ATLANTA, Georgia — Two years ago, I wrote about the hypothetical case of Gia, a transgender college basketball star. Gia was active in her chosen sport as a man before choosing to identify as a woman.
When I was swimming at the University of Pennsylvania, I was exaggerating the story of transgender swimmer Leah Thomas. Although Leah performed above average, he did not dominate in men’s swimming. She went on to win the women’s 500-yard freestyle, becoming the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship in any sport.
But it would be a stretch to call her dominant in women’s swimming after failing to win in any other event she competed in during the 2022 NCAA Championships. Kate Douglas, on the other hand, was a dominant force, winning seven titles at the same swimming competition. Kate Douglas was born female.
While I support everyone’s right to self-identification, I acknowledged that questioning the fairness of Leah’s competition is not an inhumane response. It was the opposite. It was human.
Anyone would do the same if they were told that Leah was an above-average male swimmer before making the switch. Anyone who knows nothing else would reasonably expect her to be a good female swimmer. Imagine if your daughter didn’t make it to the podium. When you learn that a former Division I male swimmer won a race, you’re bound to have questions.
Fairness is an important part of sports. That’s part of the reason so many of us enjoy sports. Life isn’t fair. At least that’s how sports should be.
I framed the discussion about transgender participation in competitive sports as an issue of equity. I did so because, in my view, given Leah Thomas’ relatively recent previous athletic performance as a man and the conclusions of several studies about the limitations of hormone therapy, I would allow her to participate. Because I believe there are people who have considerable doubts about whether or not that is fair. do. In other words, questions of fairness are relevant given the particular circumstances.
More than two-and-a-half years later, there is yet another transgender athlete who appears to be the target of those opposed to transgender athletes’ participation. Opponents are sounding the alarm about Blair Fleming, a senior on the San Jose State University women’s volleyball team. Blair was featured on the Fox News affiliate website Outkick in September 2024 after his SJSU team went 6-0. This was the best start in program history.
Since then, SJSU has lost three games. Their record was 11 wins and 3 losses. However, three of those wins were not due to their own play, but to their opponent’s refusal to play. Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State canceled games against SJSU. None of the teams gave a clear reason for canceling the game, but the Republican governors of Idaho, Wyoming and Utah all publicly supported the cancellation, citing the need for fairness in women’s sports.
Again, I’m also concerned about fairness. We all should be. But once again, context is important when raising this issue. At least, that’s what we should do if we’re all sincere in our discussions. The value of context should be indisputable, given the fact that no one worries about the fairness of men’s sports when transgender athletes born female compete in men’s sports.
Let’s talk about the situation surrounding Blair. So far, Mr Blair has not made any public comment. She has not come out as a transgender athlete. Therefore, all we know about her is what we can find out on our own.
Let’s start with Blair’s background. Unlike Leah Thomas, she has long identified as a woman but has not recently achieved athletic accomplishments as a man, according to her biography on SJSU’s website. Before attending college, she played club volleyball for Virginia Juniors, a program for young female volleyball players. She then played on her high school’s girls volleyball team and graduated in 2020.
She then played for Coastal Carolina University’s women’s volleyball team in 2020. This means she met the NCAA criteria for participating as a transgender athlete, which includes undergoing at least a year of hormone therapy before participating. She played one season before transferring to SJSU. Notably, South Carolina, home to Coastal Carolina, passed a law in 2022 that would ban transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
Let’s take a look at Blair’s athleticism. She is currently playing her third season at SJSU. Now her coach might call her a good player. But in terms of recognition and awards, unlike Leah Thomas, she has none. She was not named to the all-conference team in either 2022 or 2023. Her detractors have highlighted videos of Blair spiking the ball and hitting opponents. But these incidents, where a player spikes the ball and hits an opponent, known in volleyball parlance as a “kill,” are an everyday part of the game for those familiar with the sport.
Blair Fleming is not a transgender athlete who just transitioned, nor is she a special athlete. Given this situation, in my opinion there is no concern about the fairness of allowing her to compete with other women. She’s just a competitor, if not literally, then certainly figuratively.
Now, this context may not seem important. A person born male should never be allowed to play with women. Hormone therapy is not involved. Men are men. A woman is a woman.
To this, let me remind you again that your gender separation principle probably does not apply to women competing with men. And a principle applied to inequality is not a principle. It’s a personal preference. And personal preference is a euphemism we all too often use for the word discrimination.
Consider again that Blair is currently in her third season. She played against Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State in 2022, with SJSU going 5-1. No one confiscated it. She played against those same teams last year. SJSU fell to 0-6. Of course, not a single person was confiscated.
For now, there is only one explanation for this protest. Until this year, Blair’s opponents didn’t know she was transgender. Now that’s the case.
The fact that women have been competing against transgender athletes for years and didn’t know anything should have made anyone opposed to transgender participation in sports reconsider their ideas. . Given that transgender athletes competed without anyone noticing, one should have wondered whether such bright-line rules were necessary. This fact should serve as an opportunity for self-reflection. Instead, sadly and predictably, it led to demonization.
There are about 40 transgender athletes among the NCAA’s more than 500,000 athletes. That’s about 40 specific contexts to consider when discussing equity in women’s sports. If your opinion is simply that no company can compete, context doesn’t matter. I’m sorry, but I don’t think that sentiment is fair. Blair Fleming is proof that women’s sports can remain fair even when transgender athletes participate.
Your concerns are based on something else. Something you wouldn’t appreciate if you were on the other side of it. What shall we call it? That’s discrimination.
Eric Foster is a columnist for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.
Eric Foster, a community member of the editorial board, is a columnist for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. Foster is an attorney in private practice. The views expressed are his own.
To contact Eric Foster: ericfosterpd@gmail.com
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