Two female athletes and their parents from Martin Luther King High School in Riverside County, California, have filed a lawsuit against the Riverside Unified School District and other school officials. In their lawsuit, they allege that school officials violated their constitutional rights in favor of promoting an unqualified transgender athlete.

The two girls are identified in the lawsuit as K.S. and T.S. The girls claim the school’s actions infringed upon their First Amendment rights and Title IX protections among other violations.

The legal battle first began in October 2024 after T.S. was removed from the varsity roster for the prestigious Mt. SAC Invitational cross-country meet. The lawsuit explains that Athletic Director Amanda Chann reportedly intervened to replace T.S. with M.L., a transgender athlete, despite M.L.’s inconsistent attendance and failure to meet varsity criteria. The two plaintiffs say that the decision to place M.L. was driven by a desire to promote M.L. as a transgender athlete, bypassing merit-based selection processes.

In response to the Athletic Director’s decision, the girls wore t-shirts to promote girls' sports. The shirts read, “Save Girls’ Sports” and “It’s Common Sense. XX ≠ XY.” However, school officials barred the girls from wearing the shirts, likening their actions to wearing a swastika in front of a Jewish student. In wearing the t-shirts, the girls were told they created a "hostile environment" comparable to hate speech.

After the girls protested M.L.’s placement on the team, they say the school responded in a manner that violated their constitutional rights.

The lawsuit, which was filed on November 20, 2024, in federal court in Los Angeles, accuses the Riverside Unified School District, Principal Leann Iacuone, and Athletic Director Amanda Chann of multiple violations censoring student expressions, violating the girls’ First Amendment rights, and Title IX violations.

The lawsuit highlights that under Title IX, the defendants’ promotion of M.L. over T.S. constituted gender discrimination because T.S. was deprived of fair opportunities to compete and excel in her sport. The complaint alleges that the special preference for the transgender athlete violated Title IX because it was “discriminatory in effect and denies T.S., a female, equality in athletic opportunities, including equal opportunity to achieve and be recognized for victory.” the lawsuit explained.

The lawsuit also takes issue with the girls being silenced after they wore t-shirts that voiced their opinions on who can compete in girls' sports. The high school girls went on to say that school officials compared the plaintiffs' t-shirts to a swastika, deeming them "hostile." The girls say that this analogy was both offensive and an attempt to silence dissenting views.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Julianne Fleischer, criticized the school's comparisons to hate symbols, calling it an attempt to "suppress open dialogue" and intimidate dissenting students.

The lawsuit quickly sparked a conversation with many community members voicing support for the girls. Parents and teammates expressed their disapproval of the school’s actions at public school board meetings. Some students expressed discomfort sharing practice spaces with M.L., citing fairness and safety concerns.

During the most recent school board meeting one parent, Jose Carillo, told the board, “I’m here today to put you on notice. After today, there will be advocates here at every school board meeting … There’s going to be a lot more of us. It’s going to be standing-room only.”

Another teammate of the girls who filed the complaint voiced her concerns about having to share private spaces like locker rooms with a biological male.

The student shared, “It is not OK that I have to be in a position where I’m going to practice and have to see a male in booty shorts and having to see that around me.” The female student added, “I’m constantly affected by the actions taken place this season, and I have been around the females, and just my team in general, who have felt almost silenced to speak out about it, because the whole LGBTQ is shoved down our throats.”

The school district has not yet responded to the lawsuit. However, district spokeswoman, Liz Pinney-Muglia, shared a statement with the San Francisco Chronicle that read in part, “California state law prohibits discrimination of students based on gender, gender identity, and gender expression, and specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in physical education and athletics.” Pinney-Muglia adds, “The protections we provide to all students are not only aligned with the law but also with our core values, which include equity and well-being.”