T.S and K.S.
Two female high school athletes take a stand for fair competition in girls’ sports and free speech rights, challenging policies that undermine biological standards and restrict expression.
Two female high school athletes from California, K.S. and T.S., along with their families, and the Save Girls’ Sports association, filed a federal lawsuit against the State of California, Riverside Unified School District, and school officials. The lawsuit challenges AB 1266, the radical California law that requires schools to allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports and use female bathrooms. This law conflicts with federal Title IX protections, which were established to ensure fairness, safety, and equal opportunities for female students and athletes.
One of the girls, T.S., a dedicated varsity athlete, lost her spot to a biological male student who did not regularly attend practices or meet strict varsity criteria. T.S. was pushed out of a key competition, missing critical exposure for college scouting, all in the name of policies that undermine fair play in girls' sports. She and K.S. protested by wearing shirts that read, “Save Girls’ Sports” and “It’s Common Sense. XX ≠ XY.” Their message? Protect fair competition for girls based on biological sex. But the school claimed their shirts created a “hostile” environment, comparing wearing these shirts to wearing a swastika in front of Jewish students.
Plaintiffs seek a federal ruling that AB 1266 violates Title IX as well as a decision holding the District accountable for violating their First Amendment rights.
Their lawsuit not only challenges the school’s selective enforcement of its dress code but demands a court ruling to restore fairness and integrity to girls’ sports. This case is about more than two young athletes; it’s a stand for free speech, fair play, and the fundamental right of girls to compete on a level playing field without being sidelined by ideologies that disregard biological differences.
Press Release
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, may 28, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Velasco at
media@faith-freedom.COM
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SIDES WITH FEMALE ATHLETES IN TITLE IX BATTLE OVER MALE ATHLETE ON GIRLS’ TEAM
For Immediate Release, Murrieta, CA - In a pivotal turn of events, the United States Department of Justice has formally entered the legal battle to save girls' sports in California, filing a Statement of Interest in a federal lawsuit brought by Advocates for Faith & Freedom on behalf of two courageous female high school athletes in a Southern California school district.
The Department of Justice’s filing sends a clear message: Title IX was designed to protect biological females in sports, not to be twisted into a tool that allows boys to displace girls on the track, the podium, or in scholarship opportunities.
“This case has always been about common sense, fairness, and the plain meaning of the law,” said Advocates attorney Julianne Fleischer. “The Department of Justice’s filing makes it clear that allowing biological males to compete against girls violates the very heart of Title IX. Girls' sports were never meant to be a social experiment, they exist so that girls can win, lead, and thrive on a level playing field.”
In the Statement of Interest filed on May 28, 2025, the Department of Justice states unequivocally that Title IX “explicitly acknowledges fundamental differences in the way girls and boys participate in sports” and that those differences justify the existence of separate teams. The Department of Justice affirmed that allowing a male athlete to compete as a female “upsets the level playing field” and interferes with the equal opportunity for females to fully participate in and enjoy the educational benefits of athletics.
The Department of Justice also referenced Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which reinforces federal policy to “affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities and all-female locker rooms”, a pointed defense of the biological distinctions Title IX was crafted to protect.
The federal lawsuit centers on a female high school athlete who was removed from the Varsity Top 7 cross-country roster after a male athlete—who had transferred schools and previously excelled as the top runner—was given preferential treatment and allowed to join the girls’ team. The male athlete proceeded to displace other female athletes from races, podium spots, and college scouting opportunities. When the athletes wore shirts with the message “Save Girls’ Sports,” district administrators forced them to cover or remove the shirts.
The plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief to restore fairness and reinstate their rights under Title IX. The DOJ's Statement of Interest bolsters the core of the case: that permitting biological males to compete in female sports violates the letter and spirit of federal law.
The case is set for hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on June 20, 2025, where the State and the School District are asking the Court to dismiss the case.
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Press Release
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Velasco at
media@faith-freedom.COM
SAVE GIRLS’ SPORTS: LAWSUIT EXPANDS TO CHALLENGE CALIFORNIA LAW THAT ALLOWS BOYS TO PLAY ON GIRLS’ SPORTS
For Immediate Release, Murrieta, CA - Today, two female high school athletes from California, K.S. and T.S., along with their families, and the Save Girls’ Sports association, filed an amended federal lawsuit against the State of California, Riverside Unified School District, and school officials. The lawsuit now challenges AB 1266, the radical California law that requires schools to allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports and use female bathrooms. This law conflicts with federal Title IX protections, which were established to ensure fairness, safety, and equal opportunities for female students and athletes.
