Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton has been suspended from the team’s next five home games, according to the WNBA, following an exchange with two fans Tuesday night.
Reports say that during the Storm’s game against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night, Keaton made an aggressive statement toward two young girls sitting courtside wearing merch and carrying signs in support of Sophie Cunningham.
The Indiana Fever guard has made news off the court by speaking out against transgender athletes in sports.
Photos from Tuesday night show two teenage girls sitting courtside, wearing XX and XY T-shirts symbolizing sex chromosomes, and carrying signs thanking Cunningham for her support of girls’ sports.
In a post on X.com, one of the girls said that when Keaton first approached them, she thought “she was going to be nice,” but then Keaton started yelling at them.
“She told us that we were f-ing insane,” One of the girls wrote.
Cunningham is one of a few professional and collegiate athletes who have spoken out against transgender kids participating in sports.
Cunningham has spoken about wanting to protect girls from having to compete with transgender athletes.
The majority of the legislative changes resulting from it impact elementary-, middle-, and high school-aged children.
There are currently no openly transgender players in the WNBA. However, in over half the states in the U.S., transgender kids are banned from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identities in both public and private schools.
The suspension comes a day after the team issued an apology for the incident but did not mention Keaton. In a statement on Thursday, the team said it respects the league’s decision.
The league also said Keaton would be fined an undisclosed amount.
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