The San José State Associated Students (A.S.) Board of Directors failed to pass a resolution to support trans rights in women’s sports in the Student Union on Wednesday afternoon.
Five directors voted in support of the resolution but two voted in opposition and three directors chose to abstain from participating in the vote.
Ariana Lacson, SJSU A.S. president and CEO, has been working on the resolution since the Fall 2024 semester.
Lacson said she started working on researching and writing the resolution after SJSU received national attention following a controversy surrounding its women's volleyball team.
In Fall 2024, a student athlete on the women’s volleyball team was outed for allegedly being transgender, according to previous reporting from the Spartan Daily. The student in question has not publicly addressed the controversy.
“From that controversy, I think it signaled to me that our trans community and our trans folk are under attack,” Lacson said. “As Associated Students, (and) as president, one of my main goals and initiatives will always be advocating for every student group, especially those who are in marginalized (communities).”
Lacson said she reached out to multiple student groups to see how many students would support the resolution.
Over 50 presidents from different student groups on campus support the goals in the resolution, according to the resolution document.
“But we have a privilege and honor and responsibility of advocating and amplifying the voices of all of our students, especially those who may be especially scrutinized under everything that's happening in the world,” Lacson said. “I've never felt so embarrassed . . . I've never felt as much disappointment as I did today with being on Associated Students.”
Like Lacson, current board members are feeling disappointed after the result of the vote.
Among the five affirmative votes were Teairra Brown, the A.S. director of student resource affairs, Lacson and the Director of Legislative Affairs Katelyn Gambarin.
“It’s really important that at this time we show that we are standing in solidarity with different marginalized communities on campus,” Gambarin said. “And to not see that today was really disappointing . . . It’s also important to remember that as a student body, we act in the interest of our students.”
On Feb. 5, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning the participation of transgender athletes, according to a webpage from the White House.
The order says that the policy of the United States will take away funds from educational programs that allow trans-athletes to compete in sports.
Following this order, in a statement sent to the Spartan Daily from Michelle Smith-McDonald, SJSU’s director of media relations, sent the university’s response.
“San José State maintains an unwavering commitment to the wellness, safety and privacy of our students, faculty and staff and to fostering a supportive and caring environment for all,” the email said.
Rishika Joshi, the A.S. director of sustainability affairs, was among the two who voted nay during the decision process.
Joshi said she voted in opposition because she wants to make sure the board hears concerns from the small minority of students who may not support the resolution.
“I am personally not against this resolution and trans athletes participating in sports, but I wish I have had these pieces of information from both sides to make a sound decision,” Joshi said. “Just as trans athletes are part of the student body, non-trans athletes are part of it as well and they want to be heard as well.”
She said no students have approached her or anyone on the board sharing their concerns against the resolution, but she still felt the discussion at Wednesday’s meeting was one-sided.
While there is limited data, it doesn’t suggest that trans men or trans women have any athletic advantage post transition, according to an Oct. 27, 2023 Frontiers in Sports and Active Living research article.
In most cases, trans athletes performed more similarly to their gender identity, according to the same research article.
Brown feels as though the failure to pass the resolution was terrible on the board's part.
“I feel like (discriminating) someone from a sport that they love and that they’re passionate about is just wrong and it’s not equal towards everyone,” Brown said.
Joshi said she is not opposed to seeing the board bring back the resolution and vote again in the future as long as the board remembers to address concerns from those who may oppose the resolution.
Lacson said she is unsure of what the next steps are but she encourages students to engage more with the A.S. Board of Directors to share their concerns or support for the resolution.
She said she expects students to respond to A.S.’s inability to pass the resolution and encourages students to use their anger and disappointment to vocalize and to check if their student government representatives are serving them as best as they can.
“This fight is not over. Just because we're experiencing one setback doesn't mean that this fight has to end and it won't end,” Lacson said.
