This is the moment a college graduate was told he could not wear a ‘Keep Women’s Sports Female’ shirt while watching his school’s volleyball game against transgender athlete Blaire Fleming.
In exclusive footage obtained by Outkick, Air Force Academy officials can be heard telling John Kopecky to cover up his controversial shirt during their game against San Jose State and Fleming, who is a biological male.
Kopecky was first made to unzip his hoody and reveal what he was wearing underneath, only to be told he could not display the shirt as the message was ‘political’ and not allowed.
While he was allowed in, Air Force officials told him he would be ordered to leave if the hoody was unzipped, with several eyes said to be on him during the game.
‘I saw security pointing me out to the superintendent [and] the commandant,’ Kopecky said. ‘I could kind of see out of the corner of my eye, they were pointing at where I was sitting.’
Transgender volleyball player Blaire Fleming has been at the center of fierce controversy
Fleming, who is in their third season on San Jose State’s women’s volleyball roster, is at the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA, which is being accused by more than a dozen female athletes of knowingly violating a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination by allowing a transgender athlete to compete in women’s sports.
Multiple opponents have also refused to play against San Jose State in recent months due to safety concerns over their trans player.
Kopecky also opened up on other changes to the usual process at Air Force volleyball games, with security also not allowing fans to bring any signs into the facility.
A large board containing a fan code of conduct was also more visible than ever before.
‘They brought out a big board with all these rules about fan conduct that may have been there in the past, but I’ve never seen it [displayed] right at the door,’ Kopecky said.
A fan captured the moment he was told he couldn’t wear a ‘Keep Women’s Sports Female’ shirt during Air Force Academy’s game against San Jose State and Fleming
Fleming, who is a biological male, was involved in San Jose State’s win over Air Force
The redshirt senior is currently at the center of a class-action lawsuit filed against the NCAA
Air Force Academy is quoted as saying in a statement: ‘Air Force Athletics takes necessary measures to provide a safe environment at all home athletic events for players, coaches, staff and fans.’
San Jose State went on to beat Air Force on the day to go 11-3 for the season.
As the dispute over trans athletes in women’s sports rages on, Fleming – who is yet to publicly come out as trans – sparked further contention earlier this month by sending a ferocious spike off an opponent’s face.
The spike took place on the SJSU campus with the San Diego State Aztecs leading the San Jose State Spartans 22-12 in the second set.
It was then that Fleming was set up by teammate Brooke Slusser before rocketing a spike off the face of San Diego State’s Keira Herron.
‘Keira Herron has some pink in her hair and her face is starting to look like she’s matching that as obviously she took the contact,’ one announcer said in the video, which quickly went viral.
Remarkably, Herron kept the play alive, albeit only momentarily before the point ultimately went to the Spartans. And what’s more, she was even laughing afterwards while appearing to tell a teammate that she was ‘fine.’
Fleming has been cleared by San Jose State to play for the SJSU women’s volleyball team for three seasons, joining in 2022.
The Mountain West Conference has been notified by ICONS about athletes’ safety concerns regarding Fleming, who was named in a federal lawsuit filed by the organization. Slusser, the SJSU player who set Fleming up for the aforementioned spike, has since joined that lawsuit.
