The playoffs are here, and the Valkyries are showing the universe that they are anything but in a second-year slump. They have a healthy bench and a healthy appetite for wins, sealing the first round Friday night against Dallas in their biggest comeback ever and then beating the Aces on Sunday in Game 1 of  Round 2, best of 5. 

The Valks have developed their identity this year as a unified, ruthless defense. Coach Natalie Nakase’s repeated mantras in press conferences have been: defense makes offense, health (physical and mental) are top priority, and “emptying the tank” is not asking too much of these players.

This season has also been continuously marked by the Valks showing us that they will not shut up and just dribble when hate enters the stadium. Coach Natalie Nakase stated in an interview with “Valkyries, Say Less” earlier this summer, “What I’m really proud of is that we’re not just athletes here, that they take responsibility of impacting the community … of being a role model to someone they can inspire.” 

Ballhalla has given many of us a sense of freedom and belonging in a world that is too often divided and violent. So it was no surprise when Coach Nakase offered her inclusive insight into who should be allowed to play sports, specifically girls’ and women’s basketball, saying, “Sports is about belonging … I have been criticized for my height, for my ethnicity. I've been in those 'you shouldn't belong here' moments, and for me I don't want that space, especially Golden State, to ever feel like that … I'm all about women [and] little girls deserving to play, and that includes trans women.”

Coach’s comments came in stark contrast to Fever player Sophie Cunningham’s August 3rd post-game rant that girls “shouldn't have to go against biological men", implying that trans girls are not girls and that trans women are not women. 

While some may have disregarded the comment by the 24-year-old Fever player as part of the rage bait economy, this particular dog-whistle echoed the Trump administration’s multiple executive orders and policies to declare only two sexes, to discharge trans military, to subpoena hospitals providing trans care, etc. So many took Cunningham’s comments very seriously. The issue galvanized players, coaches, franchises, fans, and the League to declare which side of history they were on. 

Another Valkyrie, Gabby Williams, also spoke out in support of trans athletes. Williams said, “I would welcome a trans athlete on my team or against my team, anytime … I don't think it's a problem in the world; it's just another way to kind of attack trans people.”

Williams is establishing herself as a star player and a proud queer advocate/icon this season. She inspired Ballhall’s “For the gays” chant on Pride Night at Chase by yelling the phrase into national television cameras. She was distinguished as Valks’ 2026 All-Star Game starter and took time that weekend to unabashedly express her love for her partner Marine Johannes of the New York Liberty, as seen in the All-Star Weekend press conference posted on the official Valkyries website. 

Backlash to Williams’ pro-trans comments did not seem to affect her play nor quiet her queer expression; in fact, she’s thriving on the court, landing second place for Defensive Player of the Year to Angel Reese and being honored with the Alain Gilles trophy as France’s MVP of all sports for 2026. 

Ballhalla, with its in-house 18,064 nightly seat takers as well as too many to mention beyond the violet walls, has shown the team that they are ride or die for both Valkyries’ basketball and politics. After Gabby’s and Coach’s ten-toes-down defense of trans people, there were a few anti-trans t-shirts and signs at a few home games. But Ballhalla showed up the first chance they got after Cunningham’s comments and the Valkyries leadership’s clap backs. 

At the August 12th game, a large trans flag waved in the wind on the top turf of Thrive City as the Chase Center hosted Valkyries mascot Violet’s birthday with a disco theme.  The local community group Rainbow Family Action printed thank-you posters for fans to hold up during games and collected thank-you notes to Nakase and Williams. 

San Francisco Transgender Initiatives director Honey Mahogany attended the birthday bash and sat courtside for the Valkyries’ win over the Chicago Sky. Mahongany is a Bay Area culture creative as an award-winning drag artist who has earned awards from the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, The GLIDE Center for Social Justice, and the Women's Foundation of California. Before the game, Mahogany met with “Valkyries, Say Less” to share her thoughts about all kids being able to have access to sports: “Kids just want to belong. It's really an important part of development to play team sports, to learn how to get along with each other, and to learn about sportsmanship. For those kids that gravitate towards sports as a way to spend time with their friends, I think it’s really important that they have access.”  

 As a leader of trans and civil rights in San Francisco, Honey Mahogany’s presence was an exciting sign of the times: Bayhalla will not silently ignore nor accept transphobia. As she walked into her first game courtside, a thank you sign in hand, she shared, “I’m really excited to support the coach and Gabby for using their voice to really stand up for trans people and for queer people. This is a team that has a lot of love from the queer community and trans folks, and I’m seeing it reflected in the crowd today. We’re showing up in support, so I’m really proud to be here.”

It’s unfortunate that 2026 W season was marked by all too common ignorance and aggression, including death threats and unprecedented government intervention, inappropriate fan conduct, and two ex-NBA players mocked and demeaned trans women after saying they’d try out the W, which caused the WNBA’s anti-hate task force to meet and League to offer an official statement, “... we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others.” 

Transphobic hatred is a predictable part of the Maga playbook. What many did not see coming was that the Valkyries would take up the fight against it midseason. For many fans, it was a relief that Valks' leadership reflected common Ballhalla values. Ballhalla exists as a community, dare we say congregation, of Bay Area beliefs in freedom, joy (hyphy for many), and everyone being invited to the party. Ballhalla is not just a stadium on the east side of SF. Bay Area culture, beliefs, and people make Ballhalla. Grass roots fan groups, independent media focused solely on the Valks, and rambunctious watch parties throughout the Bay make Ballhalla. We are Ballhalla. Say Less. 

