(LifeSiteNews) — A high school student sued Washington state officials after allegedly suffering a sexual assault by a trans-identifying male during a wrestling match.
Kallie Keeler, who was 15 years old at the time of the reported sexual assault, did not realize then that she was wrestling a male. She is filing a lawsuit through her mother, Stephanie Brown, after school officials waited 53 days to report the sexual assault in violation of a 48-hour reporting law and after having learned school staff lied about her opponents’ sex.
Keeler, a student at Rogers High School in Puyallup, Washington, was competing at Emerald Ridge High School when the male athlete, according to the lawsuit, “shoved his fingers through her spandex clothing, digitally penetrating her vagina, and holding the position for several seconds.”
A video of the wrestling match, originally posted online by podcaster Brandi Kruse, shows a look of horror on Keeler’s face at the time of the incident.
Our lawsuit seeks accountability for what happened to 15-year-old Kallie Keeler on December 6, 2025—and the callous indifference displayed by officials since then.
We’re also seeking an injunction to ensure it never happens again. 2/ pic.twitter.com/BpwiyYHbWB
— Kristen Waggoner (@KristenWaggoner) June 11, 2026
After the match, Keeler told her mother what had happened, crying, and also told her coach about the incident. “I told her how uncomfortable the match made me feel,” Keeler stated. “She said she was looking into it.”
According to the lawsuit, “a coach from another District team came up and told her that her opponent in that match was a male.”
According to Outkick, her parents emailed the coaches at Rogers High School two days later, writing, “This is a huge issue and something that is 100% not OK. The fact that this was done by a biological male who identifies as a female is an even bigger issue for me. Where do we go from here?”
Keeler’s coach responded on December 8, writing, “I most certainly would not put Kallie on the mat if I thought she was competing with a male. I will investigate this and look to see if we have a video on our end. I will touch base with you either this afternoon or tomorrow morning after I do my due diligence.”
Keeler’s parents told the press that they did not hear back from the coach after that, and only after a media producer for Kruse reached out to the Puyallup School District on January 29 was the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office notified on January 30.
In Washington, public school employees have a legal obligation to report allegations of sexual assault within 48 hours.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office has reportedly investigated the incident and submitted a rape allegation to prosecutors. However, Pierce County prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the transgender-identified student.
A deputy prosecuting attorney wrote in a memorandum to investigators that there was insufficient evidence “to prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Kruse has reported that a dozen other female athletes complained about two trans-identifying males in the girls’ rocker room at Emerald Ridge High School to school administration; their complaints were ignored despite the fact that the girls said the boys were watching them undress.
One of the two trans-identifying males identified by the female athletes was the wrestler who allegedly assaulted Keeler. “That was when I realized that more girls than me were being hurt,” Keeler said. Outkick noted that “Washington is one of several states being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights over policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports.”
Alliance Defending Freedom, which has filed the lawsuit on Keeler’s behalf, denounced Washington officials’ policies for enabling the sexual assault.
“A 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted because of political cowardice. Washington state officials insist on pushing gender ideology at all costs — even at the expense of girls’ safety and privacy,” said ADF senior counsel Kate Anderson, director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights.
“Our client’s story is proof of the grave harms caused by lying about biology. This must end — otherwise, girls will continue getting hurt and violated. We are urging the court to require state officials to change their policy to ensure that girls’ privacy and safety are protected when they compete in the sports they love. No girl should have to unknowingly wrestle a boy. And at a minimum, parents must be notified before their daughters are matched against male opponents.”
ADF attorneys say they are alleging violation of Keeler’s “Title IX right to be protected from sex-based discrimination, and her 14th Amendment right to equal protection.” They are also suing over a violation of parental rights.
The lawsuit names the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, the Puyallup School District, district Title IX Coordinator Gordon Brobbey, Rogers High School Principal Jason Smith, and Emerald Ridge High School coach John Morrison as defendants.
