Former college volleyball star Kaylie Ray opens up on viral clash with Arizona Democrat senator
Former Utah State volleyball star Kaylie Ray became a viral folk hero in the "save women's sports" movement after sparring with Arizona state senator Catherine Miranda.
Ray shared her experience enduring the San Jose State volleyball scandal and leading a team forfeit in protest of a male athlete, at a state education hearing Tuesday, while lobbying for a bill that would provide protections for girls' and women's sports in Arizona.
Miranda responded by commenting on Ray's body before asking, "so how competitive do you think you really are?"
It did not go over well with Ray, during or after the hearing.
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"How could you look me in the eyes and ask me if I'm competitive. Obviously I'm standing in front of you fighting for something right now. I don't know what part of that is not competitive to you. But if you want to go toe-to-toe then we can go toe-to-toe," Ray told Fox News Digital.
Ray fired back in the chamber, reiterating her point in the same tone she began with. But she had to make an effort to keep her composure.
"I, in the moment, was trying to maintain professionalism, we're in a professional environment. I was just trying to be respectful and courteous," she said. "But inside, I was fuming." Ray even had to call her parents after the hearing, to vent.
When Miranda initially began to address Ray, the senator said, "I mean, you look pretty healthy… You look very much in shape and strong."
Ray didn't even know what to make of it.
"When she started saying those words, the only thing I was thinking is, ‘where could she possibly be going with this?’ she said. "It was clear to me as she continued speaking that, for whatever reason, my physical appearance or stature should have some type of effect on how competitive I am with men. So I was definitely thrown off guard."
Miranda and her office have not put out a statement addressing the incident or the backlash. Fox News Digital has reached out to Miranda's office multiple times for a response.
"They usually tuck their tales and run when they realize that they have lost the plot a little bit. I'm just reminded that common sense is not so common here. And I'm not sure what statement she can put out that can paint her in a good light," Ray said. "It was not a logical argument in the slightest."
During Miranda's response, she cited her own experience competing with "men."
"It's a sports mentality when you're growing up and how much competition that you'll take on. So it's not just a silver bullet for one community of sports players, it's the individual person on how competitive you wanna be. So you grew up one way. I grew up a different way. I would have taken on a man in a heartbeat. I've played in, I was the only girl sometimes in sports. But to have a man on my team, I would have welcomed it," Miranda said.
At no point in Miranda's response did she ever use the word "transgender" or even "male" or "female." She simply referred to male opponents as "men."
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According to a 2017 post in Hispanic Engineer & Technology, Miranda previously spoke about her experience playing sports with her brother.
"Sports was my life. There were four girls and one boy in my family. My brother turned me into his ‘little brother’ so he could have someone to play sports with. I was a 100% tomboy," and claimed she was the only girl to play in a local little league, the website reported.
Ray says she also has had brothers and competed against them casually, but doesn't believe the experience is applicable to high-level sports, especially at the Division I NCAA level.
"I have brothers too. I know what it's like to grow up competing with boys. But around the time that puberty hit, there was a drastic difference," Ray said.
"I played volleyball from the time I was eight, and in high school, my brother, my older brother… my mom made him try volleyball."
Ray said she refused to even practice with her brother and his male teammates at that level.
"It was dangerous," she said. "It's silly that I had to explain that to her."
Ray said she would accept an apology if Miranda offers one.
"I think if she were to give me a genuine apology I would accept it. Obviously, she comes from a place of ignorance," Ray said. "I would definitely need to see some action on her end to show that she understands and that she recognizes truth, basic truth."
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