The University of Wyoming (UW) women's volleyball team forfeited a game this weekend because of a transgender athlete's participation on the rival team.
That makes UW the third school in recent weeks to forfeit a game against California-based San José State University, joining Southern Utah and Boise State in refusing to play. This week, Utah State University also forfeited its match against San José, bringing the total to four.
Before UW’s decision was announced, a letter written by Sen. Cheri Steinmetz (R-Lingle) urged university leadership to “not participate in the extremist agenda of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or propagate the lie that biological sex can be changed,” by playing San José State.
The advocacy group Wyoming Equality put out a press release saying student athletics “should be about fostering teamwork, growth, and healthy competition – not about discrimination and exclusion.”
Gov. Mark Gordon, the current chair of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, and Wyoming’s federal electeds – Rep. Harriet Hageman, Sen. John Barrasso and Sen. Cynthia Lummis – all praised the choice by UW Athletics to forfeit the match.
Earlier this year, the Wyoming Legislature cut a grant to UW by the amount it takes to fund its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which closed this summer. Staff who worked at the office were reassigned to other roles.
The Legislature also passed a ban on gender-affirming care for minors that went into effect in July.
Spokespeople for both UW and UW Athletics declined to speak with Wyoming Public Radio about the decision, referring instead to a brief statement issued this week.
Players on the volleyball team told WPR that they had been asked not to speak to the press about the forfeiture.
Before this season’s controversy, records show UW’s team had already played San José and its alleged trans athlete, Blaire Fleming, in 2022. There was no uproar about the decision to do so in that year.
Fleming’s teammate, Brooke Slusser, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA’s policy allowing trans athletes in which she cited Fleming’s participation on the team.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
