Man sues Westcliff University after losing women’s volleyball scholarship

Emma Morquecho, a 33-year-old man who identifies as a woman, is suing Westcliff University in Irvine, California, along with two athletic associations, after losing a women’s volleyball scholarship and being ruled ineligible to compete.

In the Aug. 8 lawsuit, Morquecho is described as “a 33-year-old Latina,” despite being a male. It notes that he also played in various associations like the North American Gay Volleyball Association, the Association of Volleyball Professionals, and the Los Angeles Volleyball Organization.

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Morquecho, represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), says that he was discriminated against because he claims to be a transgender woman, according to a MALDEF news release.

After he was offered a women’s volleyball scholarship for the 2023-2024 school year, Morquecho quit his job in Arizona to move to California. He was admitted as a student to the university in July and intended to join a master’s program in the College of Education.

The news release mentions that on Aug. 10, 2023, the head coach of the Westcliff women’s volleyball team sent an email to Morquecho informing him that he was not eligible to play and that the university had pulled the scholarship offer.

According to MALDEF’s press release, attorneys for Morquecho say that he had experienced “emotional distress and anxiety,” and that his educational goals were “subverted” because of his inability to pay tuition.

Westcliff sent Morquecho a letter days later stating that his eligibility to play was awaiting a decision by the California Pacific Conference, a regional conference within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA), the groups he later sued. Until then, he would be prevented from playing. 

Tomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel at MALDEF, states in the press release that “the Latino community is often first to be targeted under practices of irrational discrimination, and this case falls within that pattern.” 

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“By taking a stand, I’m not just fighting for myself. I’m speaking for every trans person who has been silenced, and I hope my voice empowers others in our community to know their stories and their rights matter,” Morquecho says in the news release.

The lawsuit follows other transgender-identifying athlete controversies, such as high school male athletes playing in girls’ competitions in California and Washington, as well as San Jose State University allowing a six-foot tall man to compete for its women’s volleyball team.

Campus Reform contacted MALDEF, which declined to comment. NAIA and Westcliff University have also been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.