After nearly a year of headlines, lawsuits, and political fallout, Blaire Fleming, a San Jose State University volleyball player at the heart of a national controversy over transgender athletes, has spoken publicly for the first time. In a deeply personal interview with The New York Times Magazine, Fleming recounted the emotional toll of being a transgender woman competing in college athletics during one of the most hostile periods in recent history.
Fleming, a 6’1” outside hitter, joined San Jose State after transferring from Coastal Carolina in 2022. For her, playing on a women’s team wasn’t new. She began her transition at 14, supported by her mother and stepfather, and competed on her high school’s girls’ volleyball team without issue. “It was a lightbulb moment,” she said about discovering her identity. “I felt this huge relief and a weight off my shoulders.”
Her first season at SJSU was uneventful. Teammates knew she was transgender, but nothing changed. “They said that they didn’t expect me to talk about it if I didn’t want to, but they wanted to let me know I was safe,” Fleming said. “Life seemed totally normal.”
That changed in 2024.
Following a smear article by anti-trans outlet Reduxx, rumors about Fleming began circulating. What was once a quietly affirming environment became a fractured team navigating relentless media attention and escalating political pressure.
Team captain Brooke Slusser, Fleming’s former roommate and friend, joined a lawsuit with former athlete Riley Gaines demanding the NCAA remove Fleming from the team. Games were forfeited. Tensions grew. Fleming said she was isolated by teammates and described the season as “the darkest time of my life.” At one point, she admitted to feeling suicidal.
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The coaching staff mirrored the divide. Head coach Todd Kress, initially hesitant, became a strong supporter of Fleming. Assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose, however, refused to work with a transgender athlete, misgendered Fleming in a media interview, and later joined the same lawsuit as Slusser.
The pressure mounted as the season progressed. Boise State forfeited their Mountain West Tournament match against the Spartans. Colorado State defeated SJSU in the semifinals, ending their season with a 14–7 record.
The controversy reached the national stage when Gaines stood beside President Donald Trump as he signed an executive order barring transgender women from girls’ and women’s sports. The NCAA swiftly responded by eliminating its transgender-inclusion policy, effectively banning all trans athletes. For Fleming, the fallout meant the end of her collegiate volleyball career.
Now finishing her senior year online from Virginia, Fleming is focused on healing. Despite everything, she remains hopeful. “There’s going to be people in the future,” she said. “Whether it’s 10 years from now, five years from now, 20 years from now, there are going to be trans people in sports.”
Fleming’s story is a stark reminder of how national debates often forget the humanity of those caught in the middle. Her voice, quiet until now, speaks to the resilience and determination of transgender athletes, even in a system determined to erase them.
