ERA applauds court’s decision to end attack on San Jose State transgender volleyball player
November 27. 2024
For Immediate Release
Nov 27, 2024
Media Contact
Nazirah Ahmad
[email protected]
The following is a statement from ERA Senior Attorney Maha Ibrahim about yesterday’s decision out of the 10th Circuit denying an appeal attempting to exclude a San Jose State transgender volleyball player from participating in the Mountain West Conference tournament:
Today, ERA applauds the appellate court’s decision in Slusser et al v. Mountain West Conference et al.
Judge S. Cato Crews got it right, and the civil rights community should take note and see these attacks on trans athletes for what they are: discrimination, full stop. Attacks of this type constitute a so-far successful ploy by those who have never supported women in sports and women’s sports equity to divide advocates and malign the proper application of Title IX by mounting hunts on vulnerable students.
As the court noted, Title IX does and should protect these students. It is our clarion call: “on the basis of sex,” and that call is not complicated.
ERA has long made the call to stand with and behind trans students and trans athletes and not be distracted from our mission of equity by messages of hate. Particularly in Slusser v. Mountain West Conference, a main argument posed to the court was that those at SJSU who wish to exclude trans athletes from their team were being “harmed” by the athlete’s presence on the team because other trans-phobic teams were forfeiting games. That kind of argument is the very image of mob-mentality discrimination. We commend this truly brave athlete for enduring a cruel spotlight and attacks she did not deserve.
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