Teen wrestler who unknowingly faced male opponent takes her case to Supreme Court

Attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom, or ADF, filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court Friday on behalf of a mother, as well as her teenage daughter, who said she was unknowingly forced to face a male opponent in girls’ high-school wrestling.

School officials assigned Kallie Keeler, who was then 15 years old, to wrestle a male, who ultimately sexually assaulted her during the match, according to the filing. Keeler noticed her opponent's strength, but said she only discovered he was male after the match was over, according to ADF. Keeler’s mother, Stephanie Brown, quickly reported the alleged assault, providing video evidence she said showed her daughter’s in-the-moment distressed reaction. But school officials did little in response, according to the court filing.

What are they requesting? Keeler and her mother filed a federal lawsuit demanding that school officials adhere to the requirements of Title IX by prohibiting male wrestlers from competing against female opponents. The lawsuit also demanded that school officials notify parents before female students on the wrestling team are placed in situations where they compete against males. A federal district court and an appeals court declined their requests.

The emergency application filed Friday asked the Supreme Court to intervene to protect girls’ sports and uphold Title IX’s protections for women. The request also asked the court to require the plaintiffs to notify Brown prior to instances when her daughter is placed in an unsafe situation, a practice the lawsuit characterized as a constitutional right.  The request argued that matching females against males in competitive wrestling is in and of itself unsafe.

State officials required that Keeler continue to compete against males, or else sit out sports entirely, according to the court filing. They refused to opt Keeler out of matches or give her mother notice of such matches beforehand so Keeler could opt herself out. Without an injunction, Keeler would be forced to miss the girls’ wrestling season that begins in November, according to ADF.

If a sexual assault is alleged, why weren’t criminal charges filed? Ultimately, Pierce County prosecutors in Washington declined to file criminal charges in the case, arguing that such charges would be difficult to prove in court.

How have school officials responded? When WORLD reached out to Rogers High School in the Puyallup School District for comment, a staff member hung up the phone. WORLD also reached out to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. In a statement to WORLD, a spokesperson for the Puyallup School District on Tuesday acknowledged the application to the Supreme Court, and promised to issue a legal response if the high court requested it to do so.