The University of Wyoming women’s volleyball team announced that it will cancel its upcoming match against the San Jose State University women’s volleyball team due to the presence of a transgender player on the team.
The lapse contradicts previous statements from the University of Wyoming that the game would proceed after consultation with the San Jose team’s staff. The University of Wyoming did not disclose the reason for the team’s change in decision.
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“After lengthy discussions, the University of Wyoming has decided not to play its conference match against San Jose State University scheduled for Saturday, October 5th at the UniWyo Sports Complex,” said University of Wyoming Assistant Athletic Director Nick Seaman. said in a statement. “Per Mountain West Conference policy, the conference will record this game as a forfeit and loss to Wyoming.”
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This is the third team to withdraw from a game against San Jose due to allegations of a transgender player on the team. The forfeiture, along with two other schools (Boise State University and Southern Utah University), was made in response to a lawsuit filed by anti-trans activist Riley Gaines. The lawsuit was later joined by Brooke Slusser, a player on the San Jose team, who claims that Slusser’s teammate, Blair Fleming, is a transgender woman.
The Wyoming Legislature applied further pressure by circulating a letter asking the state’s universities to cancel games.
“Congress should not participate in the extremist agenda of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) because the University of Wyoming is a publicly funded land-grant institution and the lie that biological sex can be changed. We are very clear that it should not be disseminated,” the letter states. , circulated by Sen. Cheri Steinmetz (R). “We all know that’s not possible.”
Fleming has chosen not to publicly disclose her gender identity and remains a private citizen. She also reportedly did not disclose additional details about her identity to the team.
Ms. Gaines’ lawsuit alleges that Ms. Fleming violated Ms. Slusser’s privacy and caused her “physical and emotional harm” by existing as a trans woman in a room with a cis woman. The lawsuit does little to detail the specific harms to trans women in women’s sports.
The complaint also alleges that Fleming is one of the best performers on the team, and that she has the second-highest number of “kills” (referring to unreturned attacks that result in points against the opposing team) on the team. She spikes the ball at “80 miles per hour”.
For Fleming to spike a ball that fast, she’ll need to outperform the top female players. olympic athleteand would rank higher than many top male Olympians.
Fleming has been playing for more than two years. If she were a trans woman, she would have to be repeatedly tested to have the same testosterone levels as a cis woman in order to participate in women’s volleyball.
“Athletic competitions should promote teamwork, growth and healthy competition, not discrimination or exclusion,” Wyoming Equality said in a statement regarding the incident. “We believe that all athletes, including transgender athletes, deserve the opportunity to compete and play in the sport they love. This is personal to me, but I believe that all athletes, including transgender athletes, deserve the opportunity to compete and play in the sport they love. As the first transgender athlete in college, I had a great experience at Wyoming that focused on sports, not politics. Having the opportunity to compete hurts every athlete.”
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