Liberty's Stewart seeks 'safe space' amid rallies over transgender participation

NEW YORK -- Liberty star Breanna Stewartsays she has always seen the WNBA as an inclusive place that has served as a safe space for both its fans and the players. That's been challenged lately.

The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women -- people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity -- should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA.

Although the league's collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

There have been small rallies and protests outside Indiana Fever games after the issue came to a head when Fever guardSophie Cunninghamsaid in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls' and women's sports. There are rallies planned before the Liberty face the Fever on Saturday night in Brooklyn.

"Knowing that rallies are happening on both sides shows the platform that the W has, and the stunts for attention are just continuing to try and ride the wave that we have," Stewart told a small group of reporters Saturday morning. "I want Liberty fans and even Indy fans that are going to come here tonight to be able to have this arena be a safe space."

At least three fans were asked by WNBA security personnel to cover shirts that had messages about transgender women participating in women's sports during Sunday's game in Atlanta between the Dream and Fever. The league later said the fans should have been free to wear those shirts.

Stewart said Liberty fans specifically, but WNBA fans in general, come to games because "they can feel like they can be themselves in whatever capacity that is, and we don't want to lose sight of that."

The Liberty forward said everyone is entitled to their opinion, and if that stops being allowed there are much bigger issues. However, she said, trying to divide teams and players shouldn't be tolerated.

"If we don't allow [free speech], we need to like really kind of go back and look at more things. I think the bigger thing is people are trying to divide us as teams, but also as teammates or as opponents," she said. "This league is incredibly inclusive and what we continue to fight for and stand up against. So we don't want to take that platform away."

Stewart has been an ally for the transgender community during her career. She faced some online backlash last year when one of her signature shoes had a Harry Potter theme to it. Stewart is a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and subsequent movies by author J.K. Rowlings, who has drawn criticism for her anti-trans stance.

Stewart has donated royalties from that shoe to The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ youth.br/]