A high school wrestler and her mother are suing Washington officials after the wrestler unknowingly competed against a biological male athlete, whom she says sexually assaulted her during the match. It is also alleged that officials then violated the law by refusing to properly report the assault to police.
Kallie Keeler, 15 at the time, wrestled a transgender opponent who presented as a female during a December 2025 tournament match. Under school policy, officials are not allowed to inform parents when their daughters are matched against male athletes. Hence, neither Keeler nor her mom, Stephanie Brown, were informed that Keeler would be wrestling a biological male.
During the second period of their match, with Keeler in a favorable hold position, Keeler alleges the male athlete sexually assaulted her, causing pain, the lawsuit says. The sophomore at Rogers High School in Puyallup, Washington, cried to her mother, yelling what he had done, but her mother, who was filming, watched from the opposite side of the mat and could not hear what she had said.
“I don’t know what she said or why her face looked like that,” her mother said in the recording.
Keeler tried to lose the match so the student would stop assaulting her, but she says he assaulted her again. She then let him pin her completely so that the match would end. Her opponent became a top-three finisher, which helped put him in a position to qualify for league and then state. Keeler, who placed fourth, just missed earning a medal and qualification to advance.
It was only after the match that Keeler discovered that her opponent was a biological male. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is defending Keeler in the suit, states that Keeler would not have competed against him if she had known he was male.
For Keeler, who has wrestled for about 12 years, “nothing like this has ever happened to her or anyone she knows,” the lawsuit states.
Keeler and her mother reported the incident to Keeler’s coaches and the school, who were legally required to file a report to law enforcement within 48 hours. However, officials postponed submitting the report by 53 days, and only took action when her story became public.
Kate Anderson, ADF senior counsel and director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights, says ADF is 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.”
“A 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted because of political cowardice,” Anderson said. “Washington state officials insist on pushing gender ideology at all costs—even at the expense of girls’ safety and privacy. 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.”
Anderson says that at minimum, parents should be notified that their daughters will compete against a male. It was only after Keeler, in tears, told her mother what her opponent had done that a coach from the opposing team overheard the conversation and informed her that the competitor was male.
“Tragically, because of district policy, a 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by a male opponent on the wrestling mat,” Anderson continued. “ … Washington state failed this family, but it isn’t too late to protect other girls. State officials must change their policies and prioritize girls’ safety in sports.”
