Slusser, a co-captain on the San Jose State women’s volleyball team, was in her senior year when the team’s 2024 season became overshadowed by controversy surrounding teammate Blaire Fleming.
Fleming’s towering 6-foot-1 presence on the court led multiple programs to forfeit games against the team. Those opposed to Fleming in 2024 got even worse news when a judge ruled that the athlete.
Slusser says she spent almost two years living with Fleming without knowing Fleming was transgender. The two shared an apartment in Santa Clara, California, starting in 2023.
“You find out you’re just sitting there in a bed with someone you didn’t know was a man,” Slusser told Fox News Digital. “It’s hard to process.”
Slusser said she learned through a news article that Fleming was transgender. It forced her to rethink the past year and the many private situations she experienced in the apartment.
“I would have changed everything about what I was doing in that apartment if I had known that it was a man. It’s hard to fully grasp all of that when it was almost two years of me living with this situation.”
The discovery deeply affected Slusser’s mental and physical health. She claims the stress led to an eating disorder and other health worries.
“It wasn’t until all the craziness started that my healthy lifestyle turned very unhealthy, into not eating the amount I should,” Slusser said.
“I want to have the dream future that I envision for myself, of having kids in the future. I want as many as possible, and I think if that weren’t able to happen, that would break my heart.”
The situation later turned into a lawsuit. Slusser has filed legal action against the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference.
Fleming has strongly rejected Slusser’s claims. She previously spoke with Fox News, saying:“I really don’t care or feel bad for her.”
The broader debate about gender identity, women’s athletics, and privacy remains one of the most discussed cultural issues in sports today.