A growing legal battle involving a transgender volleyball athlete on the San Jose State University women’s team has ignited national debate over fairness, privacy, and safety in women’s sports.
At the center of the transgender volleyball at the controversy at the California college is Blaire Fleming, a transgender player who joined the San Jose volleyball program in 2022 and competed for the Spartans in the Mountain West Conference. The LGBTQ issue erupted publicly when teammate and former co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit challenging policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
A federal judge has now significantly narrowed the transgender volleyball legal challenge, reportedly dismissing most of the claims brought by the group of female athletes. The lawsuit had been filed by 11 college volleyball players who objected to Fleming’s participation on the San Jose volleyball team. The judge allowed only one claim to move forward while throwing out several others tied to the conference and additional defendants.
COURT RULING: Blaire Fleming, a 6-foot-1 transgender player for the San Jose State women’s volleyball team, has been allowed to compete in the Mountain West Conference tournament following a federal appeals court ruling. Fleming, a redshirt senior who transferred from Coastal… pic.twitter.com/f6Rrk4zgMQ
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) November 27, 2024
The group of plaintiffs included several athletes from the University of Wyoming — Macey Boggs, Sierra Grizzle, and Jordan Sandy — who joined Slusser in the legal action. Their transgender volleyball lawsuit targeted not only the California State University Board of Trustees, which oversees San Jose State, but also San Jose State’s head volleyball coach and several other individuals connected to the program.
Fleming, described in the transgender volleyball case as a biological male, became the focus of intense LGBT controversy during the 2024 season when multiple opposing teams refused to face San Jose volleyball due to concerns over a transgender athlete competing in women’s sports.
Those forfeits dramatically shaped the Spartans’ season. With several teams declining to play, San Jose State was credited with seven victories by forfeit, helping the team reach the conference playoffs with a 12-6 record.
In her legal filing, Slusser claimed that Fleming’s biological sex had never been disclosed to teammates before they were required to travel together and share accommodations. She alleged that the team had been placed in situations where they were sharing hotel rooms and locker room facilities without being informed beforehand.
A former volleyball coach is suing San Jose State University for losing her job after she filed a Title IX complaint about a transgender player on the team.
The coach alleges the school showed favoritism toward the transgender player over others and withheld knowledge about the… pic.twitter.com/YXl36ar1zn
— Outnumbered (@OutnumberedFNC) October 2, 2025
Slusser also made a more explosive claim in the transgender volleyball lawsuit, alleging that Fleming had coordinated with a player from an opposing team during a match in a way that resulted in a female athlete being struck in the face by a spike.
However, the judge in the transgender volleyball lawsuit last week dismissed all of the claims brought by the women against the Mountain West Conference. Those claims centered in part on allegations that Slusser herself had been the intended target of that alleged attack during a match.
The players had asked the court to block the conference from permitting transgender athletes to compete in championship-level events — including the 2024 postseason in which Fleming participated.
Despite the dismissal of those transgender volleyball lawsuit claims, other aspects of the legal fight remain active as the broader debate over transgender participation in women’s sports continues to unfold across the country.
Slusser has repeatedly criticized how the situation was handled by San Jose State officials. “It makes me so mad that SJSU still refuses to see that everything they did is wrong,” Slusser said according to a Daily Mail report. “I think they’re just too scared to admit it and face the repercussions of their actions!”
The controversy surrounding the San Jose volleyball program has drawn national attention as courts, athletic conferences, and universities grapple with evolving policies regarding transgender athletes.
Federal officials have also weighed in on the transgender volleyball matter. The U.S. Department of Education previously ruled that San Jose State had violated Title IX by allowing Fleming to compete on the women’s volleyball team.
Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education, said the decision harmed female athletes. “SJSU caused significant harm to female athletes by allowing a male to compete on the women’s volleyball team — creating unfairness in competition, compromising safety, and denying women equal opportunities in athletics,” Richey said.
San Jose State officials, however, maintain they followed the existing eligibility rules governing transgender athletes in collegiate competition. As lawsuits and policy battles continue nationwide, the legal fight surrounding the San Jose volleyball program remains one of the most closely watched transgender disputes in women’s sports.
