Republican leaders urge college conference to ban transgender athletes amid San Jose State controversy

Republican leaders from Congress expressed "serious concern" with the Mountain West Conference astir transgender women participating successful women's sports.

Thirteen officials signed a missive to Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, urging the league to prohibit transgender athletes from playing against biologic women.

"We constitute with superior concerns astir the information and just contention standards for pistillate athletes participating successful the Mountain West Conference," the letter, signed by members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, says.

The missive was sent amid contention astatine San Jose State University, wherever Blaire Fleming, a transgender woman, plays for the women's volleyball team.

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The Mountain West logo connected show during a assemblage shot crippled betwixt the Idaho Vandals and the University of Wyoming Cowboys Sept. 7, 2024, astatine War Memorial Stadium successful Laramie, Wyo.  (Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Several teams person forfeited games against the Spartans this season.

"Title IX was established implicit 50 years agone to adjacent the playing tract for women. Since its implementation, women person participated successful safer and fairer contention — but caller events person shown this is astatine risk," the missive states. 

"Recently, members of your league person forfeited games, risking their competitory standings to guarantee the information of their pistillate athletes. The Mountain West Conference’s nonaccomplishment to prohibit biologic males from competing successful women’s sports is unfair to the women and girls who person worked tirelessly to vie astatine the collegiate level. We applaud the bravery of these pistillate athletes and the universities successful our location states for taking a basal to sphere Title IX erstwhile the Mountain West Conference would not.

"Permitting biologic men to play successful women’s sports is not equitable; it is an injustice. Under these guidelines, it is lone just that biologic males play men’s sports and biologic females play women’s sports. Clearly, the Mountain West Conference has dropped the ball.

Blaire Fleming of the San Jose State Spartans reacts during the 2nd acceptable against the Air Force Falcons astatine Falcon Court astatine East Gym Oct. 19, 2024, successful Colorado Springs, Colo.  (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

"Life isn’t fair, but sports should be. We impulse you to code these inequities successful women’s sports successful the Mountain West Conference immediately, and we look guardant to moving with you to enactment women successful collegiate sports."

Fleming has been one of the apical players successful the league and an violative anchor for San Jose State this season, adjacent amid the controversy. Fleming is 3rd successful the league successful mean kills per service with 3.86 and amassed 297 full kills connected the twelvemonth contempt playing 7 less games than expected owed to forfeits. It's helped springiness San Jose State the 3rd champion hitting percent successful the Mountain West. 

Fleming's teammate, Brooke Slusser, is simply a portion of the suit against the NCAA, and she filed different suit alongside different Mountain West players against the league implicit the alleged beingness of her transgender teammate. Slusser has alleged the schoolhouse deliberately hid Fleming's earthy commencement enactment from her and different players connected the squad and astir the conference. 

San Jose State has repeatedly defended the beingness of Fleming connected the team. 

Blaire Fleming, a redshirt elder astatine San Jose State University, plays arsenic an extracurricular and right-side hitter connected the women’s volleyball team. (San Jose State University)

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"Our athletes each comply with NCAA and Mountain West Conference policies and are eligible to play nether the rules of those organizations. Our volleyball squad members person earned the close to compete, and we are profoundly disappointed for them and with them that they are being denied those opportunities done cancellations and forfeits. We are besides arrogant of however they person persevered done these challenges connected the court," a connection provided to Fox News Digital by a assemblage spokesperson said.

Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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