By james art RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Several hundred people attended a rally Saturday to support the Wolf Pack women’s volleyball team’s decision not to play San Jose State.
Team Nevada lost the game. Wolf Pack volleyball team captain Sia Liilii said the decision was made for safety reasons.
“We told our athletic directors that we didn’t feel comfortable playing in this game,” Liili said in an interview. “We were told we needed to take a little more time to look at both sides. And then the majority of us said they didn’t feel comfortable playing against a biological male.
She said players from other teams who had lost games thanked her for the Wolf Pack’s stance.
“It’s bigger than winning or losing. It’s about our future generations,” Liili said.
There was a “Women’s Sports Are Only Women” rally in Reno on Saturday afternoon, attended by Lilly, another Wolf Pack player. American swimmer Riley Gaines was the keynote speaker. U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown also attended.
Liilii called on politicians and leaders to introduce policies and laws to protect women in sports.
“I would like to tell girls and women who are in sports that they matter,” Liili said. “They have a voice. And that they don’t have to play against biological men.”
Gaines said he’s not arguing that transgender people don’t have a place to compete.
“Of course there is,” Gaines said. “But compete in a category that’s safe, No. 1, and fair, No. 2. And that’s the category that fits your gender.”
Galena High School student Kendall Lewis also attended.
“My main concern is that the female athletes will get hurt in the process, and the men have the upper hand with strength and their ability to have more stable agility and faster serves,” Lewis said. “I just don’t want to see women hurt and their opportunities taken away from them.”
Matthew Kopico, program and prevention manager for our LGBTQ+ center at the University of Nevada, Reno, said athletes should be involved.
“I think the biggest takeaway, and the message of our center here, is to promote the idea that trans men are men and trans women are women,” Kopichko said. “And they should be able to play.”
Copyright 2024 KOLO. All rights reserved.