A Gotham FC Fan Made Transphobic Comments About A Cisgender Player. Now They’re Banned From Future Matches
A fan, who made transphobic comments about Barbra Banda during a Gotham FC versus Orlando Pride match, has faced the consequences.
Barbra Banda, the cisgender star of the NWSL team Orlando Pride, has once again been the target of hateful transphobic language from fans at a recent match versus Gotham FC. Now, the New Jersey-based team has revoked the fan’s season tickets and banned them from entering future Gotham events and matches.
On March 23, at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey, a fan reported witnessing hateful language being used by season ticket holders in her section toward Banda (pictured above), stemming from racist and transphobic conspiracies previously spread about the player. The fan shared in a Reddit post, “One fan got pulled aside by security after he cheered for Banda falling down and yelled ‘she shouldn’t be on the field anyway!’”
Following the Reddit post, Gotham FC got in touch with the fan, other witnesses, Orlando Pride, and Banda herself to sort out the unacceptable situation. The club posted to social media the next day disavowing the hateful actions and alerting fans to an investigation with the NWSL. Orlando Pride also responded with a swift post to social media, stating, “This behavior is unacceptable and has no place in our league or in our stadiums.” The club also praised Banda as an “influential advocate for soccer”, a “role model,” and someone they pledged “to celebrate and support on and off the pitch.”
Related: Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas Promises To Stand Up For Fellow Trans Athletes
Banda, a striker for Orlando Pride and captain of the Zambian National Team, is no stranger to transphobic rhetoric. In 2024, after being named the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, UK-based transphobes, including JK Rowling of course, began spreading the false narrative that Banda was a man “cheating” to win women’s sports and that the BBC was making an attempt to demean cis women in sports.
Much like the outrage over Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who was accused of being a man at the Paris Olympics, the outcry over Banda stemmed from a previous ban from competing in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations due to a “sex verification” test that revealed testosterone levels that were allegedly too high. Banda and her team deny that this test was ever administered at all and that the Council of African Football has never disclosed having a maximum testosterone level.
Following the recent incident and subsequent investigation, Gotham FC revealed on Wednesday that the behavior had violated the NWSL Fan Code of Conduct, causing the fan to be banned from attending future games and stripped of their season tickets. The NWSL itself sent a message of support to Banda and reassured fans that the league would remain a safe space, writing, “We are committed to ensuring that our venues are safe and respectful for all—especially for the athletes who represent the very best of our sport. Barbra Band is both an exceptional player and person, and the NWSL is immensely proud to support her as a member of our league.”
Related: USA Fencer Disqualified For Refusing To Compete Against Trans Athlete
On March 15, Banda was also the target of a confusing protest outside of the Women’s League Cup Final, a league that she is not in and plays 5,000 miles away from. Protestors stood outside the stadium with signs reading “Band Banda” and a sign with the definition of the word woman on it. These obviously confused protestors, who again were outside of a match that had nothing to do with Banda, were not removed by security.
Fans of the NWSL, which has, throughout its existence, remained a safe space for queer and gender nonconforming people alike, have also come out to share their support for the player.
While it is shocking that narratives like this have made their way into a league that has, for the most part (I’m looking at you Korbin Albert), remained a safe space for all people, it is assuring and shocking given the current trends that both clubs and the league took such swift actions against this hate. If you’re a racist transphobe and you think an Orlando Pride game is a safe space for you…think again.
