An attempt to ban transgender volleyball player Blaire Fleming from San Jose State’s upcoming playoff games has been rejected by a federal judge, according to reports.
The New York Times revealed on Monday that the judge has given the green light for Fleming, who is a biological male, to compete in the postseason with SJSU’s women’s team despite the uproar surrounding their inclusion.
Multiple opponents have refused to play against the Spartans this season amid safety concerns about the player, allowing them to pick up seven victories via forfeit to advance to the postseason with a record of 12-6.
A host of players from colleges in the same conference as SJSU, the Mountain West, had filed a lawsuit seeking to block the redshirt senior from the tournament, before some of Fleming’s teammates even hopped on board.
The lawsuit argued that allowing them to participate would knowingly violate a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in women’s sports.
However, Judge S. Kato Crews – an appointee of President Biden to the US District Court in Colorado – ruled on Monday that Fleming can continue to compete on SJSU’s women’s team despite that plaintiff.
An attempt to block trans volleyball player Blaire Fleming from San Jose State’s upcoming playoff game has been rejected by a federal judge
Fleming and the Spartans are guaranteed a semifinal tie, where they will meet either Utah State or Boise State – two of the teams who forfeited against them earlier this season.
Along with Wyoming, Boise State has refused to play them on two separate occasions in 2024 amid concerns over Fleming.
Amid the controversy, which has sparked national debate, some of SJSU’s own players have turned on the school, filing a lawsuit against their head coach, the college and the Mountain West Conference.
The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday, asked for Fleming to be declared ineligible for the tournament, SJSU’s wins to be vacated and the team to be deemed ineligible for the conference tournament.
According to the filing, team captain Brooke Slusser, who previously backed Nevada women’s volleyball players for fighting against playing SJSU, demanded that officials remove Fleming from the roster ahead of the Spartans’ conference championship game in Las Vegas later this month.
Slusser along with 10 other current or former Mountain West players and SJSU associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose claim the university and conference officials violated their Title IX rights.
