Those Arguing Transgender Blaire Fleming Isn't 'That Good' At Volleyball Are Missing The Point | Zaksheske
San Jose State transgender volleyball player Blaire Fleming is back in the spotlight after a fifth school planned to cancel a match rather than compete against the biological male.
As OutKick exclusively reported earlier Monday, players on the Nevada Wolfpack women's volleyball team voted to forfeit its Oct. 26 match against San Jose State.
Although, the school released a statement saying that it "intends to move forward with the match as scheduled" and "the players’ decision does not represent the position of the University."
If Nevada ultimately does not play, it would become the fourth Mountain West school to forfeit, joining Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State.
Southern Utah was the first school to cancel against SJSU, but that was a non-conference match that did not count as a win for San Jose State or a loss for SUU.
San Jose State transgender volleyball player Blaire Fleming.
(San Jose State Athletics)
Most people are applauding the women from these schools for standing up for their rights to compete fairly against fellow female athletes and refuse to compete against a person who was born male.
However, there are still people who are attacking these girls and women and arguing that Fleming has every right to compete in women's volleyball, despite being born with XY chromosomes.
One of the most common arguments in favor of Fleming is that Fleming isn't "that good" at volleyball, so who cares?
After all, San Jose State has lost its last three matches (at least ones that weren't forfeited), after starting the season 9-0. Its best player, Nayeli Ti’a, has missed all three matches because of injury.
For example, here's a paragraph from an op-ed in the Nevada Current:
"That means most of the teams San Jose State has beaten were also beaten by a bunch of other teams. And the two teams they beat that have winning records were 9-4 and 10-5 as of Monday. Solid numbers, but they don’t exactly suggest they would have won if not for a trans player being on the opposing team."
I've gotten many posts on social media echoing similar sentiments.
So, the argument is clear: "Blaire Fleming isn't even that good, so why do you care?"
This is completely missing the point.
Firstly, I hope all the people arguing this were against Lia Thomas swimming in the 2022 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
After all, Thomas won a National Championship. That makes Thomas "pretty good" at swimming, right? Thus, if a transgender athlete is "pretty good," they shouldn't be allowed to compete. Isn't that the logic here?
Is that where we want to be in this discussion, deciding whether a biological male is "too good" for women's sports or just "good enough, but not that good" so that they can play?
See how silly this sounds when you follow the logic to its natural endpoint?
Whether a transgender athlete is dominant in women's athletics is irrelevant. That player is still taking away a spot on the team, and possibly a college scholarship, from a woman. That's wrong.
Lia Thomas, a biological male and transgender swimmer, won an NCAA National Championship in women's swimming.
(Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
That's why teams are forfeiting rather than playing against Blalire Fleming and San Jose State.
It has nothing to do with how good Fleming is at volleyball. It has to do with the fact that these women have no other recourse against a rule that promotes unfairness in women's athletics.
There's a reason that San Jose State tried to hide that Fleming was born male from other schools. The school knew what the result would be.
Some people have also argued that teams played against Fleming last year and the year prior and there were no forfeits. Well, at the time, they didn't know that Fleming was a biological male.
Advocates have used that as evidence that Fleming should be allowed to play women's volleyball.
"You didn't even know Fleming was transgender because she looks, acts and plays like a woman!"
Again, I ask: is that the criteria we want to use to legislate this issue? Should we decide who gets to play women's sports based on how they look, talk and act?
I shouldn't have to explain why that's a slippery slope that no one wants to head down.
The University of Nevada women's volleyball team became the fifth school to refuse to compete against San Jose State due to the presence of transgender player Blaire Fleming.
(University of Nevada Athletics & San Jose State University Athletics)
Now, to be clear, Blaire Fleming hasn't done anything wrong. The rules say that Fleming can play NCAA volleyball, so Fleming is playing.
It's the rules that need to change and targeting Fleming is wrong. I've seen people calling Fleming a "cheater."
Well, that's not accurate. I know some people get angry when I say that, but it's true.
Fleming has followed the rules that are in place and, thus, is allowed to play.
I've spoken to women who have forfeited against Fleming and their message is almost universal: they are not mad at Blaire Fleming, and they are not protesting Fleming.
They are protesting the rule makers that allow biological males to compete in women's sports.
In fact, nearly every female athlete I have spoken to regarding this issue has expressed empathy for Fleming and other transgender athletes. It's not their fault that leadership has failed.
RELATED: SJSU's Brooke Slusser Discusses ‘Hate’ She's Received Since Speaking Out About Transgender Teammate
Because that's who deserves the blame here. It's not Fleming, and it's not even San Jose State.
It's the NCAA and the Mountain West conference which refuse to come out and say that biological males don't belong in women's sports.
Why? Because they're afraid of the LGBTQ mob. They're afraid of the political implications. They're afraid of the potential negative backlash on social media.
True leaders don't fear those things. They fight for fairness, regardless of whether it's popular.
It doesn't matter how good Blaire Fleming is at volleyball.
What matters is that Fleming playing in women's sports is unfair.
That's the point, and it's the only point that matters.