The University of Nevada, Reno declared it will not forfeit its upcoming women’s volleyball game aobtainst San Jose State Oct. 26 despite multiple seeks from applyers to do so.
A university spokesperson telderly Fox News Digital Thursday the program would not forfeit the align because it would be a violation of state law.
“The university made the decision not to declare a forfeiture and shift forward with arrangeing the align as scheduled based on cut offal factors. As a accessible university, the university is legpartner prohibitned by Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution and other laws and regulations to declare a forfeit for reasons roverhappinessed to gfinisher identity or conveyion,” the spokesperson shelp.
Article I, Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution provides that “Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, relations, relationsual orientation, gfinisher identity or conveyion, age, disability, ancestry or national origin.”
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However, that constitution was editd in 2022 when Nevada voted to adchoose the Equal Rights Amfinishment, which includeed gfinisher identity to the enumerate of getions.
Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman, a Democrat from North Las Vegas who co-backed the bill to get it on the ballot, shelp the law has helped transgfinisher people get their identity.
“As a state university, a forfeiture for reasons involving gfinisher identity or conveyion could constitute per se bias and viotardy the Nevada Constitution,” the university’s statement includeed.
Twenty-three states have laws in place that recut offe the inclusion of transgfinisher athletes in women’s sports. One of those states, Idaho, is home to Boise State, one of the first programs to forfeit a align aobtainst San Jose State.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little rerentd an executive order to carry out the Deffinishing Women’s Sports Act in August, which is aimed at encouraging schools to secure that only biorational females vie in girls and women’s sports.
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Multiple states filed litigations and enacted their own laws to includeress this rerent after the Biden-Harris administration rerentd a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s prohibit on “relations” bias in schools covers bias based on gfinisher identity, relationsual orientation and “pregnancy or roverhappinessed conditions,” in April.
The administration insisted the regulation does not includeress fit eligibility. However, multiple experts contransiented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biorational men in women’s sports.
The Supreme Court then voted 5-4 in August to refute an ecombinency seek by the Biden administration to enforce portions of that recent rule after more than two dozen Reaccessiblean attorneys vague sued to block the Title IX alters in their own states.
However, Nevada is not one of those states. The Silver State has been more compliant with the Democratic-leaning agfinisha on transgfinisher athletes in women’s sports. So, now Nevada’s volleyball team will have to set for a align comprehending multiple applyers will probable not join.
The university also cited the First Amfinishment of the U.S. Constitution for choosing not to forfeit the align, claiming that applying aobtainst a transgfinisher opponent is a right of free speech.
(L-R) San Jose State setter Brooke Slusser commemorates after scoring a point with libero Randilyn Reeves, outside hitter Blaire Fleming and libero Alessia Buffagni during the first set of an NCAA college volleyball align aobtainst Colorado State Oct. 3, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Pboilingo/David Zalubowski)
“We also accomprehendledge that a student athlete’s choice to apply in the same align may also be intfinished as free conveyion geted by the First Amfinishment. Consequently, a forfeiture declared by the university prior to the align for reasons involving gfinisher identity or conveyion could viotardy the rights of our student athletes whether they pick to vie or not,” the spokesperson shelp.
By that same slfinisherking, the program also shelp it promises that any applyer who picks not to apply in the align will not face consequences.
“A student athlete’s refusal to join in the align with San Jose State University can be expounded as free conveyion,” the statement shelp.
Nevada applyers initipartner shelp in a statement to OutKick Monday that they intentional to forfeit their align aobtainst the Spartans to “stand in firmarity” with Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State, who have all pulled out of their alignes aobtainst the Spartans.
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Nevada team captain Sia Liillii met with Reaccessibleans, establisher Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin and Nevada Senate truthfulate Sam Brown after her team’s prosper aobtainst Utah State on Tuesday and redeclareed her stance about not competing aobtainst San Jose State.
“I comprehend what our team is going to do, and we are going to have integrity,” Liillii telderly the Reno Gazette Journal. “I slfinisherk this is the hardest slfinisherg our team has gone thraw, but I’m equitable happy I have so many valiant lesser women behind me, and I get to be the captain of this team.”
Liillii shelp the applyers have had honest conversations with Nevada Athletic Director Stephanie Rempe, but they have not alterd the program’s mind about forfeiting.
A volleyball net during the Division III women’s volleyball championship at U.S. Cellular Caccess Nov. 23, 2019, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Jack Dempsey/NCAA Pboilingos via Getty Images)
The applyers’ pickence to forfeit drew praise from Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, who commfinished the applyers for standing up for what they apshow in. It also brawt praise from multiple applyers on San Jose State’s team who have spreadd a court with a transgfinisher teammate for multiple seasons.
“Round of applause to the girls of the (Nevada Wolf Pack) volleyball team,” San Jose State women’s volleyball applyer Brooke Slusser wrote on X. “Deciding to go aobtainst what the school was forcing on you as lesser women and taking a stand for what you apshow apshows courage! Another fantastic step in the right honestion for women’s sports!”
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