Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) tried to stand up for a women’s volleyball team on social media when they refused to play against another team that allegedly has a transgender player, but the team caved shortly after.
Quoting a post from anti-trans activist and fifth-place swimmer Riley Gaines about the University of Nevada Reno’s women’s volleyball team’s attempt to forfeit a game against San Jose State University, Boebert wrote yesterday: “This is how we stand up against these radicals!”
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The University of Nevada Reno then issued a statement saying that the team would not be forfeiting the match.
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Four universities in the Mountain West – Southern Utah University, Boise State University, the University of Wyoming, and Utah State University – have forfeited matches against San Jose State University because many on the right believe that the school’s women’s volleyball team has a transgender player (the university has not confirmed this).
The University of Nevada Reno’s women’s volleyball team voted on Monday to forfeit a game against San Jose State, saying that their “right to safety and fair competition on the court” was at risk if they played against San Jose State.
Gaines posted this statement online yesterday, saying she is “incredibly proud of these girls.” Gaines tied for fifth place at a swim meet with trans University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas over two years ago, and since then, she has made anti-trans activism her career.
Boebert saw Gaines’ tweet and shared it, saying, “This is how we stand up against these radicals!”
But it turned out that that is not, in fact, how one stands up against trans equality because almost immediately afterward, the university distanced itself from the players’ decision and said that the team would not be forfeiting the match, citing the state’s constitution, which bans discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression.
“The University intends to move forward with the match as scheduled, and the players may choose not to participate in the match on the day of the contest,” the Univerity of Nevada’s statement said. “No players will be subject to any team disciplinary action for their decision not to participate in the match.”
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