WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Education Department has accused San Jose State University of discriminating against female athletes by allowing a transgender athlete to compete on the women’s volleyball team, following a review prompted by the Trump administration.
The administration has offered San Jose State a settlement deal intended to resolve the case, which includes accepting a specific definition of “male” and “female,” reverting any titles or records it deems misappropriated by male athletes, and issuing a public apology to those affected.
If the university rejects this deal, it may face legal action from the Justice Department and risk losing federal funding.
The investigation into SJSU was initiated in February, coinciding with a similar inquiry regarding the University of Pennsylvania. Subsequently, Penn accepted a deal concerning records that included changes related to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Officials in the Education Department accused San Jose State of violating Title IX, which mandates gender equity in sports and has prompted concern about the treatment of female athletes amidst increasing participation from transgender individuals.
\u201cWe will not relent until SJSU is held to account for these abuses and commits to upholding Title IX to protect future athletes from the same indignities,\u201d stated Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department.
The university's volleyball team gained notoriety after nine students from the Mountain West Conference filed suit against the league’s policies regarding transgender athletes, arguing that these policies posed safety risks and created an unfair competitive environment.
Some teams in the conference reportedly chose to forfeit games against SJSU over this issue. However, San Jose State has not officially confirmed the presence of a transgender player on their volleyball team.
Per the proposed deal, the university would need to send personalized apologies to every woman who participated in the women’s indoor volleyball team during the 2022-2024 seasons and the 2023 beach volleyball team.
