Michigan girls’ volleyball team with transgender player excelling in postseason play

Skyline High School in Ann Arbor moved deeper into the Michigan girls volleyball postseason this past week while state officials continued to avoid basic questions about the eligibility of the team’s transgender athlete. 

The Michigan High School Athletic Association requires a yearly waiver before a biological male can compete in girls’ sports during district, regional or state play. The group publicly said in September that it “had not granted any waivers since last fall,” but it has ignored repeated follow-up requests asking if Skyline received one for this season. 

The lack of answers has angered parents who expect the same rules to apply to every team, especially in a postseason tournament. 

Skyline beat DeWitt 3-0 on Nov. 11 in the regional semifinal. The team now faces Saline in the regional final. 

The transgender player appeared sparingly and was often used as a decoy, even though the athlete “possess[es] the ability to jump higher than any of the females on the court,” according to an OutKick report. Skyline did not rely on the player for significant contributions despite the competitive advantage many parents believe the athlete brings. 

Parents from several schools have raised concerns this fall after learning their daughters were competing against a male. Some said they only discovered the situation after matches, since Skyline “appears to have attempted to hide its biological male player’s identity,” the report said. 

Recent district matches took place at Skyline, where the principal and others reportedly followed and harassed an Outkick reporter, prompting him to call the police. The reporter said Skyline supporters were few, and the rest of the gym loudly backed DeWitt. Some spectators wore pro-woman clothing to show support for female athletes. 

A young woman in attendance said she wanted to support her friends but also wore a shirt to make a statement about fairness. Other parents expressed support privately. One parent told the reporter they were happy someone was covering the event, but declined to comment further. Another shook his hand and said, “Keep doing what you’re doing.” 

Unlike previously, no major incidents occurred at the most recent game. 

The MHSAA previously said, “Security is among top priorities at our tournament events – and we are confident our hosts will provide safe environments at all of our regional venues.” 

Saline parents complained earlier in the season about their daughters facing this same athlete. 

Many families believe the issue goes beyond a single game, seeing a system insisting on so-called inclusivity while giving little regard to girls who want a fair chance to compete.