.” Sey and her friends continued leaving the arena as some people in the crowd booed them.
The rest of the video showed a security staff member speaking with the group about their T-shirts and the accusation that they had antagonized other spectators. By the end of the clip, Sey and her friends were allowed to return to their seats.
During the conversation, the security staff member indicated that the shirts themselves did not violate the venue’s fan code of conduct but asked the group not to hold them up or point them toward other spectators.
In another video, one of Sey’s friends said the group was simply supporting girls. Sey also defended their decision to wear the shirts in her caption, writing, “It’s not a provocation. It’s just a shirt. And yeah… I’m trying to make it normal to say no men in women’s sports. To protect girls’ opportunities and privacy.!If we’re not afraid to be visible, it moves the needle. And we’re not afraid.”
This was not the first reported confrontation involving someone wearing XX-XY Athletics apparel, as the brand’s messaging has drawn criticism from people who view it as anti-transgender.
Viewers Attack California Woman Over Remark Toward Basketball Fan
Many viewers criticized the California woman for what she said to Sey. They argued that people should not be verbally attacked over the shirts they choose to wear. “One commenter expressed concern for Sey’s safety, saying, “I’m sorry you were done this way. Jennifer Sey said she might be going. I prayed for her safety. It’s an interesting crowd. God bless you.”
Other viewers continued criticizing the woman and those who confronted Sey and her group. Some believed that the people responsible for the verbal abuse should have faced consequences. “These cowards can’t even reprimand the aggressors,” one person wrote. Another commenter criticized both the group wearing the shirts and those confronting them. “The people wearing the shirts are low vibration animals just as much as the people accosting them. Both sides deserve nothing but shame,” they said.
The incident raised questions about how venues should handle confrontations involving controversial messages on clothing, particularly when tensions rise among spectators. While some viewers argued that people should not face verbal abuse for expressing their beliefs through what they wear, others emphasized security staff’s responsibility to manage disputes without letting them escalate.
Sey later said security escorted her group out of the arena after the game because of the hostility they encountered from other spectators.
