Four women protesting transgender athletes at an October 23, 2026, National Women’s Soccer League match in Portland, Oregon, were ejected from Providence Park, only for one rider to have her Lyft account deactivated after a rideshare driver dropped them off on a dark street corner.
Protesters Removed from Providence Park
Approximately 20 individuals, including commentary program host Brandi Kruse and organizer Amy Sousa, attended the game wearing XX-XY Athletics shirts and holding signs reading Save Women’s Sports
during the October 23, 2026, match between the Portland Thorns and the North Carolina Courage at Providence Park on Fan Appreciation Night. The group kept their shirt logos covered during the first half before revealing them and unfurling a banner as the second half began.
Sousa explained that timing the display during uninterrupted play was intended to make it harder for stadium security to remove the group. The demonstration drew immediate backlash from nearby spectators who shouted insults and chanted in support of transgender rights while carrying transgender pride flags. Kruse stated that she was hit with flagpoles and had beer poured on her during the confrontations, while Bay Area resident Julie Lane was struck by another fan and sent tumbling over two rows of seats.
I am stunned over how the stadium handled it. At no point did they offer an explanation as to why we were being removed.
Brandi Kruse, via Yahoo
Security guards intervened and forcibly escorted the demonstrators out of the stadium. Footage reviewed by TMZ showed a guard holding Kruse’s arm behind her back as a second guard assisted in moving her through the seating area after she refused to walk out voluntarily. Stadium security director Jim McCausland declined to discuss the matter because he did not have time, and the club did not respond to initial requests for comment. Protesters questioned why their group was removed while most spectators who confronted them were permitted to remain inside the venue. Fox News reported a Justice Department review and police investigations into harassment and vandalism, with no injuries reported to police or immediate arrests.
Lyft Driver Abandons Riders on Dark Street
Following their ejection from the stadium, Lane, Kruse, Linda Serbu, and a fourth woman ordered a Lyft to return to their hotel. Once inside the vehicle, the driver asked the group, are you the ladies from the news?
Serbu answered yes, believing the driver was sympathetic to their situation. Lane recalled that the driver immediately pulled the vehicle over and demanded they exit.
it’s my own private car, and I can cancel any ride I want to, and you don’t belong in my car.
Lyft driver, via Foxnews
Most of the women were over 50 years old, and Serbu was traveling with a walker that the driver had previously loaded into the trunk. The driver dropped them off in an unfamiliar area described by Lane as a dark corner of Portland.
Lane refused to leave the car, arguing that she had paid for a ride, had done nothing wrong, and felt genuinely unsafe in the location. The driver called the police to report the women for trespassing, describing them on Reddit as anti-trans agitators.
Lane welcomed the call, stating please go ahead and get the cops here. I’d love to talk to them about this.
The police did not arrive before another woman in the group successfully ordered an Uber, which transported them to their destination.
While still in the vehicle, Lane spoke with a Lyft support representative who assured her that the driver would face discipline. However, the following morning, Lane discovered that Lyft had deactivated her account instead. A Lyft spokesperson stated in an email to OutKick that everyone deserves to feel safe and respected on the platform, adding that discrimination has no place in the community and that the safety team was reviewing the incident with both parties.
Portland City Code Prohibits Rideshare Drivers from Refusing Passengers
Under Section 16.40.280(C)(13) of the Portland city code, rideshare drivers are prohibited from refusing to transport passengers of proper demeanor
to destinations within the city after accepting a ride. Despite this, the driver expressed no remorse online, writing on Reddit that it took security more than 15 minutes to eject the crowd and asking officials to better protect fans at Providence Park, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Serbu noted the irony of that statement, clarifying that the group consisted of two lesbians and two bisexual women.
The incident followed an earlier confrontation at Providence Park on September 6, 2026, during a match against the Washington Spirit, when a smaller group associated with the clothing brand was ejected. In a statement reported by KATU, the Portland Thorns explained that those spectators distributed unapproved materials in violation of fan experience guidelines, though Sousa disputed the explanation and insisted her group followed all stadium rules.
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