 Each home game, the stadium fills with queer joy surrounded by acceptance from people who are not queer. Straight kids in the stands see that. Teenage cis boys see that. Babies in noise-canceling headphones feel the vibration. People in the closet witness it and hopefully feel less alone

Ballhalla, fans and team, offer a model for what women’s sports and girls’ sports can be. How fortunate for all of us that this is happening in San Francisco. These players are inspiring a new generation of girls to take the court. Tiffany Hayes and Laeticia Amihere even have nonprofits to make sure that if a girl loves basketball, she gets the opportunity to get a ball in her hands, build bonds with team mates, learn discipline, get exercise, and compete.

What Maga and Sophie call for, is that we only let some girls play. But at what length will people go to provide their daughter a trans-free childhood? Isn't it weird to try to figure out whether your neighbor’s daughter is taking puberty blockers or is simply a tomboy cis girl? On a practical level, aren't we all too busy as parents trying to get our own kids to the dentist on a weekend so we don’t have to take off from work? How does anyone have time for this meddling? 

As Tiffany Hayes says, “Drink water and mind your business!” Because once children are placed into a category of unacceptable and excluded from play, the joy of sports and the safety and privacy of all kids are at risk. History has shown us what happens when societies become comfortable describing entire groups of human beings as dangerous, less worthy, or fundamentally “other.” While every political or sports question has its own context, the mechanism of dehumanization within sports is worth paying attention to. If there is anything to fear, it is not trans kids. It is dehumanization.

Luckily, Bay Area kids are learning what dehumanization looks like when they see it. The California Department of Education code requires that schools teach students about the dangers of dehumanization and offers resources for addressing hate and recognizing  polarization and persecution.  

We also see Bay Area teenagers engaging directly with the political climate around them. Much of the Bay experienced hope in the February 2026 protests, when high schools emptied out to protest ICE violence and the Trump regime. Student newspapers in the Bay, such as California’s oldest student newspaper The Aegis of Oakland High School, Oakland Tech’s  The Scribe, Berkeley High’s The Berkeley High Jacket, and Tam High’s  The Tam News, to name a few, document adolescent perspective and experience of the political climate. Lincoln High School’s Lincoln Log covered the school visit of the U.S. House of Representatives and pointed out that both Chan and Weiner support trans rights. 

Back in 2023, Urban High School’s The Urban Legend assessed the increasing anti-trans legislation, writing, “Despite evidence that gender-affirming healthcare improves mental health for trans folks, U.S. politicians insist on limiting and banning LGBTQ rights under the guise of protecting children.”

More recently in May 2026, in the Lowell High School student newspaper “The Lowell”, senior Opinions Editor Stella Schulte offered, “The quest for contentment and self-love is a cornerstone of adolescence, and carries into adulthood as we change, mature, and grow into ourselves. For transgender and genderqueer youth, this pursuit is hindered by society’s rigid binaries. But gender euphoria, the feeling of comfort and happiness in one’s own gender and body, is possible.” 

These young people give us reason to believe that the next generation is paying attention and can lead the grown-ups to progress and a better future. Acceptance and inclusion make for happier kids. Because before trans girls and women are an “issue,” they’re our kids, our siblings, our besties, our cousins, our neighbors. Maybe they’re the kid who has been obsessed with basketball since they were six years old. Maybe they’re the person sitting three rows behind you at Chase Center screaming their head off when the Valkyries hit a logo three. Maybe they’re your kid’s new best friend. Or maybe they’re part of your life, and you don’t even know it.

And of course the rhetoric and “debate” is all a distraction from the real threats to our girls’ scholarships and safety in sports, such as Title IX noncompliance (boys still get more scholarship money and better facilities), abuse due to lack of background checks for coaches, “trad wife” propaganda telling girls they don't need to go to college, lack of access to period products and sports bras, disproportionate ACL tears in females (more science please!), drug addiction, social media harm, energy drinks… the list goes on.

The broader argument behind anti-trans rhetoric is that some girls should have to prove they belong in girls’ sports by meeting particular standards around hormones or sex characteristics. In professional sports across the globe, it’s a non-issue (there are no trans players in the W right now) or the athletes are monitored in the way the organization dictates.

Ballhalla shook its head, “Nah” to transphobia, and the anti-trans posters and t-shirts don’t show up to Thrive anymore. The Fever’s season ended, and the anti-trans fever in the W has subsided. Nevertheless, Ballhallians can continue to focus on the good fight to get more kids access to playing sports. What to do when the debate over whether a kid is a kid is kid is a kid is finally over? Donate to Tip or Amihere's orgs or volunteer to coach or invite a teenager to play pickup for the first time. If you're really feeling Bayhalla, call your representatives before the midterm and encourage them to take a stance. Heck, tell them to get to Ballhalla so they can see for themselves the power of women’s sports in the Bay. 

In the meantime, while we all enjoy the warm sunshine and the lull in dogwhistling this week, the Valkyries and fans can focus all energy on our next battle: the 2026 semifinals. Ballhalla will be ready and loud for game 2 of round 2 against the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday, 6:30pm, at home, where everyone is welcome. 

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