Activists Say They Were Ejected, Not Attackers, After Clash at Portland Thorns Game

About 20 members of the advocacy group XX-XY Athletics were escorted out of a Portland Thorns match at Providence Park on Friday night after other fans allegedly threw food, beer, flags and poles at them during a demonstration supporting female-only sports.

Amy Sousa, one of the activists involved, said she and others in the group filed police reports after being removed from the stadium. She described the incident during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus.”

Sousa said the group attended the match wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts carrying a “Save Women’s Sports” message. She said security told her the shirts did not violate any stadium policy, but she believes the group was removed because security “could not protect us adequately” from fans who were harassing them.

“This is a bit of political theater. We went with a very clear message, and our message was ‘Save women’s sports.’ And we were forcibly removed from a women’s sporting event for expressing support for the very category that makes that event possible,” Sousa said.

Sousa said she did not understand why her group was ejected rather than the fans who allegedly harassed them. “I think a lot of people would love to hear the answer to that question,” she said.

Outkick, which first reported the incident, said its reporter Matt Calkins was credentialed for the match and was also subjected to verbal and physical confrontation while covering the demonstration. According to the outlet, Calkins was flipped off, called a Nazi, had his phone knocked from his hand and had beer poured on his neck. A security guard separately pulled his credential from around his neck while he was interviewing Sousa, then returned it without explanation.

Outkick said it texted the Thorns’ director of security, Jim McCausland, for comment, but he said he did not have time to talk. The outlet said it also reached out to the team’s communications director asking why the XX-XY attendees were removed while the fans who allegedly harassed them were not, but did not receive a response.

This was not the first ejection involving Sousa and XX-XY Athletics supporters at Providence Park. Sousa said a smaller group from the organization was removed from a Thorns game in early September, when she said she was accused of being “transphobic” for wearing the group’s apparel.

Sousa said the group’s broader goal is tied to a recent incident in Camas, Washington, where she said 12 girls walked off their field during a competition because a boy was competing against them.

“This is about protecting the integrity of the category of sex. It’s about defending the promise of Title IX, that girls deserve equal athletic opportunity and fair competition and safety on the basis of sex,” Sousa said. “So we are a group that stands with those girls, and actions like this draw attention to their struggles. Young girls should not be forced to become activists in their competition. They need adults who are willing to stand up and speak out for them.”

“This isn’t about identity, this isn’t about the trans trend — this is about the integrity of girls sports,” she added.