Toronto WNBA team introduces new butch turtle mascot with she/they pronounshttps://www.thepinknews.com/2026/08/21/wnba-toronto-tempo-new-mascots-dez-dot/ 🔗Siân Thompson (21 Aug 2026)
The WNBA has given us many things, but their latest gift to basketball fans is a butch snapping turtle with she/they pronouns.
The Toronto Tempo unveiled its two new mascots this week, and queer fans immediately zeroed in on Dez and Dot, noticing that Dez, the snapping turtle, is listed as using she/they pronouns and, according to the lore, DJs in their spare time. Fans were also particularly curious about whether the pair are really just friends.
Dez is a "borealis blue" snapping turtle from Muskoka, Ontario, who is described as calm, clever and always thinking a few steps ahead. She's also very clearly serving a certain kind of butch energy.
Dot, meanwhile, is an arctic hare from Toronto who uses she/her pronouns and is described as the energetic, enthusiastic "hype woman" to Dez's more measured personality.
According to the pair's backstory, posted on Tempo's website in a 19 August press release, Dot followed the northern lights south to Ontario, where she met Dez. The two then discovered a "shared love of rhythm."
