The New York Liberty displayed at least three halftime scoreboard messages supporting transgender fans Saturday, one day after refunding a woman whose paid message thanking XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey was deemed ineligible.
Meanwhile, outside the Barclays Center, a large crowd of transgender activists held a counter protest to oppose the ninth Sophie Cunningham rally of the season. The activists refused an interview with Fox News Digital, crowded around the reporter putting flags and signs in his face and a sticker on his back, while chanting “trans lives matter!”
The pro-transgender crowd also took the glasses right off the head of a Fox News Digital photographer who was filming the interaction, and never returned them, the photographer says.
During halftime of the the Libertys 109-102 victory over Cunningham and the Indiana Fever, three messages appeared on the arenas scoreboard.
“Big welcome to the NY Liberty transgender fan community! So excited to be here with you all!!” one message read.
A second read, “Welcome Trans Liberty fans! You are loved and you belong!”
“Hey trans fans! Glad you’re here! Go Liberty!” the third message said.
The messages appeared during the same halftime program in which lesbian hip-hop artist Julie Potter expected her own submission to run.
Potter purchased 25 tickets costing more than $2,000 and paid an additional $100 for a custom scoreboard message before Saturdays game. Her original submission read, “Thank you Jennifer Sey! XX-XY Athletics will Save the Day!!”
The Liberty accepted Potters payment before notifying her the day before the game that the message had been changed to, “Thank you Jennifer Sey, thank you for all you do for XX-XY Athletics.”
Potter objected to the rewrite and asked the team either to display her original submission or refund the $100 fee. The Liberty issued the refund Friday.
“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 in an email.
The Liberty have not responded to Fox News Digitals request to explain why Potters original wording was ineligible under its “positive, celebratory content” standard.
Potter still attended Saturdays game, as she purchased 25 tickets for herself and other women’s sports activists who attended the Cunningham rally.
Saturday’
