WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has concluded that San Jose State University discriminated against women by allowing a transgender athlete to play on the women’s volleyball team, as reported by the U.S. Education Department.
The department has proposed a resolution that requires San Jose State to acknowledge its definition of male and female, restore titles and records affected by what officials describe as misappropriation, and issue apologies to the female athletes involved.
No immediate comment has come from university officials regarding this situation.
Additionally, the department's actions extend beyond San Jose State; it is targeting various states and educational institutes allowing transgender athletes, continuing a trend that aligns with President Donald Trump's advocacy against such participation. If San Jose State declines the offered agreement, the school may face a lawsuit from the Justice Department, along with the potential loss of federal funding.
This investigation commenced earlier this year in February, coinciding with a similar scrutiny at the University of Pennsylvania. The latter institution subsequently accepted a deal to amend records linked to transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and apologized to fellow swimmers.
Department officials highlighted San Jose State's potential Title IX infringement, stating the university retaliated against players voicing their concerns over the inclusion of transgender individuals in female sports.
Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, asserted, “We will not relent until SJSU is held accountable for these abuses and commits to upholding Title IX.”
The university gained national attention when nine female athletes from the Mountain West Conference filed a lawsuit aimed at challenging policies that allow transgender athletes’ participation, raising concerns about fairness and potential safety risks.
Moreover, several collegiate teams have refrained from competing against San Jose State, resulting in forfeits and losing results.
San Jose State has yet to confirm whether their volleyball team had a transgender athlete. The resolution deal entails the university apologizing to every woman who played on the women's indoor volleyball team during the 2022-2024 seasons, as well as women who played beach volleyball in 2023, and those who abstained from matches against San Jose State.
This article has been updated to clarify that the lawsuit was filed by nine students from the Mountain West Conference, rather than players on the San Jose State volleyball team.
