How San Jose State was suddenly thrust into volleyball transgender controversy: This breaks me
The controversy surrounding the San Jose State University’s women’s volleyball team is getting more complicated as opposing teams continue to forfeit matches amid reports that Spartans redshirt senior Blaire Fleming is transgender.Fleming played the previous two seasons at San Jose State — after one year with Coastal Carolina — in virtual anonymity before her presence on the Spartans’ roster this season suddenly started making national headlines.It seemingly began when Southern Utah forfeited its match against San Jose State in the Santa Clara Tournament last month.That sparked a series of forfeits from three other schools — Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State — in recent weeks.
It further became public that Fleming’s teammate, roommate and team co-captain Brooke Slusser joined several other female athletes in a lawsuit suing the NCAA for violations of its Title XI inclusion of trans athletes in college sports.The class-action lawsuit was filed in March and funded by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS).In a Sept.
30 interview with OutKick, Slusser, a junior starting setter, explained it was “an easy decision” for her to join the lawsuit against the NCAA.“It’s crazy to say, but it was an easy decision for me to join because it’s something I truly believe in.
And it’s been easy because all the support that I’m getting — 99 percent of it is just love and encouragement,” Slusser said.“So, for me, it shows that I made the right decision to join.
This is something that so many people do care about.It’s just that so many people are scared to talk about it.”Slusser said she lived with Fleming and three other teammates — and that she did not know at first that Fleming is transgender.
Slusser said the SJSU athletic department would assign her to room with Fleming on road trips, and then she later learned that Fleming specifically requested her as a roommate.She claimed the SJSU athletic department discouraged p...