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Female athletes to testify against NCAA, demanding sex screenings to keep trans athletes out of women's sports
A group of women college athletes affected by transgender inclusion will testify in a legal battle between the NCAA and the state of Texas Tuesday.
After the NCAA changed its gender eligibility policy to prevent biological males from competing in women’s sports to comply with President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order addressing the issue, many pro-women activists spoke out with concerns the new policy doesn’t go far enough to keep trans athletes out.
In late February, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the NCAA for its recent revised policy, demanding the governing body begin mandatory sex screening.
The lawsuit’s first hearing is Tuesday and will include testimony from former San Jose State University volleyball player Brooke Slusser and her mother, Kim Slusser, former North Carolina State University Kylee Alons and former University of Kentucky Swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler.
Those athletes are already involved in another lawsuit, led by Riley Gaines and the Independent Council on Women’s Sports (ICONS), against the NCAA for its past gender policy that allowed trans athletes to compete as women, citing their own experiences with trans inclusion.
Slusser is the most recent of the group to enter the battle against trans inclusion in women’s sports after joining the Gaines lawsuit in September over her experience with transgender teammate Blaire Fleming. Slusser has alleged SJSU did not reveal Fleming’s birth sex while they shared changing and sleeping areas.
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Alons, a 31-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion, and Wheeler shared a locker room and pool with former University of Pennsylvania transgender swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA championships.
Now, the three athletes will look to share their experiences in court as they try to bring mandatory gender testing to the NCAA and prevent future women athletes from going through similar experiences.
Paxton’s lawsuit has reflected many of the complaints by critics that the current policy is too lenient and could allow trans athletes to compete in women’s sports with an amended birth certificate.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
In the U.S., 44 states do allow birth certificates to be altered to change a person’s birth sex. The only states that do not allow this are Florida, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Montana. There are 14 states that allow sex on a birth certificate to be changed without any medical documentation required, including California, New York, Massachusetts and Michigan.
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“In practice, the NCAA’s lack of sex-screening has allowed (and will continue to allow) biological men to surreptitiously participate in ‘women’s’ sports categories,” the lawsuit states. Additionally, Paxton argues the NCAA allows “ample opportunity for biological men to alter their birth records and participate in women’s sports.”
Paxton filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in December over its previous policy. In that suit, Paxton accused the NCAA of “engaging in false, deceptive, and misleading practices by marketing sporting events as ‘women’s’ competitions only to then provide consumers with mixed sex competitions where biological males compete against biological females.”
“The NCAA is intentionally and knowingly jeopardizing the safety and well-being of women by deceptively changing women’s competitions into co-ed competitions,” Paxton said in a statement. “When people watch a women’s volleyball game, for example, they expect to see women playing against other women, not biological males pretending to be something they are not. Radical ‘gender theory’ has no place in college sports.”
The NCAA provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the criticisms and insisting that amended birth certificates will not be accepted.
“The policy is clear that there are no waivers available, and student-athletes assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team with amended birth certificates or other forms of ID,” the statement said. “Male practice players have been a staple in college sports for decades, particularly in women’s basketball and the Association will continue to account for that in the policy.”
These specifics are not outlined on the official NCAA policy page, and it makes no specific references to birth certificate, ID amendments or women’s scholarships going to trans athletes.
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Pregnant widow shares husband’s final text before alleged fatal sucker punch outside Arizona bar
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A pregnant widow recalled the last text message from her husband before he was killed in an altercation outside a bar in Scottsdale, Arizona, earlier this month.
Thomas John “TJ” Pizzitola, 29, was found lying unconscious on a sidewalk around 2:15 a.m. on Oct. 11 near Pattie’s First Avenue Lounge, after he and two friends were kicked out for unruly behavior, FOX10 Phoenix reported.
Pizzitola and his two friends had been walking outside to a rideshare pickup when one friend allegedly bumped into a woman. Drew Meneses, 24, then allegedly sucker-punched Pizzitola, knocking him unconscious.
Pizzitola’s wife, Krisan, said she had dropped him off at the lounge for what was supposed to be a fun night out with his friends just weeks before their son was due to be born.
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Thomas John “TJ” Pizzitola, 29, had gone out for a night with friends when the incident happened in the early morning hours of Oct. 11 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Pizzitola Family via FOX10 Phoenix KSAZ)
“I texted him that I had gotten home and he texted me back and said that he wished that I was there, but that he was so proud of me for staying home and taking care of our baby boy and that he loved me,” Krisan told the outlet.
“That was the last text I ever got from him,” she added.
Pizzitola was rushed to a hospital, though he later died from a fatal brain injury.
On Oct. 22, police arrested five people in connection with his death, including Meneses, who was charged with second-degree murder.
Drew Meneses, 24, was charged with second-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bond. (Scottsdale Police Department / Maricopa County Jail)
Meneses is being held on $1 million bond. He told the court that the incident “was a bad night,” according to the outlet.
“It was not supposed to happen like that at all and there was no malicious intent for that at all,” he said.
Prosecutor Angela Andrews said cellphone video shows Pizzitola “standing with his arms to his side” when Meneses walks “up behind him and essentially sucker punch him in the head,” according to the outlet.
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The other suspects include Julius Husser, 27, Tony Becker, 26, and Mark Whitford, 23, all of whom were charged with aggravated assault. Husser and Becker each face an additional charge of assault. A fifth suspect, 27-year-old Krista Molina, was charged with assault and disorderly conduct.
