Boise State University’s women’s volleyball team has forfeited a Sept. 28t match against San Jose State University’s team reportedly because the latter team features a transgender player.
“Boise State volleyball will not play its scheduled match at San José State on Saturday, Sept. 28,” the team said in a statement. “Per Mountain West Conference policy, the Conference will record the match as a forfeit and a loss for Boise State.”
Breaking: Boise State Women’s Volleyball refuses to play against team with a male player, becoming the first Mountain West Conference team to withdraw from a matchup against SJSU and the second team this season.
https://t.co/9aN7exHeQT pic.twitter.com/2tvG2DNWdy— ICONS (@icons_women) September 27, 2024
The team’s decision prompted widespread praise from those who still believe in biological science.
“I commend Boise State’s athletic department and everyone involved in the decision to forfeit their match against undefeated San Jose State,” conservative podcaster Riley Gaines told Outkick. “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,” she added.
The team also received praise from Idaho Gov. Brad Little:
I applaud @BoiseState for working within the spirit of my Executive Order, the Defending Women’s Sports Act. We need to ensure player safety for all of our female athletes and continue the fight for fairness in women’s sports. pic.twitter.com/5cKzzTvSbw
— Brad Little (@GovernorLittle) September 27, 2024
According to Outkick, Boise State is the third school “to either consider dropping out or follow through on dropping a match against San Jose State” because of the presence of a transgender player.
The forfeiture by Boise State comes days after the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS) sent a letter to the Mountain West Conference (MWC) raising concerns about the transgender player, Blaire Fleming, who plays for San Jose State University this year — and whose entrance into the team has coincided with it achieving a 10-0 undefeated record.
“Currently, the MWC, an NCAA member athletic conference, of which all but one of your schools is a public university; San Jose State University (SJSU), a California state university and MWC member school; and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), are violating federal law by … permitting a transgender-identifying male, Blaire Fleming, to compete on the SJSU women’s volleyball team,” the letter reads.
“It is past time for the MWC and for your universities to acknowledge the overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrating that male-female performance differences exist from the earliest stages. Study after peer-reviewed study has shown clear performance advantages for males in sport pre-puberty. Studies also clearly show that male advantage continues to exist even after attempts to suppress testosterone,” the letter adds.
“Therefore, due to enduring sex-based physical differences between men and women, the only way sport can be safe, fair and equal for women is to maintain a protected female category that excludes male competitors. The moment male students-athletes are allowed to invade women’s spaces and sports, whether based on ‘gender identity’ or any other rationale, women are immediately discriminated against on the basis of sex in violation of Title IX and constitutional equal protection,” it continues.
ICONS is currently embroiled in a lawsuit on behalf of more than a dozen female athletes against the NCAA over its allowance of transgender players on women’s teams. Interestingly, one of Fleming’s own teammates, Brooke Slusser, has joined the lawsuit.
“Slusser, having practiced with Fleming and previously roomed with Brayden (‘Blaire’) without knowledge of his being transgender, cited safety concerns in her decision to join the lawsuit,” according to Outkick.
Breaking: 16 Female Athlete’s File Landmark Title IX Lawsuit Against the NCAA
ICONS commitment to funding this lawsuit follows through on our promise to hold the NCAA accountable after prolonged discrimination against its female athletes.
Meet the athletes & read the full…
— ICONS (@icons_women) March 14, 2024
“One thing that’s important in this case is really the physical safety issues in volleyball,” Slusser’s attorney Bill Bock, told OutKick. “And that’s what they’re facing in practice every day. So it’s just a crazy, misguided policy that steals athletic dreams from women and gives them to men, and at the same time, puts women’s health and safety in danger.”
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Author: Vivek Saxena
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