A women’s college volleyball match has been forfeited amid controversy surrounding the presence of a transgender player.
Boise State announced the forfeiture of Saturday’s match with San Jose State on the school’s athletics website without offering a specific reason.
‘Boise State volleyball will not play its scheduled match at San José State on Saturday, Sept. 28,’ read the statement. ‘Per Mountain West Conference policy, the Conference will record the match as a forfeit and a loss for Boise State. The Broncos will next compete on Oct. 3 against Air Force.’
Meanwhile, the Mountain West Conference has been notified by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) about athletes’ safety concerns regarding Blaire Fleming, a redshirt junior on San Jose State who is reportedly trans.
The exact concerns from Boise State have not been directly addressed. However, one of Fleming’s teammates, Brooke Slusser, has said Fleming admitted to being biologically male, per Outkick. Fleming has been cleared by San Jose State to play for the school’s women’s volleyball team for three seasons, joining the team in 2022.
‘Slusser competed for SJSU and roomed with SJSU women’s volleyball team member Blaire Fleming for most of the 2023 season unaware that Fleming was a trans-identifying male who was able to compete on the SJSU women’s team because of [NCAA policy],’ read a portion of the motion filed this week in US Federal Court and obtained by DailyMail.com.
The motion goes on to claim that Slusser voiced concerns about safety to school officials. Furthermore, Slusser claims she was told by the school to refrain from speaking about the gender identity of teammates.
Outkick has published portions of ICONS’ letter to the Mountain West Conference.
‘Over the last few weeks, we have spoken with distraught student-athletes and their parents, coaches, and administrators throughout the Mountain West Conference (MWC) regarding a crisis in MWC women’s volleyball,’ the letter to the conference read, per Outkick.
Riley Gaines, a critic of trans athletes in women’s sports who has connections to both ICONS and Outkick, issued her own statement to the Fox-owned website.
‘I commend Boise State’s athletic department and everyone involved in the decision to forfeit their match against undefeated San Jose State,’ Gaines wrote. ‘Some principles transcend winning on the court, and the safety and well-being of female athletes is one of them.
‘It’s encouraging to witness a growing number of institutions prioritizing fairness and athlete safety over forced inclusion. I hope to see more universities follow the lead of Boise State and Southern Utah, standing up for what’s right and protecting the integrity of women’s sports.’
Gaines stopped short of citing any specific safety concerns.
San Jose State, meanwhile, declined to address the gender identity of any of its players.
‘We are operating our program under the regulations of both the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference,’ read a statement provided to DailyMail.com. ‘Our student athletes are in full compliance with NCAA rules and regulations.
‘We will not address the gender identity of any student as they are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).’
The NCAA has since released a statement on the game’s cancelation that led to the Spartans record improving to 10-0. However, the statement neglected to address the allegations put forth by ICONS and Outkick.
‘College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America and the NCAA members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition for all student-athletes in all NCAA championships,’ read the statement.
Boise State is reportedly the third school to refuse a scheduled match against San Jose State or to have considered pulling out.
