NCAA volleyball player Brooke Slusser said she disagrees with having male athletes on her team and knows it's not right.
Controversy has swirled at San Jose State University after it was revealed that a 6-foot-1 male player named Blair Fleming (real name Brayden) was on the undefeated team.
In response to this situation, Slasher Lawsuit against the NCAA It calls on college organizations to stop male athletes from competing with women and ban them from women's locker rooms. The lawsuit stems from a women's swimming competition that included Leah Thomas, a “trans woman” who won the 2022 NCAA Swimming Championships.
In an exclusive interview with Blaze News, Slusser explained that when he transferred from Alabama to San Jose State last year, he had “no idea” he would be playing with men.
Slusser noticed “something different” about Fleming during his first practice at SJSU, but he never imagined there would be a man on the team.
“That's how I was raised, so I didn't have to think twice about whether it was a man or a woman,” the Texan said. “force [of Blaire] It was something I had never seen before. ”
“I was like, 'That's insane, but it's okay,'” she laughed.
Slusser said he would not question why Fleming hit so hard because there was no reason to believe there were men on the team at the time.
sharing a room with a man
Slusser said that when she arrived at SJSU, her coach told her there were three girls on the team looking for roommates.
“That would be amazing,” Slusser recalled thinking, not knowing one of those girls was Fleming. The senior saw it as an opportunity to get to know his teammates while living in an off-campus apartment. She jumped at the chance to experience it.
After rooming with Fleming on a road trip, Slusser begins to wonder why she is regularly rooming with Fleming, even though her teammates rotate with others. Ta. She later learned that Fleming was specifically asked who she was “comfortable with” and that Slusser was one of those people.
This is just one example where a male athlete's emotions seem to take precedence over the rest of the team.
“I found it very strange that other people were swapping places on away trips, but for some reason I kept rooming with the same people. Usually it’s normal to swap places… and I just stayed the same.” I kept sharing a room with people.” [Fleming]. ”
After two months at SJSU, Slusser learned Fleming was a man, and she said everything started to make sense at that point.
However, the SJSU staff doesn't seem to care at all about how the majority of the women's team feels about the situation, choosing instead to focus on Fleming's health.
“We had meetings, and a lot of times it was just checking in on Blair. … We were like, 'What about us?'” Slusser said. . “It's mainly just saying you're not the one to identify Blair's gender identity. Girls are told, 'Blair needs to do it herself.'
Slusser said the most frustrating aspect of this ordeal is how much of a nuisance this is for the female players, and that team management knows for the seniors that their last chance to play volleyball at a high level is being lost. He said it was about being there.
“Everyone above you says you shouldn't speak for Blair's sake, you need to make sure the other person is okay. And… [the management] We're not thinking, 'Are we going to be OK?'” Slusser explained.
Asked if Fleming was in the locker room with the women and if that made him uncomfortable, Slusser simply said, “They're all in the locker room.”
“So… that's the thing. This is the team's locker room,” Slusser said with a disappointed look on his face.
“I fully support Boise State's decision not to play us. If I were in their shoes, I would probably do the same thing.”
canceled match
Two teams, Southern Utah and Boise State, have already withdrawn from games against SJSU. Neither team gave a specific reason for the disqualification, but Slusser said the reason was clear.
“I think everyone knows why the game was canceled,” Slusser said. “I fully support Boise State's decision not to play us. If I were in their shoes, I would probably do the same thing.”
Nevada, which plays SJSU on Oct. 26, is another team that could be withdrawn as well.
nevada mother Carissa Cheney I recently gave an interview daily signal And he said “every player is scared” to play against Fleming because of the high risk of injury.
Slusser said her family has been as supportive as possible, adding she couldn't have asked for better parents.
“My parents know this case is much bigger than just me,” Slusser said. “This is how I use my voice.”
“What I'm going through is… something I disagree with to my very bones. It's not right.”
Ms. Slusser concluded that joining the lawsuit was ultimately not a difficult choice for her, as she has felt the need to speak up on behalf of others most of her life.
The college athlete was adamant that she wanted to help other young female athletes avoid having to go through the same thing.
“Right now I just do what's best for the team,” she added.
Slusser expects other athletes to join the lawsuit. You might be surprised.
Do you like Blaze News? Avoid censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. Please register here!
