LOGAN, Utah — Utah State University volleyball player Kaylie Ray claims she and her teammates have been scolded for taking a stand against transgender athletes participating in collegiate sports.
In a lawsuit filed with several players from other universities against the Mountain West Conference, Ray shared what led up to Utah State canceling its game against San Jose State University due to a transgender player, and the repercussions she and her teammates allegedly faced afterward.
The players complain that because an alleged transgender athlete is allowed to participate for San Jose State University, they face unfair conditions during games.
After other schools had previously canceled or forfeited games against San Jose State, Utah State did the same for their scheduled contest on Oct. 23.
In the lawsuit, Ray claims Utah State coaches were originally going to play the San Jose State game before Aggies players met with school president Elizabeth Cantwell and athletic director Diana Sabau.
During the meeting, players were asked to participate in an anonymous survey about their feelings regarding playing San Jose State. After reading the responses, officials called the game off.
“My teammates and I are glad we are standing up for our rights as women, however, we are making significant sacrifices to do so," Ray said in the lawsuit.
However, once the game was called off, Ray said that she and her teammates "experienced additional efforts to prevent them from speaking out about women’s rights."
During a Friday practice in which Aggies players are allowed to wear whatever they want, Ray and three teammates wore "BOYcott" t-shirts as a show of solidarity and shared a photo on social media.
In the following days, Ray said head coach Rob Neilson told her on a road trip that the San Jose State head coach found the photo "distasteful." Ray added that Neilson later "spoke sharply" to her and another teammate while in the film room, allegedly calling them "selfish" for posting the photo.
According to Ray, Neilson told her that "USU players should avoid making any more public statements about this issue."
Ray added that the school has since pressured her and her teammates to agree that they will not protest during the Mountain West Conference volleyball tournament in which San Jose State is scheduled to participate.
In a statement to FOX 13 News, Utah State said it supports student rights.
"USU supports the rights of all students to speak out on important issues regardless of their viewpoint," the school said in the statement. "Ms. Ray has been steadfast in her advocacy for women in sports and USU supports her right to advocate for her position through litigation."
