SJSU volleyball team attracts record crowd protesting trans athlete Blaire Fleming

The San Jose State University Spartans volleyball team attracted a record crowd when they played San Diego State University (SDSU) Aztecs on Saturday, 9 November, the majority of which had reportedly come out to protest the presence of transgender athlete Blaire Fleming (pictured). 

Flemings's presence on the side has seen five teams forfeit matches against the SJSU Spartans, with competing sides arguing over safety risks. The team is now drawing a strong contingent of activists protesting the presence of a transgender player in the women's NCAA volleyball competition, conservative media Outkick reported.

SDSU has condemned the protest, saying: "Poor behavior, including disrespectful language, taunting and any unsportsmanlike conduct, does not reflect the values we uphold, including the Mountain West Conference’s sportsmanship guidelines, and undermines the positive spirit of the game."

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Fleming's place on the team, and the wider issue of transgender athletes in sport, has continued to snowball for NCAA – to the point that SJSU's games now require police supervision (pictured).

It’s not just other teams that have an issue with Fleming either, as co-captain Brooke Slusser has become one of the fiercest critics of the team, Fleming, and the university..

On November 4, associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose was suspended indefinitely after she made a formal complaint over Fleming’s place in the team, as the New York Post reported.

In particular, her complaint alleged that Fleming (right) had conspired with an opposition teammate to injure Slusser (left) in a match.

Slusser has since taken to X to voice her dismay over the recent development: “My assistant coach spoke the truth to protect my team. Then… they (suspend) her. They took away the only safe space we had in the program.”

SJSU's volleyball program has been caught in the middle of a broader national debate about the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports. The team currently sits in third place in the Mountain West conference, largely on the back of the forfeits.

On October 14, The University of Nevada joined Southern Utah, Boise State, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University, citing concerns related to fairness in women's sports. "We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld. We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes," a statement from the team read.

Image Credit: Instagram @Blaire.Fleming

Fleming, for her part, has not publically commented on the issue or to confirm whether she is in fact transgender. However, her Instagram account has been flooded with messages of support.

Image credit: Instagram @blaire.fleming

The NCAA’s policies regarding transgender athletes require players like Fleming to meet specific hormone-level guidelines to compete in women’s sports. Despite complying with these regulations, the presence of transgender athletes has sparked considerable backlash, particularly from conservative-leaning states.

SJSU has expressed disappointment over the forfeitures, emphasizing that their athletes are in full compliance with both NCAA and Mountain West Conference – which the team competes in – rules.

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"It is disappointing that our SJSU student athletes, who are in full compliance with NCAA and Mountain West rules and regulations, are being denied opportunities to compete," the Universtiy wrote in a statement to Outkick.

Photo by Jacob Rice on Unsplash

The Mountain West Conference administrators have since revealed they have received a number of complaints about the safety of the competition as a result of Flemings's involvement, labeling it a "crisis" within the sport.

"Over the last few weeks, we have spoken with distraught student-athletes and their parents, coaches, and administrators throughout the Mountain West Conference (MWC) regarding a crisis in MWC women's volleyball," the letter to the conference read.

The NCAA’s 2022 policy update, which mandates testosterone testing and other criteria, has not quelled concerns among some athletes, coaches, and political figures who argue that transgender women have unfair physical advantages. As a result, a lawsuit has been lodged against the NCAA over its broader transgender inclusion policy.

The lawsuit, led by Riley Gaines (pictured) who has become something of an activist against transgender women's participation in sport, was filed in March 2024 and hinges on the experiences of women who say the policy is discrimination against women, as reported by Forbes.

But it's not just opposition teams that have raised issues with the team – even some of Fleming's teammates have come out against the athlete.

Slusser (pictured middle), is a former roommate and teammate of Fleming, and has stated that Fleming admitted to her she was biologically born male, according to Outkick. Slusser, who is now part of the lawsuit against the NCAA, expressed concerns about her safety after learning Fleming was transgender, a fact she claims was not disclosed to her despite rooming together on trips.

Image Credit: Instagram @brookeslusser04

As a co-captain of the San Jose State volleyball team, Slusser also raised concerns about the fairness of having Fleming compete against female athletes. In her complaint, she estimated that Fleming’s spikes reached speeds of up to 80 mph, far faster than she had ever seen from other female players.

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Slusser added, as reported by the Daily Mail, that despite efforts to avoid Fleming’s powerful hits, her teammates struggled to protect themselves fully. She has also been inundated with messages of support on her Instagram pages.

Image Credit: Instagram @brookeslusser04

The role of transgender athletes in sports is still very much a hot topic with no clear-cut solution – as this particular case shows us. With SJSU tracking well in their season from a results perspective, this issue might even rage on until the finals in December.