The federal lawsuit concerning the possibility of a transgender woman playing on the San Jose State volleyball team should alarm everyone.

Not for any of the exaggerated claims made by the lawyers representing Spartans co-captain Brooke Slusser and her fellow plaintiffs. Contrary to what she, transphobic activist Riley Gaines, and others rallying to “Save women’s sports!” might suggest, transgender women do not pose a danger to women’s sports or their participants.

What truly poses a risk? The witch hunts fueled by this lawsuit, along with state bans on transgender women participating in sports.

Hidden amid the negativity and misinformation within the lawsuit filed against San Jose State, the Mountain West Conference, and several officials, is a demand for the right to target anyone suspected of being transgender.

“The current stance makes it a rules violation for a team or school to even inquire with the MWC or NCAA regarding the eligibility of a transgender athlete or to voice concerns about that athlete’s eligibility,” the lawsuit states.

Indeed. The alternative opens the floodgates for anyone to publicly question the gender of any female athlete who doesn’t fit a narrow view of what they believe a woman should be. This isn’t restricted to elite athletes. It could extend to any woman with short hair, a more athletic build, or those who don’t conform to traditional feminine appearances in other ways.

Don’t think this could happen? It’s already taken place. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif faced harassment during the Paris Olympics. After South Carolina coach Dawn Staley expressed her acceptance of transgender female athletes at the Final Four, far-right online communities scrutinized the Gamecocks roster, speculating about potential transgender athletes.

“The assertion that there’s no logical foundation for a rule preventing schools from raising concerns about an athlete’s eligibility is misleading,” the lawsuit claims.

Oh, really? Being able to shout “Trans!” without repercussions encourages those who wish to undermine competitors, often because they believe they can’t measure up themselves.

Alyssa Sugai, one of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, played in 16 out of San Jose State’s 29 matches as a walk-on in 2021. She now blames others for not receiving a scholarship or more playing time the next season. In Utah, upset parents pressured school officials to inspect a young girl’s enrollment documents simply to satisfy their fears after claims of unfair competition were raised.

More alarming than these present-day witch hunts are their potential outcomes. Young girls and women could be pulled from competitions to undergo humiliating examinations by a doctor chosen by others, under the guise of checking their gender. Parents might feel compelled to bring birth certificates to games, just to comply with arbitrary gender regulations.

Is this truly what we desire for our girls and women? To subject them to invasive scrutiny from everyone they encounter? To have them face an ambiguous standard of femininity?

I doubt that Slusser, Sugai, Gaines, and others who have chosen to embrace transphobic rhetoric for personal attention on platforms like Fox News have considered that this might happen to them. Because they conform to a certain image of femininity—whatever that may be—they are likely to avoid such disgraceful treatment.

The same goes for parents who have been misled into believing that transgender women athletes are lurking around, ready to harm their daughters’ chances in sports. They can’t fathom the possibility of their own daughters being questioned.

That’s the danger of endorsing hate and ignorance. Sooner or later, it can affect everyone. If this lawsuit succeeds, no daughter will be safe.