Nevada’s Democrat Senate Candidate Won’t Say Whether She Supports Allowing Men To Compete In Women’s Sports
The issue of trans-identifying males competing in women’s sports is rocking Nevada politics — and Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen, who’s up for reelection this cycle, is remaining mum on the subject.
The entire saga began earlier this week when the University of Nevada Reno’s (UNR) women’s volleyball team announced it is forfeiting its upcoming Oct. 26 match against San Jose State University (SJSU). The decision was made to protest the allowed participation of SJSU’s Blaire Fleming, a trans-identifying male.
Video of SJSU’s match against San Diego State University last week reportedly shows Fleming spiking the ball in the face of his female opponent. According to the New York Post, the female player “was knocked down after the hit, and the crowd audibly gasped.”
In their statement provided to Outkick, UNR volleyball players demanded their “right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld,” adding, “We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.” The team noted the decision was made “in solidarity” with four other collegiate women’s volleyball teams who previously announced plans to forfeit their upcoming matches against San Jose State.
University of Nevada Reno issued a statement a day after receiving the team’s decision, saying the school will “move forward with the match as scheduled” and the players’ choice “does not represent the position of the University.” The college noted, however, that “the players may choose not to participate in the match on the day of the contest” and those who do not participate will not be punished for their decision.
The university released a follow-up statement on Thursday, claiming it “is legally prohibited by Section 24 of the Nevada Constitution and other laws and regulations to declare a forfeit for reasons related to gender identity or expression.”
UNR volleyball captain Sia Liilii confirmed to the Reno Gazette Journal after the team’s Tuesday match that the players intend to stand by their decision despite the university’s position on the matter.
“For us, it always came down to … equal opportunity, fair play on the court,” Liilii reportedly said. “Women have fought so hard to get to the point where we are, playing D1 volleyball and having matches like this. For someone who is a biological male to come in is not fair.”
When pressed on whether she supports the UNR volleyball team’s decision to forfeit its match against SJSU to protest the injustice of allowing a male to compete against women, Rosen did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment. Nor did she respond when pressed on what her response is to the UNR players’ concerns or whether she believes that men should be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
Among the issues listed on Rosen’s campaign website is a tab labeled, “Fighting for Equality.” The section touts the Nevada Democrat’s vote to pass federal legislation in 2022 that redefined the legal definition of marriage and opened the door for radical LGBT activists to weaponize the judicial system to target religious Americans.
Her campaign website also celebrates her role in introducing the Equality Act, of which she was a co-sponsor. As The Federalist’s Breccan Thies previously reported, that bill would “force schools to end separate facilities for boys and girls, such as restrooms and locker rooms, as well as make it a civil rights violation not to allow boys to compete against girls in sports.”
Rosen’s 2024 opponent, Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown, has publicly voiced support for the University of Nevada Reno volleyball team’s protest. While attending the team’s Tuesday match alongside former Democrat Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Brown contended the matter boils down to an issue of “safety, fairness, and privacy” for female athletes.
“These women are leading, not only for themselves, but for future women’s sports,” he said.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
