Around 20 "Save Women's Sports" activists wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts were forcibly escorted out of a Portland Thorns match on Friday night after members of the group were struck and verbally berated by other fans during a demonstration supporting female-only sports.
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members → wear → sports
The confrontation occurred during the Thorns’ match against the North Carolina Courage at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.
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confrontation → occur → Portland
The club’s schedule designated the match as its "Fan Appreciation" night.
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schedule → designate → night
According to a preliminary account, the group entered with their XX-XY shirts covered and kept them concealed through the first half.
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shirts → accord → half
At the start of the second half, they revealed the shirts and unfurled a large banner reading "Save Women’s Sports," but matters quickly escalated from that point on.
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matters → reveal → point
Other spectators, described in the account as supporters of transgender inclusion in women’s sports, allegedly responded with verbal abuse and physical aggression, including striking members of the group with flagpoles carrying trans flags.
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spectators → describe → flags
Security subsequently escorted the roughly 20 demonstrators out of the stadium.
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Security → escort → stadium
The organizers included women’s sports activist Amy Sousa and commentator Brandi Kruse, who previously helped organize rallies supporting WNBA player Sophie Cunningham.
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who → include → Cunningham
Sousa told OutKick that she and other XX-XY Athletics attendees filed police reports after being escorted out of the stadium.
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she → tell → stadium
"We were attacked by fans.
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We → attack → fans
We were hit with flags.
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We → hit → flags
We had drinks and thrown at us," said Sousa, standing behind police outside the stadium because she did not feel safe.
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she → have → stadium
"Other people were forcibly pushed out the door.
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people → push → door
We had an ADA woman in a walker, she was forcibly pushed out the door.
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she → have → door
They let these people hit us with flags, another woman was punched in the face, all because we wanted to stand there in our shirts to protect girls sports.
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we → let → sports
This wasn't the first time Sousa and XX-XY Athletics supporters had been ejected from a Thorns game at Providence Park.
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Sousa → eject → Park
A smaller group was removed in early September, when Sousa said she was accused of being "transphobic" for her pro-women apparel.
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she → remove → apparel
The decision to unfurl the "Save Women's Sports" banner and reveal their shirts at the start of the second half Friday was strategic.
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decision → unfurl → half
Sousa hoped the group could avoid ejection because soccer has no official breaks in play.
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soccer → hop → play
But members of the Rose City Riveters — the Thorns' emphatically pro-trans supporters group — appeared to have caught wind of their intentions.
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members → appear → intentions
Just before the second half began, a number of fans were given transgender pride flags, apparently in an effort to obstruct other spectators' view of the banner and XX-XY supporters.
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number → begin → banner
One man sitting across the aisle from the group repeatedly shouted, "F--- you! F--- you, scum!"
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man → sit → you
Chants of "Trans lives matter!" followed.
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lives → matter → ?
OutKick reporter Matt Calkins, who was credentialed for the match, attempted to document the confrontation but was also subjected to verbal and physical aggression.
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who → credentiale → aggression
He was flipped off, called a Nazi, had his phone knocked out of his hand and had beer poured on his neck.
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beer → flip → neck
The interaction was captured by Calkins on video.
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interaction → capture → video
XX-XY attendees weren't treated much better.
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attendees → treat → ?
Kruse had her right arm restrained behind her back by a security guard, who walked her up the stairs to the concourse and out of the stadium.
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who → have → stadium
This happened after she said she and others were hit multiple times with flags, with the assaulters repeatedly acting like it was an accident.
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it → happen → flags
Kruse added that another XX-XY attendee was pushed over her seat and "tumbled down."
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attendee → add → seat
Aside from one man who poured beer on someone, Brandi said no other assaulters were removed.
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assaulters → pour → someone
"I asked the security guard 'Why are we being asked to leave and they're not not being asked to leave?'
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they → ask → guard
If you want all of us to leave that's another thing, but just us?
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that → want → us
So I said 'I'm not leaving on my own accord'," Kruse said.
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Kruse → say → accord
"So two security guards grabbed me and took me out.
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guards → grab → me
A separate security guard also yanked an Calkins' credential from around his neck as he interviewed Sousa.
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he → yank → Sousa
The guard returned it seconds later but declined to explain his actions when questioned.
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guard → return → actions
Director of security Jim McCausland was texted for comment, per OutKick's request, but said he did not have time to talk.
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he → texte → time
OutKick also reached to the Thorns' communication director for comment — specifically as to why XX-XY attendees were escorted out but not their assaulters — but received no response.
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attendees → reach → response
Roughly half a dozen XX-XY supporters left the stadium before the banner was even revealed, fearing for their safety after seeing spectators wearing "Protect Trans Kids" shirts featuring images of knives.
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banner → leave → knives
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
