Judge rules alleged transgender athlete can compete in upcoming college volleyball tournament

A judge in Colorado on Monday rejected a request to block a player from competing in an upcoming collegiate volleyball tournament, after several players filed a lawsuit that alleged the individual was transgender.

Nine collegiate volleyball players sued the the Mountain West Conference last week in order to challenge the league’s policies of allowing transgender players to participate with biological women. The players argued that allowing people who were born male to compete with those born female was unfair and posed a safety risk.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kato Crews in Denver said the San Jose State player can continue competing at the collegiate level, after playing all season, and can participate in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship in Las Vegas later this week.

The judge referred to the player as an "alleged transgender athlete," because there has been no public comment from the school or athlete on whether the team has a transgender volleyball player. The other teams that have forfeited over the controversy have also not confirmed the volleyball player is a transgender woman, according to the Associated Press.

Crews also pointed out that the players who sued the conference could have sought relief earlier in the season. 

He noted that injunctions are used to preserve the status quo, which is that the player can continue to play, because the conference's policy on transgender athletes had been in effect since 2022, and the player has been an athlete on the women's team since that year.

The tournament is currently slated to begin on Wednesday.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.