San Jose State under scrutiny in Title IX transgender sex-discrimination investigation
The Trump administration is gearing up to investigate schools for potential Title IX violations for allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports, including San Jose State.
The U.S. Department of Education announced the investigation Thursday. It comes in the wake of President Donald Trump signing an executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." It mandates that Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in schools, be interpreted as prohibiting the participation of transgender girls and women in female sports.
The South Bay university became the epicenter of controversy last year when women's volleyball for the school played a season marked by multiple forfeits by teams claiming the Spartans had a transgender player. The team 14-6, in addition to six wins via forfeit by four schools in Mountain West Conference regular-season play.
Boise State, which twice boycotted regular-season matches with San Jose State, pulled out of the conference tournament in late November, hours after it defeated Utah State to secure a spot against the Spartans in the semifinals.
While the Broncos didn't announce explicitly why they withdrew, a lawsuit had filed in Colorado by players from various schools against the conference and San Jose State officials calling for a Spartans player to be blocked from participating in the tournament. They cited unspecified reports asserting there was a transgender player on the San Jose State volleyball team, even naming her.
Prior to the tournament, a judge rejected the request to block the San Jose State women's volleyball team member in question from playing on grounds that she's transgender.
In the end, San Jose State's volleyball team was beaten by Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament final, ending the Spartans' season.
The school's president released a statement that said, "San Jose State University is committed to ensuring that all of our students -- including our student-athletes – are treated fairly, free from discrimination, and afforded the rights and protections granted under federal and state law"
NCAA announced Thursday that its board voted to update the association's participation policy for transgender student-athletes following President Trump's executive order.
