A Washington state high school wrestler, Kallie Keeler, asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 5 for an emergency order letting her wrestle on the girls’ team without facing male athletes, after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by one during a match. She argues the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association violated Title IX by allowing male athletes in girls’ sports, and wants her mother notified of any male opponent.
The Ninth Circuit denied her requests last month, saying the situation wasn’t emergent because the wrestling season doesn’t start until November, and that her request for notice of all transgender athletes was too broad. A Title IX investigator who reviewed two videos of the match wrote that the opponent likely touched her with force, and the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation in February 2026, but the district attorney declined to bring charges.
As the Epoch Times notes further, Keeler’s appeal came amid multiple Supreme Court decisions surrounding girls’ sports and parents’ rights.
Most notably, the Supreme Court allowed states in June to bar male participation in girls’ sports and rejected that doing so would violate Title IX.
It also rejected Keeler’s arguments that her mother should receive notice and an opportunity to opt her daughter out of the competition.
This argument was based in part on the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which said that a Maryland school district should provide notice to parents of storybooks with controversial content about gender and sexuality.
The Ninth Circuit said that case and another regarding parents’ rights didn’t apply to Keeler’s situation.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s 2025-2026 handbook states that “Athletes will participate in programs consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed.”
WIAA Director Sean Bessette stood by the policy in an email to The Epoch Times.
“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,” Bessette said.
“If state law changes in the future, the WIAA holds the authority to revise policies as necessary to remain in compliance with state law.”
Washington is currently considering Initiative 638, which would prohibit boys from participating in girls’ sports.
Sponsored by Let’s Go Washington, a political action committee, the measure will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The group stated that Initiative 638 restores fairness to eligibility rules by prohibiting “biological men” from competing in female athletics.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington opposes the initiative.
ACLU-Washington said the measure would require annual sex verification procedures for all athletes participating in school girls’ sports.
The ACLU said existing state anti-discrimination laws and school athletic policies protect participation based on gender identity.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 10/10/2026 – 21:35
