Trump Education Dept: San Jose State Violated Title IX in Trans Volleyball Case
The U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration found San Jose State University violated Title IX in its handling of a transgender volleyball player, concluding that Brooke Slusser and teammates were required to share sleeping and changing spaces without disclosure of the player’s biological sex and citing an incident in which the trans athlete allegedly conspired with an opponent to spike a teammate in the face. Slusser’s parents praised the administration and Secretary McMahon, said they will pursue litigation, and detailed severe health, academic and financial fallout for their daughter — including major weight loss, loss of her menstrual cycle, anorexia, forfeiture of her Division I scholarship, and out‑of‑pocket tuition and housing costs after she left SJSU.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- The U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration determined San Jose State violated Title IX in the trans volleyball case.
- ED found Brooke Slusser was required to share a bedroom and changing space with a trans teammate without disclosure of that athlete’s biological sex, and that the trans athlete conspired with an opposing player to spike an SJSU teammate in the face.
- Slusser reported major health and academic harms: her weight fell from about 160 to 128 pounds in one semester, she lost her menstrual cycle for nine months, developed severe anorexia and sleep issues, withdrew from online classes and ultimately lost her Division I scholarship.
- The family says they suffered financial impacts, having to pay full tuition for the semester and cover Slusser’s apartment lease after she left San Jose State at her parents’ insistence.
- Brooke Slusser’s parents, Paul and Kim, issued a public statement praising the Trump administration and Education Secretary McMahon for “taking action on the issue of men in women’s sports,” and said their next step is to pursue litigation in court against San Jose State and the Mountain West Conference, which they say betrayed the volleyball team.
đź“Š Analysis & Commentary (2)
"A conservative critique situating the Education Department’s San Jose State Title IX finding within a larger condemnation of 'gender ideology,' arguing campuses have subordinated sex‑based protections to identity politics and that federal enforcement is a warranted corrective."
"An opinion piece criticizing institutional and medical policies on transgender accommodation — using the San Jose State trans‑volleyball Title IX finding as emblematic — argues that current approaches produce real harms to cisgender girls and minors and calls for stricter safeguards, medical caution and policy reexamination."
đź“° Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Brooke Slusser’s parents, Paul and Kim, issued their first public statement since ED’s Title IX determination, explicitly praising the Trump administration and Secretary McMahon for 'taking action on the issue of men in women’s sports.'
- The parents say their 'next step is to fight for justice in court,' signaling they intend to continue litigation against San Jose State and the Mountain West Conference and framing those entities as having 'betrayed the volleyball team.'
- The article reiterates concrete health and academic fallout for Slusser: she reports dropping from about 160 to 128 pounds in one semester, losing her menstrual cycle for nine months, developing severe anorexia and sleep issues, and ultimately losing her Division I scholarship after withdrawing from online classes.
- The piece underscores specific financial impacts on the family, including having to pay full tuition for the semester and cover her apartment lease out of pocket after she left SJSU at her parents’ insistence.
- It restates key ED findings from this case, including that Slusser was required to share a bedroom and changing space with a trans teammate without disclosure of that athlete’s biological sex and that the trans athlete conspired with an opposing player to spike an SJSU teammate in the face.