A Wyoming bill aimed at banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s collegiate sports advanced through committee on Friday at the urging of Cowgirls volleyball player Macey Boggs.
The state already bans trans athletes from competing in high school girls sports, but this bill would extend that to the college level.
‘I implore you to stop this injustice and preserve the future of female athletics, please vote yes today,’ Boggs, a senior with the Cowgirls, told the committee ahead of the vote.
Boggs was a member of the UW volleyball team that forfeited a pair of games this past season against San Jose State over objections to a trans player on the Spartans. Those forfeitures resulted in the Cowgirls’ failure to advance to the Mountain West tournament, thereby ending Boggs’ collegiate volleyball career.
‘During my last season at UW, my team was punished with two losses for refusing to play against a male athlete on an opposing team,’ Boggs said, as quoted by several news outlets.
‘I was [denied] the chance to play my final collegiate matches because we faced a situation no woman should have to face: either compete against a team rostering a male athlete on a woman’s scholarship, robbing us of fair and safe competition, or forfeit the rest of our season.’
A bill aimed at banning trans women from female collegiate sports advanced through the Wyoming Senate Education Committee on Friday at the urging of Macey Boggs (pictured)
SJSU’s women’s volleyball team has suffered a mass exodus after the Blaire Fleming saga
Curiously, the proponents of the bill aren’t sure if there are any trans athletes in college sports in Wyoming.
Republican state senator Wendy Schuler told Cowboy State Daily she isn’t aware of any transgender athletes competing at the college level in Wyoming, but said she was aware of several doing so in high school prior to the ban she helped pass in 2023.
Schuler added that she was waiting for the NCAA to enact rules against trans women in college sports but grew tired at the organization’s reluctance, which is why she’s sponsoring this bill.
‘They really kind of passed the buck,’ Schuler said, as quoted by Cowboy State Daily.
Boggs is listed as a plaintiff in a Title IX lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference over the inclusion of a trans player on San Jose State’s volleyball team. SJSU’s Blaire Fleming is not named in the lawsuit, but is widely reported to be the player in question.
The Wyoming bill will now go to the full assembly after passing the committee vote, 4-1.
There are some 25 states that currently have laws banning transgender athletes from women’s and girls sports, and a national bill has already passed through the US House of Representatives.
Multiple opponents refused to play against SJSU in the 2024 season amid concerns over Fleming. The Spartans reached the postseason with a 12-6 conference record after picking up seven victories by forfeit.
Fleming (bottom left) is pictured with her San Jose State University teammates
The redshirt senior’s inclusion on the team was the subject of fierce debate throughout the campaign, with a number of women’s college volleyball players – including some of their teammates – being named as plaintiffs in the aforementioned lawsuit.
The motion to ban Fleming was blocked by a federal judge, allowing Fleming to play in every game on SJSU’s run to the championship game in November.
And in light of the controversy over their trans teammate, the San Francisco Chronicle (via Fox News) reported that seven Spartans players have now entered the transfer portal.
The team is preparing itself for a mass exodus despite Fleming being out of eligibility after completing a fourth collegiate season in 2024.
In a statement given to Fox News, SJSU has addressed the wave of players who have opted to transfer ahead of the 2025 season, insisting they fully respect their decision.
‘Student athletes have the ability to make decisions about their college athletic careers, and we have the utmost respect for that,’ the statement read.
Now seven of Fleming’s teammates have entered the transfer portal while seeking a move
Head coach Todd Kress recently admitted the 2024 season was one of the ‘most difficult’ of his life amid the controversy over Fleming, while also previously hitting out at trolls who were targeting several members of the team.
‘I have immense pride in the fact that we competed as a team all season long. These players put their love for the game above all else to play as a team each and every match,’ Kress said.
‘This has been one of the most difficult seasons I’ve ever experienced, and I know this is true as well for many of our players and the staff who have been supporting us all along.
‘Maintaining our focus on the court and ensuring the overall safety and well-being of my players amid the external noise have been my priorities.’
Despite concerns over Fleming, SJSU lost to Colorado State in the Mountain West tournament final last month.
