San Jose women's volleyball player receives death threats after supporting competitors' boycott of her own team due to trans player: report

The co-captain of San Jose State University’s women’s volleyball team has reportedly received death threats after she spoke out against the inclusion of biological males on women’s sports teams. Brooke Slusser plays on the same team as trans-identified male Blaire Fleming, and three teams have pulled out of competing against the team.

Slusser has joined with over a dozen other female athletes in a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA for Title IX violations over the inclusion of biological males on women’s sports teams, OutKick reported. The lawsuit was originally filed in March, with athletes such as former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, Olympian Reka Gyorgy, and two-time NCAA champion Kylee Alons joining in, OutKick reported. The lawsuit is being financially backed by the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS).

A suspected threat against Slusser’s life was sent to one of her teammates on October 2 through Instagram," Reduxx reported. Slusser contacted police in Fort Collins after being made aware of the threat. Slusser was in Fort Collins ahead of the team’s game against Colorado State University. Both teams were informed of the threat against Slusser and cooperated with police.

The October 3 game was intended to serve as the school’s "annual inclusive excellence game." The Thursday night game was the first that the San Jose team has lost this season.

Speaking with Reduxx ahead of the game, Slusser said that there would be police escorting athletes to and from their vehicles, locker rooms and the gym, and that there would me metal detectors at entrance points and armed officers present to ensure the safety of those in attendance.

"After being shown the threat, it was a very uneasy feeling. Just because everything else that I’ve gotten so far – if it’s not in support of me – is just… hate mail, basically," Slusser said. "Just people behind their screens saying hateful things that don’t mean anything to me. But reading that, it sent chills through me at first, just because that’s someone threatening to physically harm me."

She told the outlet that the attention she has received since joining the lawsuit can be overwhelming, but she said that "this is the right thing to do."

"It’s not something I am stressing about or anxious about because it’s the right thing to do," Slusser said. "To my core I believe this is the right thing to do, and I think a lot of people agree with that. So, it’s just dealing with the ebb and flow of how this situation is going to play out."

Slusser said in the suit that she began sharing a residence with four of her teammates in the fall of 2023, which included Fleming. She said that at no point during recruitment or the 2023 season was she informed that there was a male athlete on the team. Slusser also said that she was frequently assigned to share a room with Fleming on road trips, and later found out that Fleming had specifically requested rooming with her.

Slusser had noticed that "Fleming played volleyball with jumping ability and power that surpassed that of any girl on the team," the lawsuit stated. She said it wasn’t until she overheard a conversation among students referring to Fleming as a "guy" that she realized why Fleming had those abilities.

The athlete told OutKick that she did not want Flemin to be bullied, but that she was uncomfortable with Fleming’s inclusion on the team.

"One thing that's important in this case is really the physical safety issues in volleyball," Slusser's attorney Bill Bock, told OutKick. "And that's what they're facing in practice every day. So, it's just a crazy, misguided policy that steals athletic dreams from women and gives them to men, and at the same time, puts women's health and safety in danger."