FFS Friday: The University of Nevada Reno Women’s Volleyball Team
October 18, 2024
FFS (Female Free Speech) Friday honors women and girls who are speaking out about the harms that “gender identity” poses to women and girls as a sex class. FFS Friday posts are free and shareable. If you would like access to content that delves deeper into the movement to protect the sex-based rights of women and girls and to stop the abolition of sex, please consider a paid subscription.
Today’s FFS Friday honors the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team (the Wolf Pack). They are refusing to compete against San Jose State, which allows a man to compete on its women’s team.
Photo: Irene BritUSA
We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld. We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.
On October 13, the University of Nevada Reno women’s volleyball team voted to forfeit its upcoming match against San Jose State, which includes male athlete Blaire Fleming on its women’s team. They provided a statement to Outkick Sports the following day, explaining their decision and saying, “We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld. We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.”
The University of Nevada Reno’s women’s team now joins Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University in refusing to compete against Fleming. In a previous FFS Friday, I explained that one of Fleming’s own teammates, Brooke Slusser, has joined the ICONS lawsuit against the NCAA over its policy permitting men to compete as women.
The University’s response was to throw the female athletes directly under the bus. In an October 14 statement, the University said it planned to proceed with the match, explaining, “The University and its athletic programs are governed by the Nevada Constitution and Nevada law, which strictly protect equality of rights under the law, and that equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin.” This is true as a factual matter; “gender identity” was added to the state constitution and pertinent statute in 2022.
Notwithstanding the University’s abandonment of its female athletes, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo issued a statement the next day, expressing his support.
That night, former member of the House of Representatives Tulsi Gabbard dropped by the Wolf Pack’s game against Utah State to show her support as well. In 2020, when she was in the House, Gabbard introduced a bill titled the Protect Women’s Sports Act of 2020. To date, Gabbard is the only Democratic lawmaker at the federal level who has taken a strong stand to protect women’s sports (she announced in 2022 that she was leaving the Democratic Party for this reason, among others).
The match is scheduled for October 26, and it remains to be seen what the female athletes will do. Will they hold firm? Will they go forth with the match against San Jose State and Fleming? Who knows? But Sia Liilii, the team captain, appears to be standing strong.
To the Wolf Pack: I salute you and hope you stick to your guns. Millions of women all over the world will have your back. Today’s FFS Friday is for you.
This is where gender identity becomes a religion. As if identifying as a woman, makes you female. Biology is real. Asking women to uphold this lie, to be polite and support the man, while risking their health and well being is insanity. Bravo to the brave bunch of female athletes. Their display of courage will spread like a wildfire.
I think Kara has pointed out this legal contradiction elsewhere, but in this case it's glaring.
That is: the university cites a nondiscrimination policy that includes no discrimination based on sex and also no discrimination based on gender (identity). If you favor the gender identity THEN you discriminate against sex-class. If you favor sex-class then you discriminate against gender identity. There's an overt conflict here in the law.