Two students at Riverside’s Martin Luther King High School have sued the school on claims of First Amendment violations, due process violations, and Title IX violations.
They claim the school gave preferential treatment to a transgender member of their cross-country team, and that they were censored when they wore clothes to school that signaled their opposition to the teammate’s inclusion.
Follow Our Courts will not name the plaintiffs or their teammate because they are minors.
One of the plaintiffs is a 15-year-old freshman, and the other is a 16-year-old junior who has been on the varsity team since she was a freshman, the complaint said.
They claim their teammate was allowed to compete on the seven-person varsity team at the Oct. 26 Mt. San Antonio College invitational despite attending only 13 out of 74 cross-country practices, as required by the team handbook.
The suit claims the junior was bumped to the junior varsity team at the invitational, in order to make room for her teammate. It also claims the freshman had a higher ranking, and was more eligible to compete in the invitational than their teammate.
The invitational is often attended by college scouts, and their competition on the junior varsity negatively affected their post-high school prospects, the complaint claims.
After finishing their races, the plaintiffs wore T-shirts that said “Save Girls’ Sports.” About 18 parents and grandparents also wore the shirt, the complaint said. The plaintiffs wore them again at practice on Nov. 1. Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Amanda Chann told them to change their shirts, or wear them inside out. The plaintiffs changed shirts.
The junior’s mother began emailing school administrators asking why they were told to remove their shirts, according to the complaint.
Administrators said the shirt made a hostile environment for their teammate, against the school’s dress code.
The complaint brings charge of violation of due process, deprivation of the freedom of speech and violation of Title IX.
Robert Tyler, Julianne Fleischer of Murrieta’s Advocates for Faith and Freedom represent the plaintiffs.
“We will not allow boys to take over girls’ sports or let woke policies silence young women fighting for fair competition,” said Fleischer in a press release. “This case is about protecting equal opportunities and the freedom to speak out—values that should be upheld, not suppressed, in our schools.”
The district’s representation has not yet been announced.
Case No. 5:24-cv-02480
Read the complaint here.
