Everyone Belongs
I keep thinking about my recent conversation with Billie Jean King, and one thing that she said resonated with me, that there’s no room for exclusion when it comes to equity.
And I think that’s especially prescient now as Portland has become the target of anti-trans activists.
Of course, it was apparent this was coming after former Levi’s executive turned T-shirt maker Jennifer Sey announced on X that after the WNBA, the NWSL is next.
Portland already drew some of these individuals to a Portland Fire game against the Indiana Fever at the Moda Center this summer. More recently, the same group showed up at the Thorns’ match against the Spirit. They took their “protest” to the Sports Bra, a women’s sports bar, following the game, and then again this past Friday.
The reasons they’ve chosen Portland is clear: This city is welcoming. Soccer is welcoming. Transgender people can thrive here. And this city is filled with allies.
It’s because of that community that Portland is the focus of this campaign. They know that wherever they show up, Portlanders will show up in opposition. And that’s how they can clip video confrontations that are shared on X.
It is a lesson they learned from Portland’s recent history. Back before (and during) the COVID pandemic, Portland was regularly visited by groups like the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer. A similar network of right-wing “influencers” spread those clips, blaming “antifa” for the confrontations they elicited and spreading the narrative that Portland was on fire (Narrator: It wasn’t).
When the ICE protests came to the city last year, Portland responded with humor, dressing as frogs, holding dance parties, and forming knitting circles at the ICE facility. With nothing to agitate, the agitators eventually moved on.
I’m not going to break down the reasons why the “Save Women’s Sports” movement is a smokescreen for a larger effort to demonize our transgender brothers and sisters. This community knows that.
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I’m not going to break down the “Save Women’s Sports” movement is part of a larger effort to diminish women’s sports and all of its athletes. This community knows that.
I’m not going to break down how the “Save Women’s Sports” movement is just the latest manifestation of the misogynistic troll campaigns that sprang from Gamergate. This community knows that.
But what I do struggle with as a reporter, in all honesty, is how I should be writing and covering these issues. I interviewed a young transgender athlete a few years ago, and I needed to be blunt: If I write about you, if I tell your story, you are going to face a massive amount of hate, and not just online. She ultimately decided she didn’t want to be quoted.
I also struggle with using the anti-trans voices. I feel like I personally failed in my coverage of the Sophie Cunningham demonstration at Moda Center. How exactly do you quote someone, either a protester OR an athlete, making a bad-faith argument in the first place? Maybe the answer is that you don’t give any oxygen to their viewpoint.
Word has spread that another anti-trans demonstration is in the works. I’m not going say where or when, because I don’t want to give these people any more of a platform than they already have.
As my wise daughter told me: Don’t feed the trolls. If they are ignored, they’ll fail in spreading their message. No confrontations = No video clips to share on X. They’ll just be a sad group of people standing outside a women’s sports bar.
At the same time, there are other ways to be allies. If able, donate to organizations like Athlete Ally. Rachel Rapinoe introduced me to the great folks at FOLX Health, who help people access gender-affirming care. Women can help by donating clothes to organizations that provide transgender sisters in need.
Even the simple gestures are good for the soul, like just checking in on your people. And definitely, if you are in Portland or visiting, stop by the Sports Bra for a drink or a bite to eat. Join the community for a Thorns’ game.
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Links
Okay, so a lot of news happened this week, but perhaps the most shocking was the Kansas City Current parting ways with Vlatko Andonovski. Tamerra Griffin from The Athletic wrote this nice piece about the fallout.
The Wave have acquired Barbara Bonansea from Juventus
The Dash on Sunday fired coach Fabrice Gautrat and technical director Twila Kilgore
Trinity Rodman made it to the US Open to watch Ben Shelton in the final
ESPN asks what Racing Louisville’s future looks like
The NWSL’s new era of side hustles
The Courage are looking for a bigger stadium, upgraded facilities.
Feature on Sam Kerr from USA Today
Could Racing be moving to Cincinnati?
The USWNT under-20s are on to the knockout round at the World Cup
Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
