Republican senators and representatives have sent a letter to the commissioner of the Mountain West Conference, stating that the NCAA Division I conference is in violation of Title IX sex discrimination protections. They also accuse the conference of failing to meet the gender equity requirements outlined in its own handbook.
“Allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports is not fair; it is unjust,” states the letter. “According to these guidelines, it is only reasonable for biological males to participate in men’s sports, while biological females should compete in women’s sports.”
“The Mountain West Conference has clearly dropped the ball,” the statement asserts.
The group of lawmakers consists of Republican representatives from three states where the conference schools are situated. This includes Senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee, as well as Representatives John Curtis, Blake Moore, Burgess Owens, and Celeste Maloy from Utah.
Additionally, Senators Mike Crapo and James Risch, along with Representatives Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson, represent Idaho. Lastly, Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, along with Representative Harriet Hageman, hail from Wyoming.
Lawmakers are urging action in response to the ongoing debate surrounding the gender identity of a member of the San Jose State University’s women’s volleyball team.
While the letter does not specifically mention the university or the player by name, it addresses the controversy that has been surrounding the issue for months. The player, who remains anonymous and has not made any public statements, has not been confirmed by the university as transgender.
In September, Brooke Slusser, a volleyball player at SJSU, became a part of a lawsuit along with several other female athletes against the NCAA. The lawsuit aims to address the participation of transgender athletes in school sports, arguing that it violates the Title IX rights of cisgender female athletes.
One of the key figures in the lawsuit is Lia Thomas, a transgender woman and former University of Pennsylvania swimmer, whose participation in the national women’s swimming championships in 2022 sparked significant controversy.
Last week, Slusser, along with 10 other former and current athletes in the Mountain West Conference, filed a separate lawsuit against the conference and three SJSU staffers. They alleged that the conference and the staffers had violated the players’ Title IX rights.
Five women’s university volleyball teams, including Utah State University, the University of Wyoming, Boise State University, the University of Nevada, and Southern Utah University, voluntarily forfeited matches to SJSU after rumors started circulating about a transgender player.
According to Michelle Smith McDonald, a spokesperson for SJSU, the university’s athletes adhere to the policies set forth by the NCAA and Mountain West Conference. They are eligible to participate in sports under the rules established by these organizations.
In an email, she expressed her strong disapproval of using students for political purposes and conveyed her ongoing concerns about the potential consequences of such actions.
She emphasized the university’s commitment to safeguarding the well-being of its students as they pursue their deserved opportunities to compete. Moreover, she reaffirmed the institution’s dedication to fostering an inclusive and nurturing environment for student athletes.
The SJSU player at the center of the dispute has been unresponsive to numerous requests for comment in recent weeks.
