College volleyball teams refuse to play San Jose State after right-wing website says they have trans athlete

Why do people think this SJSU athlete is trans?

Reduxx, a clickbait-y site filled with transphobic, poorly-reported stories about "trans-identified males" being predators, pedophiles, and criminals, was the one to "break the story" about this SJSU player.

In a story written by Anna Slatz, the site's co-founder and editor-in-chief, on April 17 of this year, Slatz reported on the athlete's birthname and that she is actually a transgender woman. However, she presents zero evidence of any of this.

What evidence is there that the athlete is trans?

In her takedown piece, Slatz didn't use any hard, credible evidence, but instead relied on anecdotal stories from "the mother of an opposing player" who became suspicious of the targeted athlete's gender during the 2022-2023 volleyball season.

The unnamed, anonymous mother said her daughter claimed there were rumors that the SJSU player was trans and said that she could tell the rumors are true because she allegedly "jumped higher and hit harder than any woman on the court."

"There was no other female athlete on the court that day that could compare with [the player's] athleticism," she continued. "He also had very narrow hips. I took notice of how he was dressed with a longer shirt in the front as well."

Slatz also claims to have seen the Facebook pages of several members of the athlete's family, but does not actually show that evidence or give details other than to allege that "early photos posted to his aunt's Facebook show he was raised as a boy and only began presenting in feminine clothing in 2016" and her "grandmother referred to [her] as her 'grandson' in an early photo."

There is no evidence that these social posts and photos exist, or that Slatz actually found any profiles related to the athlete's family.

Does the evidence hold up?

One of the claims that the SJSU player is trans comes because she is 6'1" and "bigger than other female athletes," however, she is not the tallest woman on her team. That honor goes to 6'3" Alyssa Bjork. There are two other players on the team who are also 6'1" and two more who are 6'0".

Only five members of the 19-woman roster are under 5'10".

Boise State's team, meanwhile, has seven taller players, including three players who are 6'3".

It is worth noting that the targeted athlete is mixed race and Black, while Alyssa Bjork, as well as the three 6'3" players on Boise State, are all white.

Boise State's team also swept San Jose State's team last year when the athlete was on the roster.

The player has been playing girls and women's volleyball for a long time, having competed in high school in Virginia, and these rumors have never come up before or been used to claim that she shouldn't participate in women's sports.

Is there a racial aspect to this?

In the original reporting, part of the evidence that the player is trans is that the mother of an opponent said her daughter claimed she "would stare her down after plays and was extremely arrogant."

This echoes popular complaints about Black athletes in all sports.

There is a pattern when people on the Right accuse women of being trans. Notable women who have previously been accused include former First Lady Michelle Obama, tennis GOAT Serena Williams, Olympian Caster Semenya, and soccer star Barbra Banda. All of these women are Black, all were born as girls, and all were raised as girls.

At this summer's Paris Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who is cisgender, became the target of transphobic and racist hate when people accused her of being a man and a "woman-beater."

What is San Jose State doing about the player?

While San Jose State has stood by the player, one person on her team is not.

Brooke Slusser, San Jose State's co-captain, has since claimed that she "overheard a conversation between two students, who are not members of the SJSU women's volleyball team, in which a statement was made that [the player] is a 'guy'" and has now joined a lawsuit against the NCAA claiming that allowing [the player] to play is a Title IX violation.

In the lawsuit, Slusser claims that the athlete is able to hit a volleyball faster than any woman she has seen and alleges that she came out to her as trans after the Reduxx story was published and that San Jose State told Slusser and the rest of the team to keep it a secret.

What are other colleges doing about this controversy?

So far, three other colleges have forfeited matches against San Jose State's volleyball team rather than face off against them.

Boise State and Southern Utah were the first two teams to forfeit, with Idaho Governor Brad Little applauding the decision, saying "we need to ensure player safety for all of our female athletes and continue to fight for fairness in women's sports."

Does it matter if the SJSU athlete is trans or not?

No. If the controversial player is trans, that is her own personal information, and has no standing on her status as an NCAA athlete.

According to NCAA regulations, transgender student-athletes need to document testosterone levels and any relevant medical information would have been given to her school before she joined the team.

If she is trans, she is not breaking any NCAA rules or regulations.