The former associate head women’s volleyball coach at San Jose State University alleges she was suspended and fired in retaliation for raising concerns about the participation of a transgender female athlete on the team.
Melissa Batie-Smoose claims her suspension and firing were at least in part based on the content and viewpoint of her speech and the exercise of her religious beliefs, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
The SJSU volleyball team was a flash point in the broader debate surrounding transgender athlete policies at the collegiate level in …