A detransitioned man says he was struck twice in the face with flagpoles by fellow attendees at a Portland Thorns match Friday night, an incident that is now drawing attention to what fans are permitted to carry into Providence Park.
Ari Laureano said the confrontation began after he opened his coat to reveal a T-shirt bearing the logo of XX-XY Athletics, a group that advocates for women’s sports to remain limited to biological females. Laureano said members of the crowd, which he described as strongly supportive of transgender inclusion, reacted by striking him with flagpoles. He also said fans used trans-pride flags to shield themselves while poking other members of his group, several of whom were holding a sign that read “Save Women’s Sports.”
The incident has prompted scrutiny of Providence Park’s policy on flags and poles, since many major sports venues restrict or ban such items outright. The NBA prohibits poles and sticks at its games, and some Major League Baseball stadiums, including Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, explicitly ban flagpoles from entering the ballpark.
Providence Park’s guest guide takes a different approach. It allows flag and banner poles as long as they are “hollow PVC pipe and no longer than 6′ in length.” Wooden and metal sticks or poles are not permitted. The guide also states that a flagpole “cannot be used as a projectile, and must not be constructed of wood, metal or other materials that may cause harm to others.”
It is not clear whether the poles used in Friday’s incident met those specifications. But if Laureano’s account is accurate, poles that were supposed to be limited to the size and material described in the venue’s own rules were nonetheless used to strike people.
Spokespeople for the Portland Timbers and Thorns, who share Providence Park as their home venue, did not respond to inquiries about the policy.
The looser approach to flags and poles at American soccer venues has often been attributed to the sport borrowing fan traditions from European clubs, where supporters routinely wave flags, sing chants and display large banners during matches. Friday’s incident highlights the potential risk tied to that practice, and there is no indication so far that Providence Park intends to revisit its rules.
