Chaos broke out on the streets of Portland after opposing groups clashed outside The Sports Bra, a women’s sports bar that had asked patrons to leave after they wore shirts suggesting transgender women should be barred from competing in women’s sports.
The Sports Bra, which broadcasts women’s sporting events, drew attention earlier this month after asking a group wearing anti-transgender shirts to cover the clothing or leave the establishment.
About two weeks later, on Sunday, right-wing demonstrators gathered outside the LGBT-friendly bar to protest its actions. Counter-protesters soon arrived, and tensions quickly escalated.
Bear mace was used during the confrontation against people defending the bar, according to KOIN 6 News.
Reporter Ariel Salk said she was struck by the mace while attempting to question protesters as they moved away from the bar.
Several videos shared on X appeared to show people defending the bar following the right-wing activists and throwing objects as the group tried to leave the area.
The confrontation later shifted to the area outside a Fred Meyer grocery store. In one video, people identified as right-wing protesters ducked for cover as apparent counter-protesters threw objects toward them.
On September 6, a group of patrons entered The Sports Bra in Northeast Portland but were quickly banned after staff saw they were wearing clothing from XX-XY Athletics, an apparel brand that supports separating women’s sports based on biological sex
The confrontation continued outside a grocery store, where pepper spray was deployed, objects were thrown and physical fights broke out
The groups first clashed outside the sports bar before right-wing activists moved toward a Fred Meyer grocery store
The grocery store’s glass sliding doors were smashed as screams and bullhorns amplified the disorder.
Another video appeared to show a man wearing an XX-XY Athletics shirt throwing an object during the confrontation.
In another parking-lot exchange, a right-wing protester was heard saying, ‘Get the f*** away from me b****,’ before spraying mace at a person defending the bar, with a police officer standing nearby.
When another counter-protester challenged the officer, he responded, ‘She’s walking away while you guys are clearly approaching her.’
‘She’s trying to walk away while you guys are right behind her,’ the officer added.
A separate video appeared to show an independent right-wing journalist being struck in the head by an object thrown by a woman from only a few feet away.
The journalist then threw the woman to the ground and appeared to strike her as the scene descended into further disorder, with people running, pepper spray filling the air and screams heard in the background.
Right-wing demonstrators reportedly gathered outside the lesbian-owned sports bar on Sunday to protest the establishment, where they encountered counter-protesters
‘We’re going to continue to fight back against any hate in Portland,’ Holly Brown of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization told KOIN.
‘You know, we kind of see this as these people are emboldened by Trump, and so we can’t allow it to stand here in Portland. So as long as they’re coming out and attacking any marginalized community, we’re also going to come up and stand back and fight back against them,’ Brown said.
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According to the outlet, the Portland Police Bureau reported that officers responded to a disturbance near Northwest 24th Avenue and Broadway Street around 3.30pm.
Officials described the scene as two groups clashing and used de-escalation techniques to calm the opposing groups.
‘Two groups of people with opposing views were causing a disturbance and were reported to be pepper spraying each other,’ the Portland Police Bureau said in a press release.
‘The two groups eventually separated.’
The Sports Bra, a bar fully dedicated to women’s sports, initially shared a statement on Instagram shortly after asking the patrons to leave in early September.
The bar also claimed that it instructed the group to cover the messages on their shirts or leave.
‘On Sunday, Sept. 6, a group entered wearing apparel with messages advocating for the exclusion of trans women from sports,’ it read. ‘When our team respectfully gave the group the choice to cover the anti-trans messaging or leave, they chose to leave.’
Several videos posted to X show violent clashes between protesters, with mace being deployed, objects being thrown, and physical altercations
One of the patron’s banned from the bar recorded herself after being banned
After having kicked out the patrons the bar then took to Instagram to double down on its stance and explain why those customers were not allowed to wear the t-shirts
The Sports Bra later shared another statement on Instagram.
‘At The Sports Bra, our mission is simple: support, promote, and empower ALL girls and women in sports. To be clear: trans girls are girls, and trans women are women.
‘Since day one, we’ve built our space to be inclusive, especially for people who don’t feel comfortable at a traditional sports bar. That includes LGBTQ+ community members. As a reminder, the T stands for trans. We welcome people of every identity and background, but we do not tolerate messages or conduct that demean or exclude the very community we exist to serve and celebrate,’ the business said.
The bar concluded by saying that it is ‘firmly committed to inclusion and belonging for everyone who walks through our doors.’
A previous protest was held on September 11, just days after the group was banned from the bar.
The incidents come as the debate over transgender athletes’ space in sports, particularly women’s sports, rages.
The legal and cultural debate is about whether transgender girls and women should be allowed to participate in female athletic teams.
Advocates for transgender rights claim the fight is a direct attack on a person’s civil rights, while their opposition believes it is unfair if transgender females play in sports that biological girls and women are in.
In June, the US Supreme Court ruled that states now have the authority to ban transgender athletes from female school sports.
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