Brooke Slusser responds to criticism over transgender roommate allegations

Left-wing social media users have launched a barrage of insults at 23-year-old Brooke Slusser in recent days.

In response, dozens of prominent women’s rights activists came to defend the former San Jose State University volleyball player.

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Slusser addressed the criticism herself in a statement to PK Press Club Digital.

“I would just say that people who don’t know my life or my trauma don’t have the opportunity to say how good or bad my time at SJSU was. I hope they never have to understand going through something as horrible as that,” she said.

She also acknowledged the responses in a series of posts on TikTok, as she became more active on the platform this week talking about her alleged experience at SJSU.

The online hate campaign began after Slusser shared details about living in the same apartment with transgender volleyball teammate Blaire Fleming while at San Jose State University, in an interview with PK Press Club Digital.

During the interview, she said: “You find out you’re just relaxing in bed with a man you have no idea about…I [was] unknowingly sharing a bed at that time with a man,” and alleged SJSU volleyball coach Todd Kress encouraged her to live in the same apartment as her trans teammate while another group of players also sought an end tenant.

The fallout from the interview prompted prominent activists, lawmakers and even an actor to speak out, siding for or against Slusser.

Many critics echoed the sentiment that “nothing bad” happened to Slusser, despite the fact that anxiety over the situation ultimately led to her developing an eating disorder and being unable to graduate from college.

Former “Glee” actor Kevin McHale even seemed to make fun of Slusser’s appearance.

A coalition of activists to “save women’s sports” rushed to Slusser’s defense, with OutKick host Riley Gaines, XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova and former ESPN star Sage Steele leading the charge to defend Slusser against pro-trans detractors.

“Brooke has every right to feel violated. This is a violation of her personal space and boundaries. She was lied to. She would not have agreed to share or play with a man,” Sey wrote in response to a criticism.

Navratilova wrote in response to this same criticism: “Brooke has every right to be angry. Try again with the punishment wish…”

Slusser finds himself at the center of a sports culture war at a time when conflict over how his school treated his former transgender teammate has reached a political stalemate.

‘HORRIBLE’ MOMENTS EXPOSED FOR UNR VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS WHEN THEY WERE EMBRACED IN SJSU TITLE IX SCANDAL

After the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced in late January that an investigation into the university for its treatment of a trans athlete and other players concluded that the the school violated Title IXSJSU and the California State University system refused to resolve the violation.

Instead, SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson announced Friday that the school and the California State University (CSU) system were suing the federal government to challenge the investigation.

“Because we believe OCR’s findings are not based in fact or law, SJSU and CSU today filed a lawsuit against the federal government to challenge those findings and prevent the federal government from taking punitive action against the university, including the potential withholding of critical federal funding,” Teniente-Matson said Friday.

“This is not a step we take lightly. However, we have a responsibility to uphold the integrity of our institution and the rule of law, while ensuring that every member of our community is treated fairly and in accordance with the law. Our position is simple: we followed the law and cannot be punished for it.”

The school is also asking OCR to reverse its findings and close its investigation.

Teniente-Matson affirmed the university’s commitment to advocating for the LGBTQ community in the announcement.

“Our support for LGBTQ members of our community, who have suffered threats and harm in recent years, remains unwavering. We know that the attention the university has received on this matter and the investigative process that followed have been destabilizing for many members of our community,” the university president said.

Among the ED’s findings, it determined that a female athlete discovered that the trans student allegedly conspired to have a member of an opposing team punch her face during a game. The department claims that “SJSU did not investigate the conspiracy, but subsequently subjected the female athlete to a Title IX complaint for ‘misgendering’ the male athlete in online videos and interviews.”

Slusser alleged in a November 2024 lawsuit against Mountain West that she and former assistant coach Melissa Batie-Smoose were informed of a meeting between Fleming and Colorado State women’s volleyball player Malaya Jones on Oct. 2, 2024, during which Fleming discussed a plan with Jones to have Slusser get poked in the face during a match the following night.

Slusser’s own lawsuit also partially survived last week’s motions to dismiss.

Colorado District Judge Kato Crews dismissed all of the plaintiffs’ charges against the Mountain West Conference, but did not dismiss charges of Title IX violations against the CSU system.

Crews postponed his decision on whether to dismiss these charges until a decision is made in the ongoing case BPJ v. West Virginia Supreme Court case, expected in June.

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The CSU provided a statement to PK Press Club Digital in response to Crews’ decision.

“CSU is pleased with the court’s decision. SJSU has complied with Title IX and all applicable laws, and will continue to do so,” the statement said.

The results of the lawsuits filed against SJSU on this issue could ultimately set a significant precedent for the future of women’s sports in America.