The Boise State University women's volleyball team has forfeited a match against San José State University (SJSU) due to the presence of a transgender athlete on SJSU's team. The decision, announced a day before the scheduled game, has sparked debate over transgender participation in women's sports.
Boise State's statement, released Friday, did not explicitly mention the reason for the forfeit, stating only that they would not play the match scheduled for Saturday, September 28. The Mountain West Conference will record the match as a forfeit and a loss for Boise State.
The player at the center of the controversy is Blaire Fleming, a senior at SJSU who has played three seasons for the university after transferring from Coastal Carolina University. Fleming is a transgender athlete who identifies as female.
Idaho Governor Brad Little praised Boise State's decision, citing his recent executive order prohibiting males from competing in women's sports. He tweeted, "I applaud [Boise State] 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."
The situation has gained additional attention due to a lawsuit filed against the NCAA by several female athletes, including Brooke Slusser, Fleming's teammate and co-captain at SJSU. The lawsuit, filed by the Independent Council on Women's Sports, alleges that the NCAA has violated Title IX by allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports.
Slusser, in an interview with OutKick, expressed her difficulty in accepting Fleming's presence on the team, stating, "I couldn't comprehend the fact that there was a man on the team, and it was almost as if I was in denial for a really long time that this was happening."