AB 1266 undermines female athletes, forcing them to compete against biological males who hold undeniable physical advantages. This is not equality. This is an assault on fairness, safety, and the very purpose of Title IX.
As a result of AB 1266 and the school district’s discriminatory practices, school officials removed T.S. from the girls’ varsity cross-country team and replaced her with a biological male who had previously broken female cross-country records at another high school. In an effort to speak out against this unfair treatment, T.S. and K.S. wore shirts displaying the message “Save Girls’ Sports” and “It’s Common Sense. XX ≠ XY.” However, school officials then ordered them to remove or cover the messages, labeling the shirts as “hostile” and comparing the shirts to swastikas.
The lawsuit names California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Attorney General Rob Bonta for enforcing AB 1266, along with Riverside Unified School District officials Principal Leann Iacuone and Assistant Principal Amanda Chann, who discriminated against K.S., T.S., and members of the Save Girls’ Sports Association.
Since filing the lawsuit, more than 200 students have worn the “Save Girls’ Sports” shirts on campus in solidarity with K.S. and T.S., sending a clear message to school administrators and State officials that discrimination against female athletes will not be tolerated.
Advocates attorney Julianne Fleischer stated, “The government is steamrolling over women’s rights with radical policies that dismantle fairness in sports and muzzle those who dare to defend it. This is not progress; it is regression. Female athletes train, sacrifice, and compete to win—not to be sidelined by an ideology that ignores biological reality.”
Attorney Robert Tyler added, “Title IX was created to protect female athletes from exactly this kind of injustice. The idea that biological males should take spots from young women is an outright betrayal of the law’s intent. We applaud President Trump for taking decisive action to restore fairness and demand that California abandon this destructive agenda before it erases a generation of female athletes.”
Plaintiffs seek a federal ruling that AB 1266 violates Title IX as well as a decision holding the District accountable for violating their First Amendment rights. They demand injunctive relief to stop schools from forcing biological girls to compete with and against males, a judgment affirming sex-based protections in athletics, and compensation for damages caused by these discriminatory policies.
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Press Release
ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, NOVEMBER 20, 2024
CONTACT: Nicole Velasco at
media@faith-freedom.COM
Targeted for Speaking Truth: Brave Female Student Athletes Challenge Woke Policies Threatening Girls' Sports and Free Speech
For Immediate Release, Murrieta, CA - Today, two high school female athletes and their families filed a federal lawsuit against the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) and school officials at Martin Luther King High School, alleging violations of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights as well as Title IX protections. The plaintiffs, K.S., a ninth-grade cross-country athlete, and T.S., an eleventh-grade cross-country athlete and team captain, contend that RUSD’s policies unfairly restrict their freedom of expression and deny them fair and equal access to athletic opportunities.
The lawsuit stems from incidents where both athletes wore shirts bearing the messages “Save Girls’ Sports” and “It’s Common Sense. XX ≠ XY” in support of biological standards for female sports. School officials ordered the students to remove or conceal the shirts, claiming they created a “hostile” environment, comparing wearing these shirts to wearing a swastika in front of Jewish students.
In addition to free speech concerns, the complaint highlights RUSD’s failure to comply with Title IX, which guarantees equal athletic opportunities based on biological sex. T.S. was ousted from her position on the varsity cross-country team to make room for a biological male transgender athlete who did not consistently attend practices and failed to meet the varsity team’s strict qualifying requirements. As a result, T.S. missed opportunities to compete at a high-profile meet, losing valuable chances for college recruitment and recognition.
The plaintiffs argue that the school’s selective enforcement of dress codes and failure to uphold Title IX policies violate their constitutional rights and place female athletes at an unfair disadvantage. The lawsuit seeks to affirm the students’ right to express their views, ensure fair athletic opportunities for female students, and hold RUSD accountable for policies that the plaintiffs allege are discriminatory.
"We will not allow boys to take over girls' sports or let woke policies silence young women fighting for fair competition," said Advocates attorney, Julianne Fleischer. "This case is about protecting equal opportunities and the freedom to speak out—values that should be upheld, not suppressed, in our schools."
"I’m calling on President Trump and the incoming Congress to restore women’s sports and to stop the mockery of women by this radical and ignorant ideology,” stated Advocates attorney, Robert Tyler.
The plaintiffs are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent further suppression of their free speech rights, a judgment affirming Title IX protections for female athletes, and compensation for damages incurred.
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About Advocates for Faith & Freedom (www.faith-freedom.com): Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.
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For additional comments and interviews, please email Nicole Velasco @ Media@Faith-Freedom.com
About Advocates for Faith & Freedom (www.faith-freedom.com): Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.
Email info@faith-freedom.com to receive press releases. Also, join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up-to-date on our progress in this case and others.