U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews has denied requests to require a member of the San Jose State women’s volleyball team to sit out of an upcoming conference tournament over allegations that the player is transgender. The Mountain West Conference Women’s Championship is set to open the weekend of Nov. 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nine current players in the conference filed a lawsuit arguing that allowing a transgender person to play on the women’s team was a safety risk and unfair. The plaintiffs also argue that Title IX bars transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
Crews’ ruling notes that the “alleged trans teammate” has been on San Jose State’s roster since 2022 and has played throughout the season.
San Jose State hasn’t confirmed whether a transgender student-athlete is a member of the women’s volleyball team. The player also hasn’t publicly discussed their identity.
However, in the ruling, Crews wrote, “No defendant disputed that SJSU rosters a trans woman volleyball player.”
Throughout the season, several opponents refused to play San Jose State and forfeited those games, granting the team six victories. The judge also declined the request to re-seed the tournament to exclude the forfeited losses.
In a statement, San Jose State University said it will “continue to support its student-athletes and reject discrimination in all forms,” adding that all athletes remain eligible under NCAA and 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,” the statement read.
The plaintiffs said they plan to appeal the ruling.
The Independent Council on Women’s Sports is backing a separate lawsuit against the NCAA over its policy permitting transgender women to compete in women’s sports.
