Washington family seeks SCOTUS injunction after ‘transgender’ male wrestler allegedly sexually assaulted daughter

Note: This article contains a description of sexual violence and may be distressing to some readers.

A Washington state family has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency injunction after their teenage daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted during a girls’ high school wrestling match by a male athlete who identifies as “transgender.” 

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the emergency application Oct. 2 with Justice Elena Kagan on behalf of Kallie Keeler, identified in court papers as K.M.K., and her mother, Stephanie Lynne Brown. 

The filing seeks a court order protecting Keeler before the wrestling season begins in mid-November. It asks the court to bar officials from requiring Keeler to wrestle males while her appeal proceeds or, at a minimum, to require advance notice and allow her to opt out without penalty. The family is also appealing a lower court’ decision in K.M.K. v. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association to refuse to grant such protection.

According to the family’s filings and ADF statement, the alleged assault occurred while 15-year-old Keeler was competing for third place at the Lady Jag Kickoff, a girls’ wrestling tournament held Dec. 6, 2025, at Emerald Ridge High School. The family says neither she nor her mother knew her opponent was male. 

The family alleges in court documents that, during the second period of the match, the opponent reached between Keeler’s legs and “pushed his fingers hard through her singlet, her spandex shorts, and her underwear, penetrating her vagina for several seconds and causing great pain.” According to the family, another coach later informed her that the opponent was male. 

The family says Brown promptly reported the incident to school officials and provided video showing Keeler’s distressed reaction during the match. They allege that officials waited 53 days before contacting law enforcement, in violation of mandatory reporting requirements.

According to the family’s filings, the district refused Brown’s request for a guarantee that her daughter would not have to face a male opponent or incur a penalty for declining the matchup. The district instead offered to let Keeler forfeit if she already knew the opponent was male and said it would keep information about students’ gender “identity” confidential.

The family sued the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Superintendent Chris Reykdal, and the Puyallup School District. They argue that policies allowing athletes to compete according to gender “identity” violate Title IX by denying girls equal athletic opportunities and exposing them to safety risks, infringe on parental rights by withholding notice of male opponents, and create a hostile environment. 

“No girl should have to choose between playing the sports she loves and her safety,” the application states. 

A federal district court in Tacoma denied a preliminary injunction Aug. 23, OutKick reported. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit also denied an emergency injunction pending appeal Sept. 25, finding that the family had not shown it was likely to win its appeal and therefore did not qualify for an order protecting Keeler while the appeal continued.

The WIAA told OutKick it is “committed to following Washington State law which permits student-athletes to participate in sports consistent with the gender with which they identify.” 

“If state law changes in the future, the WIAA holds the authority to revise policies as necessary to remain in compliance with state law,” the organization added. “The WIAA will not comment further on a matter in litigation.”

According to the application, Washington’s wrestling season begins in mid-November. Keeler has not competed in a WIAA event since leaving her team in January and has expressed uncertainty about returning without protections against unannounced matchups with males. 

ADF Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch said in an Oct. 5 statement that Washington’s policies violate Title IX’s promise of equal opportunities for girls

“Kallie was just 15 years old when a male wrestler sexually assaulted her,” he added. “Yet state officials continue to diminish the harm to her, pushing their harmful political agenda ahead of fairness and safety for girls.”