University volleyball team forfeits over alleged trans player on opposing team

[Jessica_Rose]

University volleyball team forfeits over alleged trans player on opposing team

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/university-volleyball-team-forfeits-over-alleged-trans-player-on-opposing-team/ar-AA1rBv5M?ocid=windirect&cvid=a93fa443ae184cf7942b6cec98629721&ei=28

Story by Mira Lazine (2 Oct 2024)

The University of Wyoming women's volleyball team just announced that they'll forfeit their upcoming match against the San José State University women's volleyball team because San José allegedly has a transgender player.

This marks the third team to forfeit a match against San José due to allegations of a transgender player being on the team. This forfeiture, along with the other two — from Boise State University and Southern Utah University — comes in response to a lawsuit filed by anti-trans activist Riley Gaines. This lawsuit, which was later joined by a player on the San José team, Brooke Slusser, alleges that teammate and Slusser's roommate Blaire Fleming is a transgender woman.

"Athletics should be about fostering teamwork, growth, and healthy competition — not about discrimination and exclusion," Wyoming Equality commented in a statement about this incident. "We believe every athlete, including transgender athletes, deserves the opportunity to compete and play the sports they love. This is personal to me, as the first transgender athlete at UW I experienced the best of Wyoming, a focus on playing sports, not politics. Taking away opportunities to compete hurts all athletes."