What Trump's ban on transgender athletes means for San Jose State sports

SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose State University has not explicitly stated whether it will comply with the new NCAA policy changes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from women's sports.

However, the institution said it would protect its students and follow regulations set forth by the California State University system.

The California State University (CSU), a member of the NCAA, said it is "committed to our responsibilities under the CSU Nondiscrimination Policy, Title IX, and state and federal law to protect against and respond to all forms of discrimination or harassment in the CSU’s educational programs and activities, including our athletics programs."

The CSU system has not clearly explained how it will respond to the NCAA's policy change. The NCAA has already changed its participation policy for transgender athletes in line with Trump's executive order.

Trump's executive order

What we know:

The executive order gives federal agencies the latitude to withhold federal funding from entities that do not abide by Title IX in alignment with the Trump administration’s view, which interprets "sex" as the gender someone was assigned at birth.

The NCAA policy change is effective immediately and applies to all athletes regardless of previous eligibility reviews. The NCAA has about 1,100 member schools with more than 500,000 athletes, making it the largest governing body for college athletics in the U.S.

"We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard."

The NCAA’s revised policy permits athletes assigned male at birth to practice with women’s teams and receive benefits such as medical care. It is not uncommon, for example, for women’s basketball teams to practice against fellow students who are male.

Regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender identity, an athlete can practice and compete with a men’s team assuming they meet all other NCAA eligibility requirements.

However, the NCAA said an athlete assigned female at birth who has begun hormone therapy (testosterone, for example) can practice with a women’s team but cannot compete on a women’s team without risking the team’s eligibility for championships.

Member schools remain responsible for certifying athlete eligibility for practice and competition. The NCAA also said schools are subject to local, state, and federal legislation, and such legislation supersedes NCAA rules.

Title IX complaints

Dig deeper:

San Jose State’s women’s volleyball team drew headlines last season over unconfirmed allegations that the roster included a transgender player. The university has not confirmed it has a transgender women's volleyball player.

"SJSU will not address the gender identity of any student as they are protected under federal law, via the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)," said University president Cynthia Teniente-Matson.

San Jose State University is under investigation by the Education Department for potential Title IX violations when allowing an alleged transgender athlete to compete on the women's volleyball team. Title IX, signed into law in 1972, bars sex discrimination in education.

Teniente-Matson said San Jose State will fully engage with the investigation and comply with the law as it continues to "act within our authority to uphold the values that define us as an institution."

A lawsuit was also filed against the NCAA last year over allegations of violating student-athlete Title IX rights, specifically related to transgender women competing in women's national championships. San Jose State senior setter and co-captain Brooke Slusser is part of the lawsuit.

Slusser claimed that her teammate hit the volleyball with more force than others on the team and that throughout practices, she and some teammates were afraid of suffering concussions from being hit in the head by a volleyball.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.