Judge says reportedly trans volleyball player may compete

A federal judge has ruled that a San José State University women’s volleyball player, who some of her teammates and competitors have said is transgender, can continue to play on the team, ESPN reported.

Players on other teams in the university’s conference, the Mountain West, along with a handful of individuals associated with the SJSU team, filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking an emergency injunction to bar the supposedly transgender student from playing on the team. (SJSU has never confirmed that the player is transgender, citing privacy laws, and the player has never publicly spoken about her gender.)

The plaintiffs alleged that her playing on the team denied cisgender women “equal opportunities.” One of SJSU’s co-captains has repeatedly claimed she fears her teammate could injure her or another player, but she noted in a recent interview with KTVU, San Francisco’s Fox News station, that she has never been injured beyond routine bumps and bruises by the teammate she says is transgender.

U.S. District Judge S. Kato Crews ruled against the plaintiffs on the basis that the situation was not, in fact, an emergency; the conference has had the same policy on transgender athletes since 2022, and Crews wrote in the decision, “There is no evidence to suggest they were precluded from seeking emergency relief earlier.” The plaintiffs’ lawyer has filed a notice of appeal.

The ruling comes days before the start of the Mountain West tournament, in which SJSU is the No. 2 seed. Six of the team’s wins this season came from their opponents forfeiting, presumably in protest of the supposedly trans player.