A family in Washington is seeking intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court after lower courts denied their request to allow a teenage wrestler to compete without facing male athletes. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) submitted an emergency application to Justice Elena Kagan for an injunction pending appeal in the case K.M.K. v. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). The plaintiff, known as K.M.K., is actually Kallie Keeler, a wrestler from the Puyallup area. She has publicly spoken about her experience of alleged sexual assault by a transgender athlete during a match.
Keeler began wrestling at the age of four. This sport represents an annual highlight for her. However, she has not participated in any WIAA event since January and feels uncertain about returning if matched against a male opponent without prior notice.
The lawsuit claims Keeler was 15 when competing for third place at the Lady Jag Kickoff on December 6, 2025, a girls’ tournament at Emerald Ridge High School. Neither she nor her mother were informed that her opponent was male. It is alleged that during this match, the opponent penetrated her. Another team’s coach later revealed to them that the opponent was indeed male.
When Keeler’s mother, Stephanie Lynne Brown, requested assurances that her daughter could avoid facing male opponents without penalty, the district declined. Instead, they offered a forfeiture option if Keeler knew in advance that the opponent was male, maintaining the confidentiality of gender identity information.
The application asserts, “No girl should have to choose between playing the sports she loves and her safety.” It requests that the Court prohibit officials from forcing Keeler to wrestle a male during the appeal process, or at least mandate notice and an opt-out option without penalties.
The defendants include the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Superintendent Chris Reykdal, and the Puyallup School District. The athlete and their family are not part of the case. A federal judge in Tacoma denied a preliminary injunction on August 23. The Ninth Circuit rejected an emergency injunction on September 25, deeming the request a mandatory injunction with an insufficient likelihood of success to warrant relief before the season starts in mid-November.
ADF references the Supreme Court’s decision on June 30 in West Virginia v. B.P.J., which permits states to restrict girls’ teams to biological females, and Mirabelli v. Bonta, related to parental rights.
The U.S. Department of Education initiated a Title IX investigation into the district in February. Two administrators from Rogers High School were charged with failing to report this mandatory requirement. However, no charges were filed against the opponent.
The district has refrained from commenting to protect student privacy and due to ongoing litigation. Efforts to obtain comments from the WIAA, the Puyallup School District, and the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding the Supreme Court application were unsuccessful.