Blaire Fleming (shown above, school photo), a biological male player on the San Jose State University women's volleyball team, will be allowed to compete in the Mountain West Conference tournament and for the rest of their season, according to Fox News.
Steve McConkey is the President of 4 Winds USA. He said in an interview with AFN the judge's background is noteworthy.
President Biden appointed the federal Judge, Kato Crews, in January.
"Obviously it was a Biden-appointed person in January, so that (ruling) doesn't surprise me."
Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State, Nevada have forfeited games against San Jose State because of Fleming. Boise State and Wyoming have done so twice.
The games aren’t played but are counted as wins for San Jose and total half of the team’s six Mountain West Conference wins. The Spartans carry a conference record of 6-5 into the tournament, which begins Friday in Las Vegas.
McConkey is looking ahead at the next administration and its plans to make some changes.
"But if you really go look at it, and this is, I want to emphasize this, go look up Google, which you don't want always to depend on, go look up Trump and transgender. The first day in office, he's going to reverse a lot of stuff. I heard that he's even going to reverse 15,000 transgender troops in the military. Do away with them. So all federal funded programs Title 9 everything. He, on the campaign trail, said he's going to reverse all this stuff."
"I think it's disheartening," Sia Li'ili'I tells AFN. "It's…not right that they're being put in that position."
Li'ili'I's University of Nevada team forfeited a match against San Jose State University becaue of the male players on the female team.
"Taking a forfeit during the season is very different from taking a forfeit in the Mountain West tournament because one loss means that you're out and you're out of contention," she says. "So, I just wish the best of luck to these women who are in that position."
School admin cuts them loose
Sixteen of 17 female players at University of Nevada voted to forfeit the regular season match against San Jose State University. Li'ili'I called the meeting so her female teammates could voice their concerns.
"We went to our administration with it," she says. "They decided not to support us, and we continued our forfeiture without their support."
Since then, Li'ili'I says the public support has been there, adding Senate candidate Sam Brown (R-Nevada), former Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii (shown at left), and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) came to a University of Nevada game and spoke to the female players.
"On social media, a lot of people saying that they support us from all over the nation," she says. "So, it's been pretty empowering to see that. We made a tough choice and there are people who are backing us."
Li'ili'I encourages female players that aspire to make a high school or college team to "keep doing the sport that they love" and to speak out about the issues.
"Just because someone else is being allowed in a space that is for women and girls does not mean that they have to be silent about it, and just know that there are people out there fighting for them," she says. "So, that they are not in this position that me and the other women in the Mountain West Conference are in."
McConkey noted how Biden's first day in office, he reversed many of President Trump's policies.
"You know, so transgenders are people that decide to be female when they're male. They never can become female but are going to participate in sports and even can do the shower room. So this goes even beyond that. It's allowing pronouns and maybe even teachers deciding what locker room or position they want to play in school or what sex they want to ‘become,’” McConkey said.
McConkey said the players rising up is key.
"Back when I was fighting this in 2003, the only one fighting the International Olympic Committee in 2003 publicly, and the last thing the lawyer told me at the Olympic offices in Colorado Springs was nothing would ever become of this. Well, here we are. Now 2024, and you got a person that's going to be allowed to go to the conference tournament, and many women are opposed to it,” McConkey said.
Trump: You've got a friend in me
A lot of courage is being displayed by athletes willing to forfeit games after their hard work and preparation and coaches whose careers could be jeopardized, McConkey said.
Finally, with Donald Trump, they have an ally in the White House.
"So these athletes that are finally standing up are really brave. The coach is standing up here, probably loses her job, is brave, so you're starting to see an uprising. I always thought that if the athletes started speaking up that this is going to reverse. And if Trump would not have gotten office, this would be even escalating."
