Judge Allows San Jose State Transgender Volleyball Player to Compete

A transgender volleyball player at San Jose State University can continue to compete on the women’s team, a judge ruled Monday, despite complaints from other players who object to the participation of an athlete who is transgender.

The decision by a federal judge in Colorado came two days before a conference tournament involving the team was set to begin. It is the latest chapter in the fierce national debate about whether transgender athletes, particularly transgender women, should be allowed to compete on teams that align with their gender identity.

Players for other colleges in San Jose State’s conference, the Mountain West, had filed a lawsuit seeking to bar the player from competition. They were joined by some people affiliated with San Jose State, including a current co-captain of the team, former players and a recently suspended assistant coach.

The plaintiffs argued that allowing the player to participate in the tournament would discriminate against women by denying them equal opportunities. The plaintiffs requested an injunction to stop the player from competing.

The defendants named in the lawsuit are the Mountain West Conference and its commissioner, two administrators at San Jose State, the school’s head volleyball coach and the board of trustees of the California State University System.

San Jose State has said that it followed all N.C.A.A. eligibility guidelines. Lawyers for the defendants pointed to a Supreme Court ruling in 2020 saying that a ban on sex discrimination in the workplace, part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, extended to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.