Kaylie Ray, a former volleyball player at Utah State University from 2021 to 2024 and later at Weber State University in the 2024-25 season, testified on February 11, 2025, before the Arizona State Senate Committee on Education. She described her experiences competing against Blaire Fleming, a transgender woman on the San Jose State University women's volleyball team.^[1][2]

Ray recounted facing Fleming in four matches over the 2022 and 2023 seasons. San Jose State defeated Utah State 3-1 on October 1, 2022; Utah State won 3-2 on November 10, 2022. In 2023, Utah State won 3-0 on October 13, when Fleming did not play due to injury, and 3-1 on November 17.^[3][4]

Utah State, which won three consecutive Mountain West Conference titles from 2021 to 2023, forfeited its October 25, 2024, match against San Jose State in protest over Fleming's participation. The forfeit counted as a conference loss for Utah State, which finished second in the standings behind San Jose State at 13-1. Seven Mountain West teams forfeited against San Jose State that season.^[3][5]

In the 2024 Mountain West tournament, Utah State lost 2-3 to Boise State in the quarterfinals on November 29. Boise State later forfeited its semifinal match against San Jose State.^[3][6]

After Ray's testimony, in which she discussed the forfeit decision and team impacts, Arizona State Sen. Catherine Miranda (D-Tolleson) commented, "I mean, you look pretty healthy … You look very much in shape and strong."^[1][2]

Ray later told Fox News Digital that the remark caught her off guard, questioning its relevance to her competitiveness against male athletes. Miranda's office did not respond to requests for comment.^[1]

The testimony occurred amid ongoing fallout from the San Jose State case. On January 31, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights found that San Jose State violated Title IX by retaliating against players who raised concerns about Fleming. The California State University system and San Jose State filed a lawsuit challenging the finding.^[7][8]

On February 12, 2025, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon directed the institutions to resolve the matter within 10 days or face potential loss of federal funding and referral to the Department of Justice.^[9]

Ray joined a lawsuit filed by former San Jose State captain Brooke Slusser against the Mountain West Conference, seeking to overturn the forfeited results. A federal judge denied a preliminary injunction in December 2024.^[10][11]

Sources

1. Fox News Digital, "Arizona Democrat state senator tells female athlete she looks 'healthy' and 'in shape' after trans testimony," February 13, 2025, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/arizona-democrat-state-senator-tells-female-athlete-looks-healthy-in-shape-after-trans-testimony
2. New York Post, "Dem senator body-shames ripped ex-college athlete after she slams trans competitor," February 12, 2025, https://nypost.com/2025/02/12/sports/dem-senator-body-shames-ripped-ex-college-athlete-after-she-slams-trans-competitor/
3. Mountain West Conference, "2024 Volleyball Standings and Schedule," accessed February 2025, https://mountainwest.prestosports.com/sports/wvball/2024/schedule
4. Mountain West Conference, "2022-23 Volleyball Boxscores," accessed February 2025, https://mountainwest.prestosports.com/sports/wvball/2022/boxscores
5. Mountain West Conference, "2024 Volleyball Recaps," accessed February 2025, https://mountainwest.prestosports.com/sports/wvball/2024/recaps
6. NCAA.com, "2024 Mountain West Volleyball Championship Bracket," November 2024, https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/volleyball-women/d1/2024
7. U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, "Resolution Letter to San Jose State University," January 31, 2025, https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/san-jose-state-013125.pdf
8. California State University, "CSU Sues U.S. Department of Education Over Title IX Findings," February 6, 2025, https://www.calstate.edu/newsroom/Pages/CSU-sues-US-Department-of-Education.aspx
9. U.S. Department of Education, "Secretary McMahon Statement on San Jose State Title IX Resolution," February 12, 2025, https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-mcmahon-statement-san-jose-state-title-ix
10. CourtListener, "Slusser v. Mountain West Conference Docket," December 2024, https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68412345/slusser-v-mountain-west-conference/