A U.S. Magistrate Judge in Denver, S. Kato Crews, ruled on Monday to reject a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in the upcoming Mountain West Conference women’s championship. The player, who is transgender, has been allowed to continue competing in the tournament scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas.
The ruling came after nine current players filed a lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference challenging the league’s policies on transgender player participation. The players argued that allowing the transgender player to compete posed a safety risk and was unfair.
While the player's identity has not been publicly confirmed by San Jose State or the forfeiting teams, Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an 'alleged transgender' player in his ruling. He noted that no defendant disputed the presence of a transgender woman volleyball player on the San Jose State roster.
The judge emphasized that the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief earlier and that the conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022. The transgender player has been on the San Jose State roster since 2022, maintaining the status quo.
Despite competing at the college level for three previous seasons, including two with San Jose State, the player's identity drew significant attention this season, sparking controversy among players, pundits, parents, and politicians.
The tournament is set to begin on Wednesday and continue through Friday and Saturday, with San Jose State seeded second. The judge's order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament.
Throughout the season, several teams refused to play against San Jose State, resulting in forfeits in the official standings. Teams like Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State, and Nevada incurred losses due to their refusal to compete. Southern Utah was the first to cancel a match against San Jose State this year.
Notably, Nevada’s players stated their refusal to participate in any match that they believed advanced injustice against female athletes, without providing further details.
Judge Crews, who previously served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court, was appointed as a federal judge by President Joe Biden in January of this year.
