Gabby Williams said Monday that she got death threats this year for backing transgender athletes, and that she isn’t about to stop. The Golden State Valkyries star spoke at the team’s exit interviews at its practice facility in Oakland, two days after the Valkyries won their first WNBA title, ClutchPoints reported.
“I’ll continue to use my platform in that way, but it’s scary, you know. Obviously, I was getting plenty of death threats,” Williams told reporters, according to ClutchPoints’ Kenzo Fukuda. She said there were security problems as well, and stretches when she didn’t know how she’d keep going.
Ballhalla got her through, she said. That’s the nickname for Chase Center and the crowd that packs it on game nights. “I’ve said it multiple times that Ballhalla became my safe space,” Williams said, SFGate reported, citing Fukuda.
“I’ll never stop fighting for those who maybe can’t fight for themselves in this moment,” she said.
What Gabby Williams Said About Trans Athletes in May
The remarks behind the threats came at a shootaround in May, on a Valkyries road trip to New York. WNBA reporter Jackie Powell asked Williams about LGBTQ+ issues in the league, and she called trans rights “our new battle,” ClutchPoints reported.
“I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team anytime,” Williams told Powell. She didn’t see trans athletes as a problem, she said, and she called the fight over them one more way to go after trans people.
Back in 2020, when she played for the Chicago Sky, Williams wore a “Black Trans Lives Matter” shirt before a game, SFGate noted.
Sophie Cunningham’s ESPN Comments and Natalie Nakase’s Reply
Sophie Cunningham, an Indiana Fever guard, said in a July 21 ESPN feature that she wants to “protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase got asked about it on Aug. 2, before a game against the Toronto Tempo. “For me, sports is about belonging. It’s about inclusivity. It’s about allowing everyone to be their authentic self,” she said at her pregame news conference, according to the Times.
“So I’m all about women, little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women,” Nakase said. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a T-shirt that read “Trans kids belong” that same day, the Times reported.
Four days later, a parody account on X posted a clip of Williams’ May interview, cut out of a longer video, ClutchPoints reported. By late August, Charles Barkley was saying the WNBA should have shut the trans debate down weeks earlier.
Valkyries Fans and Trans Supporters Rallied Outside Chase Center
Before the Valkyries played on Aug. 12, trans rights advocates waved a transgender pride flag outside Chase Center, KALW reported. Honey Mahogany, the San Francisco organizer and artist, was at the game too, the station noted.
“We’re here today to thank Gabby and the coach for speaking so clearly and explicitly,” said Arne Johnson, a Valkyries fan whose child is trans. Johnson said that at Ballhalla, “everybody gets to be here.”
The Finals MVP Behind the ‘For the Gays!’ Rallying Cry
Williams’ “For the gays!” shout on the arena mic at a Pride Night game against the Atlanta Dream has turned into a rallying cry for Valkyries fans, ClutchPoints reported. (The Dream turned out to be the team she beat for the ring.) At Game 1 of the Finals, Valkyries fans confronted anti-trans protesters in the crowd, SFGate reported.
The Valkyries won Game 7 at Chase Center on Oct. 31. Williams scored 30 points, 28 of them after halftime, and was named Finals MVP, ClutchPoints reported.
Williams’ comments came the day before Election Day. Voters in Missouri, Colorado, Washington, Arizona and Nebraska are weighing measures aimed at transgender minors and student athletes today.
At Monday’s exit interviews, she also thanked the fans who’d had her back. “The Bay Area is a pioneer in these kinds of issues and topics, so I’m proud to represent the bay,” she said, per SFGate.
