This Saturday, the San Jose State University (SJSU) women’s volleyball team, the Spartans, achieved a dramatic five-set victory over Colorado State, which allowed them to climb to the top of the Mountain West Conference. The main protagonist was Blaire Fleming, a transgender woman who scored 24 points, including the last one after a serve that a player from the opposing team failed to control.
This is the ‘nice’ part of the story because some of Fleming’s own teammates have filed a lawsuit against her team and the Mountain West Conference for allowing her to play and, in the process, obtain a scholarship at their expense.
Brooke Slusser, captain of the Spartans, is one of the plaintiffs who has asked that her teammate not be allowed to compete in the Mountain West Conference finals, which begin Nov. 27 in Las Vegas.
The plaintiffs claim that university and conference officials violated their Title IX rights, which ensures that men and women are treated fairly in educational settings, including collegiate sports.
At the moment, several teams have refused to play against the Spartans this season, claiming that the speed of Blaire Fleming’s shots, which reach 130 km/h, would put their players’ physical integrity at risk.
Another plaintiff, Alyssa Sugai, said that Fleming was given a scholarship and took her place on the team. Sugai decided to end her collegiate volleyball career without knowing that Fleming was transgender and claims she suffered severe depression as a result.
Spartans assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose was suspended earlier this month for also opposing Fleming’s participation on the team and in the process identifying a transgender player without permission, in violation of privacy rules. Batie-Smoose spoke of a “toxic culture” in relation to Fleming’s presence on the team.