The situation swirling around the SJSU team — which has gotten increasingly chaotic in recent weeks, with several teams canceling matches against the school and politicians and advocates weighing in — somehow seems unsurprising in the polarized United States these days as a highly contested election looms.

As with other points of dispute in the struggle over gender identity and transgender rights, one thing opposing sides have in common is framing their stance as a matter of what’s fair and right.