Historic Old Main at Utah State University campus in Logan, Utah. (Photo by raclro via Getty Images)
Two Utah college volleyball teams have forfeited scheduled matches with San José State University amid a controversy related to a transgender player.
Southern Utah University and Utah State University decided not to participate in upcoming games against the California school after current and former athletes from different states, including one from the San José State volleyball team, sued the National Collegiate Athletics Association over the participation of transgender women in sports, what they described as a violation of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex on educational programs.
Transgender students can participate in a sport-by-sport approach determined by the national governing body of the sport, according to NCAA guidelines. The athletes must also meet testosterone levels standards prior to competitions.
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Southern Utah was the first school to cancel a game, which was scheduled for Sept. 14. Joining the forfeitures were Boise State University and the University of Wyoming, whose team, according to WyoFile, was under pressure from the state’s Legislature not to play.
And, on Wednesday, Utah State University, released a statement confirming it wouldn’t participate in a game scheduled on Oct. 23 and that it “will abide by Mountain West Conference policy regarding how this match is recorded.”
None of the Utah schools publicly stated the reason why they canceled.
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“The Southern Utah University volleyball team opted to compete in just two non-conference games at the Santa Clara Tournament,” the university said in a statement. “Southern Utah informed the tournament directors and opposing teams of the decision, and we wish them well with the remainder of their respective seasons.”
Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, who in 2022 vetoed a bill that banned transgender high school and middle school students participating on sports teams of the gender they align with, expressed support for SUU and USU’s decision to forgo their matches against San José State.
“It is essential that we preserve a space for women to compete fairly and safely. Our female athletes are left grappling with this difficult issue because the NCAA has failed in its responsibility to protect female athletes and women’s sports,” Cox said in a social media post. “It’s time for the NCAA to take this seriously and protect our female student athletes.”
Earlier this year, Cox also signed a bill passed during a special session that bans Utah government officials from complying with a Title IX update that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and would allow transgender students to participate in sports teams and use bathrooms and other facilities of their gender identity. Utah has joined a lawsuit suing the Biden administration over the change.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, both Republicans, also wrote similar messages supporting the cancellations of their state schools.
“I applaud @BoiseState for working within the spirit of my Executive Order, the Defending Women’s Sports Act. We need to ensure player safety for all of our female athletes and continue the fight for fairness in women’s sports,” Little wrote on X.
After reading about the controversy, Rep. Sahara Hayes, D-Millcreek, who advocates for LGBTQ+ rights in the Utah Legislature, said she felt heartsick for the public attention the California athlete is facing.
“At the end of the day, it is a college girl, that one, is being publicly outed on a wide scale, and two, is being targeted by this lawsuit and by some of my colleagues,” Hayes said. “I think it’s really a shame that elected officials in Utah are participating in this, essentially, online harassment of a college girl.”
The whole controversy, Hayes said, speaks to the culture created in Utah over legislation passed recently, which, in her view, has normalized not being accepting of people who are different and would just like to exist in society.
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“The thing that’s frustrating is people keep talking about protecting women and protecting female athletes, and that was a big part of what we discussed in the special session. But at some point you have to ask, what are we protecting them from? People who are different?” Hayes said. “Because, if so, that’s just discrimination. And if we’re saying we’re protecting them because people are scared of men, then that is a question that should be addressed separately, without continuing to target and discriminate against trans women.”
House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, joined Cox in his support for the schools’ decision and also urged the NCAA “to take action to protect our female athletes and preserve women’s sports,” in an X post.
“To the Utah State and Southern Utah Women Volleyball teams: We stand behind you and are cheering you on!,” Schultz wrote. “Thank you for standing up for not only yourselves, but for women across the country – current and future generations!”
In another post, he thanked Riley Gaines, the former competitive swimmer who is leading the lawsuit against the NCAA for including transgender athletes in sports.
Gaines also celebrated USU’s decision to cancel the game on social media.
“A movement is in motion. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the NCAA has a decision to make. So far, the NCAA has prioritized inclusion over safety & fairness,” she wrote.
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