Women have had enough and have decided to take a stand against trans athletes across the country.
The ability for men to play against women has been a hot topic for a while now in the United States, but it seems that some female athletes have said enough is enough. If the system won't protect the girls from trans athletes playing against them, then they will take it into their own hands, and they have.
In North Carolina an all high school girls' volleyball in the Cherokee County School District began forfeiting games in defiance because they did not want to be put in harm's way and face a transgender player.
The girls made the decision after a player on the Hiwassee Dam High School team was injured by a ball spiked by a player on the Highlands School team in Chattanooga. The spike in question was done by what the Cherokee County Board of Education called a "biological male." One of the defenders of the girls, Steve Colemen, stated that the presence of a "biological male" posed risks to girls.
This is just one of many stances that the women athletes in America have taken a stand. More recently Stone Ridge Christian School in California boycotted their state championship semifinal match because the opposing team had a male player on the team. This was not just a one game forfeit, this ended their season and a chance at a state title.
The most famous has been in the Mountain West Conference where San Jose State has a biological male playing volleyball. The Spartans team won a total of 7 games this season because their opponents refused to take the court against a man playing a women's sport.
The transgender player was called out by her own teammate, Brooke Slusser, who joined this class action lawsuit against the NCAA in September that states that the transgender athlete's participation in the sport violates Title IX.
Once it was known that a biological man was playing on the women's team that is when Mountain West teams began pulling out of games. Southern Utah was the first team to say that it would forfeit its match with San Jose State in October. That was followed by a conference game against Boise State. After that four more teams joined the forfeit. Wyoming, Utah State, Southern Utah and Nevada Reno have all stood in unison against allowing their female athletes to participate against San Jose State.
Many believed this would be nothing more than an in-season blip on the radar and once the conference tournament arrived teams would relent, but Boise State took the stakes even higher and forfeited their postseason game.
When asked about the teams not wanting to put their girls in harm's way San Jose State volleyball head coach Todd Kress responded by saying that the women sitting out games sent the wrong message and has been met with 'appalling, hateful messages'. Kress himself was named in the lawsuit by Slusser as giving "preferential treatment" to transgender player Blaire Fleming because of his beliefs.
The teams called for a resolution during the playing year but in district court, Judge S. Kato Crews, appointed by President Joe Biden, denied the emergency injunction request. He said the plaintiffs could have filed it much sooner, as they long had been aware of the trans player’s presence.
San Jose State issued this statement: “All San Jose State University student-athletes are eligible to participate in their sports under NCAA and Mountain West Conference rules. We are gratified that the court rejected an eleventh-hour attempt to change those rules. Our team looks forward to competing in the Mountain West volleyball tournament this week.”
Upon hearing this from Crews the Mountain West Conference said its policies align with those of the NCAA and USA Volleyball. USA Volleyball requires trans women to have undergone at least a year of testosterone suppression before joining women’s teams. And San Jose State is in California, which has no law restricting trans girls and women in school sports.
Many familiar with the case believe it will go to the Supreme Court. Time is not something that athletes have, especially those in school. There is a very limited window to play sports at the high school and college level, but it seems the players believe their principles are just as valuable as the time lost. For now females of every age can only protect themselves by refusing to play the sport they love.
A final note, Colorado State eliminated San Jose State from the tournament last week.