Toxic Environment for Female Athletes - ‘College Volleyball’s Spartan Meltdown’

[UtopiaPlanitia]

I can’t recommend this excellent well-researched article enough - this journalist really did a great job at understanding all the issues that the female players and the assistant coach of this team are experiencing:

https://quillette.com/2024/11/01/college-volleyballs-spartan-meltdown/

‘In a scathing Title IX Complaint obtained by Quillette, a San José State University women’s volleyball coach explains how her school’s aggressively enforced transgender-inclusion policy created a toxic environment for female athletes.’

Another one for the rapidly expanding “it will never happen” file.

Some brave women standing up for what they know is right, some risking their scholarships, education, future employment, others risking their professional reputations , current and future employment. All for someone who is so entitled they think their personal advancement through a lie is more important.

An excellent, if bloody infuriating, article. And it completely misses all the changing room stuff that would really matter to me. It's amazing to think that, I, living on the other side of the world, with no volleyball knowledge, care so much more for that team than do the people around them.

Fantastic article. It's interesting hearing about the dissent on Flemings own team, and the toxic culture that has ensued. I knew that one of Fleming teammates had spoken out, but I didn't know about the associate head coach speaking out too. I don't understand how any sane adult with eyes in their head can preside over this.

Great article, thanks for posting Utopia. Great one to share too - the truth is that most teenage girls will be far more interested to hear about college-age women at San Jose and the ‘Wolfpack’ of Nevada standing up for women’s rights than to listen to their mothers’ opinions

It's so clear to EVERYONE that this situation is unfair which makes it even more infuriating that the wishes of one male are prioritized over the women again and again. What a toxic message.

Did you watch the embedded video, in which Brooke Slusser reveals she was put in shared accommodation with the trans.player without being informed?

No, I didn't, I missed that. Thanks for letting me know, I'll check that out.

That is horrifying. The adults in this University are abdicating their responsibility and duty of care towards these young women.

It's sadistic.

The statement that the coach submitted to ask for the review makes her very brave. It shines a light of what has happened at the school like a beacon. I am very glad that she shared it with quilette too.

From the young women being forced to accept this male player in the games, in practice and in accommodation and being told they should just leave if they have a problem, from them not being informed that this person in on the team when they have made their university choices based being in the volleyball team, to the coaches obviously having their jobs put at risk if they don’t accept this male player, there is obviously major red flags at that university.

This male player seems to be volleyball’s ’Lia Thomas’. And I wish the best for all those female athletes and the staff supporting them.

This though is just impacting this region at the moment. The original person who allowed this to happen has moved on to a Los Angeles region university, is this correct? So would it be safe to assume that it is highly likely that he will repeat this recruitment decision there too?

What a mess. And all to make one male athlete happy.

The pretense is rooted in the official policies of SJSU’s Athletics Department, which demand that the asserted female gender identity of trans women such as Fleming be taken as trumping human biology. This explains why, when the above-described farce finally ended on 26 October, it was UNR, which fields an all-female volleyball team, that was required to forfeit—and not SJSU, which doesn’t.

A neat summary of modern social dilemmas in so many ways.

This trans Vs Title IX really amazes me but shouldn't really.

They've made it part of the constitution that women's sport must be funded properly and still the fuckers find a way around it and are cheered on by so many!

I just saw this on twitter.

https://x.com/bourne_beth2345/status/1852419797079994717?s=46

(Note: there are some automated captions that are entertaining…)

I’ve been thinking about this article since I read it and another issue that stood out to me, and I’m glad the journalist addressed it, is the conflicted feelings and guilt that Fleming’s female team mates feel at playing with him on the team - Slusser is the player whose role on the team is to set Fleming up to take those kill shots that can hurt the women on the opposing team. Slusser feels guilt about this, as do other players on her team, and I’m so glad that someone listened to her expressing that guilt. The young women on the team are being forced to do things that ultimately lead to other women being hurt and their love of their sport must be very tainted by this.

I agree. It was telling to read that the young women on the team also fear those shots coming off this player’s hands. That they turn away during practice to mitigate any injury that might happen in practice.

I think that is the first time I have seen an 'honest' picture of the student in question.

Insane

Notice how in the huddle after a ‘kill’, Fleming leans forward to reduce the perception of height difference between him and his team mates - and presumably these are tall women!

This is quite interesting too. Intimidation much?

https://x.com/bourne_beth2345/status/1852484930850431315?s=46

I wasn't sure if I could wear my "Female" sweatshirt and "XX/XY" hat into last night's SanJoseStateVB game so I stuffed them into my backpack.

Besides the new metal detector and additional police officers (I counted 6), the university gave me this new handout that states "individuals and groups inside the arena may not engage in any form of protest activity, including but not limited to the use of sound amplification, banners, posters, signage, flyers, APPAREL, or any other form of protest or demonstration."

I wore both once I was in the gym and saw the TRAs with their posters and Trans Rights 🏳️‍⚧️ shirts.

And Batie-Smoose has been suspended from her job for her actions standing up for these young women!

https://x.com/babybeginner/status/1852830040087757004?s=46

“BREAKING BREAKING. The news on the volleyball women situation is coming out so fast!!”

“Now the assistant head volleyball coach at San Jose State has been indefinitely suspended for blowing the whistle on what is going on inside the team and filing a title IX complaint!! 1/“

“BatieSmoose, the whistleblower, who told all about the abuse the women and girls are facing inside that team has lost her job! “

“You all ask why no one speaks up? Well, it’s time to support those who do!! 2/“

I really hope all the San Jose women pull out of the volley ball team in support of Batie Smoose and Slusser.

edited to add that I do realise that this could be a huge deal for them, with scholarships etc on the line, but it is so important. Note how the fact that Fleming has taken a woman’s scholarship, potentially excluding her from getting a college ecucation, is so commonplace it doesn’t even get a mention

And now the teams are forfeiting a second time as the tables cycle around.

Boise State forfeiting another game.

www.outkick.com/sports/boise-state-forfeiting-sjsu-transgender-blaire-fleming-november

More on Melissa Batie-Smoose:

@"I walked into the building and was walking up the stairs to the gym, and I was met by administration, who asked me to step outside land speak privately]."

At that point, SJSU officials informed Batie-Smoose that she was suspended indefinitely, effective immediately, and forced to turn over her keys and
school ID.

She was not allowed to gather her belongings from her office, told to leave campus immediately, and instructed not to return to campus until further notice.

"They said I would have to contact personnel at a later date to get into my office to get any of my belongings," she said.

Officials handed her an envelope with the notice of her suspension and instructed her not to speak with the media or any of the players on the San Jose.

https://www.outkick.com/sports/suspended-san-jose-state-volleyball-melissa-batie-smoose-fleming

Do they have the right to instruct her not to speak to the media (or indeed the team members)? I’m not really up to speed on US law here

Here is more. I apologise if people cannot access it, I will try later to copy and paste the legal advisor’s words.

https://x.com/irenebritusa/status/1852826667565404578?s=46

All I can think is that Gary Brickwood is a misogynist and an ideologue if he compares having a male play on the team as having a person who might be on performance enhancing drugs on a team. Way to dismiss the science Gary Brickwood.