A group that says it is representing female athletes has launched a lawsuit against the NCAA after the women were “blindsided” by the inclusion of an unannounced transgender player for the San Jose State University women’s volleyball team.
Concerned Women of America (CWA) filed the lawsuit after the NCAA cleared 6-foot-one Blaire Fleming, who identifies as a woman, to play for San Jose this season without telling the rest of the conference that he would be playing, according to Fox News.
“We want to protect the integrity of women’s sports but also the safety of these female athletes,” CWA representative Macy Petty told Fox News.
“Many of these schools were unaware that there was a male athlete on this team until this news article came out in April,” Petty continued. “We just want to make sure that these schools know exactly what is going on in this athletic program because the NCAA and SJSU had not previously given them the decency to even let them know what was happening.”
“Female athletes were put in this odd position of showing up on the court and looking at the other side and realizing that something was different about this game,” Petty said. “I’ve never seen an athlete play like this before, which makes total sense considering that this athlete, first of all, is not female, but the net is seven inches shorter than it should be for male players.”
Petty added that the female athletes feel “blindsided” by the NCAA and San Jose because they were never told of Fleming’s status and inclusion.
“There’s no informed consent for the schools or for the female athletes here. They’re totally blindsided when they walk up to the court, and they see that there’s a male athlete on the other side,” Petty exclaimed.
Petty added that it was not fair for women to have to weigh a $100,000 sports scholarship on one hand and their safety and dignity on the other.
The CWA’s lawsuit is not the only one against the NCAA over Fleming’s inclusion.
Another lawsuit was filed by former NCAA swimming champion and women’s rights activist Riley Gaines. The suit includes SJSU volleyball player Brooke Slusser, who alleges that her school did not inform the women that Fleming is a man identifying as a woman.
Slusser added that Fleming can drive a spike at 80 miles per hour, “which was faster than she had ever seen a woman hit a volleyball.” She added that female athletes are afraid of being concussed by Fleming.
“Due to the NCAA’s Transgender Eligibility Policies, which permit Fleming to play on the SJSU women’s volleyball team and which led to SJSU recruiting Fleming, giving Fleming a scholarship, and allowing Fleming to be in positions to violate Brooke’s right to bodily privacy, Brooke has suffered physical and emotional injuries, embarrassment, humiliation, emotional distress, mental anguish, and suffering,” the lawsuit states.
Fleming has sparked widespread unrest among women’s volleyball. San Jose is now facing boycotts from Boise State, Southern Utah, and the University of Wyoming.
All three teams have already refused to play against San Jose because of Fleming’s inclusion.
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