Julius Husser, 27, from left, Tony Becker, 26, and Mark Whitford, 23, and Krista Molina, 27, were all charged in connection with the assault. (Scottsdale Police Department / Maricopa County Jail)
Krisan is due to give birth to a baby boy next month.
“I’m trying so hard not to be so angry at this situation and try to be the strong woman that he thinks that I am,” she told the outlet.
Krisan added that she is going to name the child TJ Vito as a tribute to his late father.
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“All he ever wanted to be was the best father ever and the best husband,” she said. “But he wasn’t finished.”
A GoFundMe page for the family said Pizzitola will continue to help others through organ donation.
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A 13-year-old girl in Texas narrowly escaped an attempted abduction in broad daylight Monday when a man tried to grab her from behind as she walked to school, authorities said. Officials said the suspect appeared to be wearing a ski mask.
The encounter happened as the teenager was walking to Central Middle School in Galveston shortly before 7 a.m., when she suddenly “heard footsteps approaching from behind,” according to the Galveston Police Department.
The unidentified man reportedly grabbed her from behind, sparking a brief struggle.
The teen bit the man twice and broke free without sustaining any physical injuries, officials said. She then ran directly to the school and informed her teachers, who called the police.
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The man accused of attempting to kidnap a 13-year-old girl is seen walking in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025. (Galveston Police Department)
The student’s parents later arrived at the school to accompany officers back to their apartment and retrace her route, helping them pinpoint exactly where the incident occurred.
Investigators obtained security footage from a nearby business that shows the student walking through the area, followed shortly by a man taking the same path, police said.
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A man seen on surveillance video is accused of grabbing a 13-year-old girl walking to school in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025. (Galveston Police Department/Google Maps)
Authorities said the video shows the suspect, believed to be a white or Hispanic male, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and what appeared to be a ski mask.
Police also issued an alert to local medical centers, asking them to notify authorities if anyone sought treatment for bite-related injuries.
Police say a man with what appeared to be a ski mask tried to abduct a 13-year-old girl in Galveston, Texas, Oct. 27, 2025. (Galveston Police Department)
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Officials urged anyone with information about the suspect’s identity to contact the Galveston Police Department at 409-763-3777.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Galveston Police Department for more information.
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FIRST ON FOX: The primary battle for Sen. John Cornyn’s seat in Texas continues to rage on as newly announced candidate, Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, unleashed on the incumbent in an interview with Fox News Digital, saying the GOP “has left him.”
Hunt, who entered the race earlier this month, did not mince words when ripping Cornyn over an alleged anti-President Donald Trump voting record and pointed to a number of Truth Social posts and reposts from Trump from 2023.
“John Cornyn has spent 35 million dollars over the course of the past few months to still find himself in third place and polling in the low thirties,” Hunt told Fox News Digital. “There’s still 20% of the electorate that’s undecided, which means that there’s clearly room for us.”
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Rep. Wesley Hunt, right, blasted Sen. John Cornyn, left, over his alleged anti-President Donald Trump voting record. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I’ve gotten into this race to give the true conservative Texan an option,” Hunt continued. “And that’s going to be between me and Ken Paxton, because, unfortunately for John Cornyn, he’s not going to make it. This party has left him.”
Cornyn punched back at Hunt’s claims in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling the congressman a “show horse.”
“Senator Cornyn has voted with President Trump 99.3% of the time he’s been in the White House,” Cornyn campaign senior advisor Matt Mackowiak told Fox News Digital. “Is Wesley Hunt calling President Trump liberal? Wesley Hunt voted for Hillary Clinton in 2008 and didn’t vote for Trump in November 2016.”
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Senate candidate Welsey Hunt is also facing Ken Paxton in the GOP primary. President Trump’s potential endorsement could play a big role in the election. (Left to right: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images; MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“He’s missed 27% of all House votes THIS YEAR when President Trump needed him with a 2 or 3 seat margin,” Mackowiak continued. “While show horses like Wesley Hunt run their mouth, Sen. Cornyn works to effectively represent Texas, deliver conservative victories and advance Trump’s agenda.”
Hunt blasted Cornyn on the voting record the senator defended, saying the incumbent has not stood with Trump and is lying about his voting history.
“He has not stood with the president while he is trying to run ads, and he is saying he has voted with President Trump 99% of the time,” Hunt told Fox News Digital. “We all know that that’s a flat out lie. We also know that his Liberty score is 54%.”
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“We also know that he is one of the most liberal senators of all the Senate on the Republican side,” Hunt added. “And he has been siding with the uniparty and siding with the RINOs for decades. We already know this. And the best thing about the primary voter here in Texas is that it’s a high information voter.”
Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Mike Segar /Reuters)
Hunt also pointed to several Truth Social posts that then-former President Donald Trump posted in 2023 describing how “RINO” and “hopeless” John Cornyn joined Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in “trying to cobble together a series of massive concessions for Cryin’ Chuck Schumer and the Lunatic Left.”
Trump also hit Cornyn on gun control, saying on June 22, 2022, that “RINO Senator John Cornyn of Texas” will “go down in history as the first step in the movement to TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY.”
Hunt would be the first Black statewide elected official if he were to defeat Cornyn and another primary contender, the sitting state Attorney General Ken Paxton, in the primary.
When asked what a historic win such as that means for the race, Hunt told Fox News Digital that being the first Black statewide elected official is “not important to me.”
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“What’s most important to me is the fact that I am an American and people are going to vote for me because of the way I view conservatism, the way I view Texas, and they’re going to judge me not based on the color of my skin, but by the content of my character,” Hunt explained.
Paxton could not be reached for comment.
Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston
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