(The Center Square) – Six months after a female wrestler in the Puyallup School District reported being sexually assaulted by a male wrestler who identifies as female during a match, the 16-year-old student and her mother are suing Washington state officials.
“Washington state officials insist on pushing gender ideology at all costs – even at the expense of girls’ safety and privacy,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kate Anderson, director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights in a Tuesday news release announcing that ADF is representing the athlete.
Defendants include the Puyallup School District, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and state education officials, including the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
“Kallie is a sophomore in high school. She’s been wrestling since she was four and at a wrestling match in December, an all-girls tournament, Kallie unknowingly wrestled against a male athlete who identified as female,” said ADF attorney Suzanne Beecher in a Wednesday interview with The Center Square.
“During the match, she was sexually assaulted by this male athlete. Her mom immediately reported what happened to the school and they didn’t hear anything for months until it hit the media and the school finally did what they’re required to do and reported the case to law enforcement,” Beecher said.
The attorney explained that despite federal Title IX protections for girls in sports, Washington is among several states continuing to allow males who identify as female to compete against girls.
“Twenty-seven states have laws that kind of go on top of Title IX’s protections to say that they specifically protect the rights of women and girls. Washington is one of the 23 states that are allowing males to compete in the female category. We believe that Title IX gives girls a protected category, and so what Washington’s doing is in violation of federal law,” Beecher said.
As reported by The Center Square, video of the match taken by Keeler’s mom and featured in Brandi Kruse’s unDivided podcast, shows the teen’s face grimacing as the opponent’s hand is seen between her legs.
School officials did not report the incident to the Pierce County Sheriff’s office until Jan 30, 2026, nearly two months after it happened and the Keeler family had reported it to the school.
Puyallup School spokeswoman Sarah Gillispie declined comment on the specifics in response to an inquiry from The Center Square.
“This matter is under investigation,” she wrote in the statement. “As such, we cannot share details or discuss specifics. What we can say is that student safety is a top priority and that all reports involving student safety are taken seriously.”
Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank told The Center Square his office took a report on the incident.
“It is in the hands of the prosecuting attorney’s office now for them to review for possible charges to be filed,” Swank said.
The prosecutor declined to file charges.
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, who has ordered Washington school districts to allow male athletes who identify as female to compete in the gender category they identify with, did not provide comment about the lawsuit, but said the office is “reviewing the case.”
Meantime, Washington voters will have a chance to weigh in on the matter this November.
IL26-638 would require policies prohibiting students it defines as “biologically male” from competing with or against female students in certain interschool athletic activities that are intended for female students only.
“I think the initiative shows that Washingtonians want the rights of their daughters to be protected. Title IX, federal law already protects the rights of these girls, and currently Washington’s policy is out of step with Title IX’s protections for girls,” said Beecher with ADF.
“We are seeking the ability for Kallie to compete on a level playing field, for her mom to be able to know at a minimum if there is a male competing in the female category and for compensation for what happened to her.”Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court could issue a ruling soon on two major cases regarding state-level bans on transgender athletes.With a 6-3 conservative majority appearing likely to uphold the restrictions, males would be prevented from competing on female sports teams in schools nationwide, regardless of how they identify.
