Many students, faculty and staff walked out of their classes on Monday, Oct. 21 to peacefully protest Southern Utah University athletics’ decision to cancel a women’s volleyball game on Sept. 14 after one of San Jose State University’s players’ gender was speculated online.
SUU Stop Queer Hate, a student organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights on campus, organized the walkout to call on the university to speak on the situation.
A statement from the SUU Stop Queer Hate Instagram page states, “We request that SUU issues an official statement apologizing to both SJSU and SUU students for forfeiting the volleyball match on September 14th. Additionally, we ask that SUU provides an explanation from their perspective and recognizes that this statement is long overdue.”
Students gathered with signs and flags in the Library Quad and formed an open floor discussion under the direction of Issy De Las Casas, a member of SUU Stop Queer Hate.
“The walkout was organized by concerned students to bring awareness to an even larger issue at Southern Utah University,” said De Las Casas. “The September 14 volleyball game is just a larger cog in this growing problem.”
Many queer students expressed frustration with the lack of transparency from the university. Their arguments often led back to the removal of the Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as well as the Q Center due to H.B. 261, which was signed into law during the spring 2024 semester.
“There is zero communication, zero accountability and zero transparency between students and upper administration and students,” De Las Casas said.
On the other side of the issue, some students argued that the biological differences between female and male athletes can create an unfair and even unsafe environment for players.
The controversy arose last month when SUU’s women’s volleyball team was scheduled to compete against San Jose State University. A week before their game, SJSU’s star player Blaire Fleming’s gender became the subject of online speculation by sports personalities Riley Gaines and Martina Navratilova on X.
SUU released a statement regarding the women’s volleyball team not playing against San Jose on Sept. 24. According to the statement, “The Southern Utah University volleyball team opted to compete in just two non-conference games at the Santa Clara Tournament. The Thunderbirds used the matches to continue building momentum for a successful season. Southern Utah informed the tournament directors and opposing teams of this decision, and we wish them well with the remainder of their respective seasons.”
SUU’s cancellation was in non-conference play and is not considered a forfeit. Boise State, the University of Wyoming and Utah State University did forfeit games against SJSU, which affects their records. None of the universities have cited the San Jose State player’s gender as the reason for their decision.
On Oct. 2, Utah’s Gov. Spencer J. Cox posted his support of SUU’s decision to pull out of the match on X, despite SUU athletics never citing Fleming’s gender identity as the reason for the cancellation. It wasn’t until Cox’s post that SUU’s decision to not play was brought into state news.
Kaleb Cox, son of Gov. Cox and a current SUU student, attended the rally in support of the university’s queer students.
“I’m in a tough spot where I have these values and I obviously have this love for my dad and my family, and a lot of times those feel like they’re kind of running directly into each other,” Kaleb Cox said. “I think it’s necessary given what my circumstance is and the amount of privilege I have to try and speak up whenever possible.”
Transgender athletes have been the subject of debate for years, especially concerning trans women competing on all-women teams. Both the National Collegiate Athletic Association and USA Volleyball, the national governing body for the sport, have policies put in place to try and ensure there is fair competition, but because the issue is complicated and controversial there is not yet a solution that satisfies both sides.
SUU’s student body president, Colter Bennett, attended the protest and had a booth available with information to connect concerned students to MySUU Voice, The platform, created by the SUU Student Association, is a place for students to communicate their thoughts to the university. Attendees were encouraged to use the platform to address the topic directly with university leaders.
“This is exactly what student government is all about. This is exactly what America is all about; people organizing themselves, speaking their thoughts, speaking their minds in hopes of a change,” said Bennett.
Members of the protest will wait for a response from SUU Athletics. To stay updated on the issue, students can follow SUU Athletics for an official statement as well as the Stop Queer Hate Instagram and SUU News.
Author: Heather Turner
Editor: Anna Mower and Michele Fogg
Copy Editor: Kayd Johanson
Photos by Heather Turner and Gabe Small