Brooke Slusser Responds to Critics Over Transgender Roommate Allegations

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

In response, dozens of high-profile women’s rights activists have come to the former San Jose State University volleyball player’s defense.

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Slusser himself addressed the critics in a statement to Pakinomist Digital.

“I just want to say that people who don’t know my life or my trauma have no place 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 has also acknowledged the responses in a number of TikTok posts, as she has become more active on the platform this week to talk about her alleged experience at SJSU.

The online hate campaign started 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 Pakinomist Digital.

During the interview, she said: “You find yourself just relaxing in a bed with a man that you have no idea… I [was] Unknowingly sharing a bed at the time with a man,” and alleged SJSU volleyball coach Todd Kress encouraged her to live in the same apartment as the trans teammate as another group of players also searched for a final tenant.

The fallout from the interview has prompted high-profile activists, lawmakers and even an actor to speak out and side with or against Slusser.

Many critics echoed the sentiment that “nothing bad” happened to Slusser, despite the anxiety of the situation ultimately leading to her developing an eating disorder and being unable to complete her college education.

Former “Glee” actor Kevin McHale even appeared to mock Slusser’s performance.

A coalition of “save women’s sports” activists 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 Strans detractors from pro-Slussers.

“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 be with or play with a man,” Sey wrote in response to a critic.

In response to the same critic, Navratilova wrote: “Brooke has every right to be mad. Try again with the desire for punishment…”

Slusser finds herself at the center of a sports culture war flashpoint at a time when the conflict over her school’s handling of her transgender former teammate has reached a political impasse.

‘TERRIFYING’ MOMENTS UNR VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS EXPERIENCED AS THEY WENT INTO THE SJSU TITLE IX SCANDAL

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

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

“Because we believe OCR’s findings are not based on fact or the law, SJSU and CSU today filed a lawsuit against the federal government to challenge these 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 defend 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 doing so.”

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

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

“Our support for the LGBTQ members of our community who have experienced threats and harm over the past several years remains unwavering. We know the attention the university has received around this issue and the investigative process that followed has been disturbing to many in 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 spike her in the face during a game. The department claims, “SJSU did not investigate the conspiracy, but later subjected the female athlete to a Title IX complaint for ‘misgendering’ the male athlete in online videos and interviews.”

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

Slusser’s own lawsuit also survived a motion to dismiss in part last week.

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

Crews deferred its decision on whether to dismiss those charges until after a decision in the ongoing BPJ v. West Virginia Supreme Court case expected in June.

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CSU released a statement to Pakinomist Digital in response to Crews’ ruling.

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

The outcome of the lawsuits by and against SJSU on this issue could ultimately set a consequential precedent for the future of women’s sports in America.