Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his daughter Mattie wore matching XX-XY shirts in support of protecting women’s sports to a WNBA game Thursday – but, unlike other ticketholders who have done the same, they weren’t accosted by anyone connected to the pro-transgender athlete league.
“As a dad of female athletes I’ll fight to keep men out of women’s sports. Proud to be repping xx-xy with my daughter tonight,” Paxton wrote in a social media post sharing a photo of the two sporting the shirts at a game between the visiting Indiana Fever and their host, the Dallas Wings.
Fever's player Sophie Cunningham has sparked national controversy by saying that biological female athletes shouldn’t have to compete against biological male athletes who identify as females.
“Sophie Cunningham isn’t afraid to stand up for women’s sports. @KenPaxtonTX praised the Fever star for refusing to stay silent,” @Outkick commented Friday, posting video of Paxton and his daughter.
Sophie Cunningham isn’t afraid to stand up for women’s sports.@KenPaxtonTX praised the Fever star for refusing to stay silent. pic.twitter.com/TYje8nlcb3
— OutKick (@Outkick) August 21, 2026
XX-XY Athletics Founder and CEO Jennifer Sey also posted video of the Paxtons wearing her company’s shirts acknowledging the difference between male and female athletes.
If you want to protect women’s sports you do it in @xx_xyathletics
Thank you @KenPaxtonTX pic.twitter.com/72hKRgtBDK— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) August 21, 2026
Fans wearing the XX-XY shirts have been accosted at WNBA games in recent weeks, because of their support for Cunningham’s pro-female athlete message.
In one instance, Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton cursed at a pair of teenage girls who were at a game wearing the shirts. Following public backlash, the league suspended and fined Keaton.
Then, at Sunday’s game between the Atlanta Dream and the visiting Fever, the Dream’s security officers told Kasey Thomason and her 17-year-old daughter, Annie, that they had to either cover their XX-XY Athletics shirts or leave the stadium.
Again, after public backlash, the Dream issued a statement Monday, in which it blamed WNBA security for wrongly accosting the two fans and quoted an apology by the league:
In contrast, Attorney General Paxton and his daughter were able to attend a WNBA game without incident.
