Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court last Friday in the case of a Puyallup high-school wrestler who was unknowingly forced to face a male opponent who identifies as female in a match last year.
As reported by The Center Square, Kallie Keeler, who was 15 years old at the time, has said she was sexually assaulted during a December 2025 match. Keeler’s mother, Stephanie Brown, quickly reported the incident, providing video evidence that she said showed Kallie’s distressed reaction.
According to ADF, the school failed to report the incident as required by Washington state law until media reports surfaced.
ADF attorney Hal Frampton told The Center Square that Keeler has paid a great price in standing up for herself.
“She is extraordinarily brave to stand up for women and girls and to tell her story. No one wants to tell a story of sexual assault to the entire world,” said Hampton.
“She lost an entire wrestling season last year and she’s staring down the barrel of losing another season in what we all know is a limited high school career. The vast majority of high school athletes won’t play beyond high school, and so these years are precious and they’re fleeting,” Frampton said.
Keeler and her mother filed a federal lawsuit pressing the school district to adhere to the requirements of Title IX by prohibiting male wrestlers from competing against female opponents, regardless of how they identify.
The suit also seeks provisions requiring parents be notified before female students on the wrestling team would be facing a male competitor.
After a federal district court and an appeals court declined the requests, ADF is now asking the Supreme Court to intervene to protect girls’ sports and uphold Title IX’s protections.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the defendant in the case, defended its policies under the state’s law on transgender athletes in a recent statement carried by Courthouse News Service.
“The WIAA remains committed to following Washington state law which permits student-athletes to participate in sports consistent with the gender with which they identify,” the organization said in a statement, according to CNS.
“If state law changes in the future, the WIAA holds the authority to revise policies as necessary to remain in compliance with state law.”
Without an injunction, Frampton says Keeler will be forced to miss the girls’ wrestling season that begins in November.
“That’s exactly why we’ve asked the court for expedited relief,” said Hampton.
Three months ago, the high court upheld Republican state bans against males participating in girls’ sports, regardless of how they identify, in West Virginia v. B.P.J.
The court’s ruling did not require states to bar male students from female athletics, but Keeler’s case asks the court to take the matter up on the emergency docket.
Pierce County prosecutors declined to file criminal charges in the case, arguing that such charges would be difficult to prove in court, despite the fact the sheriff's office referred a rape charge.
In reviewing the case, the prosecutor's office cited an appellate court ruling that found that a person who willingly participates in sports consents to "potentially offensive contact."
Meantime, the principal and athletic coordinator of Rogers High School in Puyallup remain on paid leave after pleading not guilty to charges related to failing to comply with mandatory reporting laws.
ADF says if SCOTUS does not take the case, Keeler will likely miss another wrestling season.
Washington voters will consider the issue on next month’s ballot.
I-638, backed by Let’s Go Washington, will require the enforcement of policies prohibiting students who are biological males from competing with or against female students in certain interschool athletic activities that are intended for female students only.
Opponents of the measure including the League of Women Voters argue the initiative is unnecessary as so few athletes are impacted.
"All of this to prevent a hypothetical scenario in which a trans girl, one of just a handful in Washington state, might someday pole vault higher, swim faster or win a race due to their status. Could this happen? Perhaps, but the odds are extremely low. Violating the personal privacy of an estimated 200,000 Washington girl athletes is not a solution," wrote League of Women Voters.
New polling data from Let's Go Washington, suggests voters are likely to approve the initiative, though according to the poll, many remain undecided.
Among Republicans, 73% of voters said they support I-638, with 11% saying they would vote against it and 17% undecided.
Among Democrats, 48% said they plan to vote in support of the measure. 31% said they will vote against it and 22% are undecided.
Among Independent voters, 52% said they will vote for the measure, 21% said they’ll be against it and 28% were undecided.
