Brooke Slusser, a former co-captain of the San Jose State University (SJSU) volleyball team, has shared that she’s been forced to finish her final semester of college from home after receiving intense backlash over her stance on the transgender issue that divided the team.
She had previously supported opposing teams’ decisions to forfeit games against SJSU due to the participation of a transgender teammate, Blaire Fleming.
This support led her to take legal action against the university, filing a lawsuit regarding Fleming’s involvement on the team.
The Lawsuit and Legal Battle
In November, Slusser, along with 10 other current or former Mountain West players, as well as former SJSU associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, filed a lawsuit.
They claimed that the university, along with officials from the Mountain West Conference, had violated their Title IX rights by allowing Fleming to play.
The lawsuit also called for Fleming to be declared ineligible for the conference tournament and sought to have SJSU’s wins vacated.
Slusser and the other plaintiffs further alleged that their free speech rights had been violated because they were discouraged from expressing their views about Fleming’s participation.
Facing Harassment and Safety Concerns
The backlash Slusser faced was severe. She described experiencing on-campus harassment, online threats, and mental health struggles after speaking out.
Feeling unsafe on campus, she and her family made the difficult decision for her to complete her studies remotely from her home state of Texas.
“I would just be walking, and I’d have people say things to me, like I had one girl just scream ‘f*** you!’ to me,” Slusser shared with Fox News.
She also recounted an incident in an elevator where some girls said, “oh, that’s the girl, you should have slapped her when you had the chance.”
These experiences left her feeling constantly on edge. “I literally just didn’t feel safe.
Anytime I left the house, I felt like people were just staring at me, and I had to watch my back,” she said.
Additionally, Slusser received threats from individuals who said they planned to confront her on campus.
“You never know what people will do,” she noted.
The Lawsuit Against SJSU
In September, Slusser had joined Riley Gaines’ lawsuit against the NCAA, which alleged that SJSU’s volleyball coaches and administrators had kept information about Fleming’s biological sex from the team.
Then, in November, she filed her own lawsuit against the university and the Mountain West Conference, asking for specific action regarding Fleming’s eligibility.
Slusser’s lawsuit claimed that SJSU had instructed the volleyball team to remain silent about the issue, warning that speaking out would be considered “transphobic.”
Several of her teammates were reportedly upset that they had only discovered Fleming’s biological gender when rumors began to circulate on campus.
The lawsuit also detailed that several teams—Southern Utah, Boise State, Utah State, Nevada, and Wyoming—had forfeited games against SJSU due to Fleming’s participation.
Slusser had warned the coaches ahead of the season that forfeits were likely, but her concerns were dismissed.
According to the lawsuit, she was told by head coach Todd Kress that protests against Fleming would not lead to any action.
Concerns Over Safety and Fairness
Slusser’s main concern was the safety of her teammates, particularly the risks they faced while playing against Fleming, who could spike the ball at 80 miles per hour—faster than any other player in the conference.
Slusser believed this gave SJSU an unfair advantage and put players at risk of serious injuries, including concussions.
At the time, NCAA policy allowed transgender women to compete in women’s sports if their testosterone levels were suppressed to below 10 nmol/L. SJSU maintained that all its players, including Fleming, met the eligibility criteria.
However, just this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring transgender women from participating in women’s sports, leading the NCAA to revise its policy.
Looking Ahead
As Slusser continues her education virtually from Texas, the controversy surrounding transgender athletes and women’s sports remains a hotly debated issue.
Despite the challenges, she remains resolute in her stance and her legal efforts.