Three Jurupa Valley High School students filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Tuesday that seeks to end a policy at the local and state levels that allows boys identifying as transgender on girls sports teams.
Attorneys from Murrieta-based Advocates for Faith & Freedom filed the suit on behalf of plaintiffs Hadeel Hazameh and siblings Alyssa and Madison McPherson. The lawsuit alleges the Jurupa Unified School District’s policy violates Title IX, a federal law that prohibits gender discrimination, and notes constitutional concerns based on the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and First Amendment free speech issues.
The suit names JUSD, the California Department of Education and California Interscholastic Federation as defendants, alleging “school officials knowingly allowed a male athlete onto the girls’ volleyball and track teams, into the girls’ locker rooms, and ignored repeated reports of ‘butt tapping,’ sexual harassment, and unsafe conditions caused by the male athlete.”
Plaintiffs accused school administrators of retaliating against students-athletes “who spoke out, threatening suspension from school,” while accusing them “of failing to be ‘team members’ and removing athletes from team communications.”
AFF President and Chief Counsel Robert Tyler said in a statement, “Title IX was passed to stop sex discrimination against women, not to erase them from their own sports. Our daughters are being denied fair play and subjected to sexual harassment, all because California insists on putting radical gender ideology ahead of common sense and safety.”
JUSD spokeswoman Jaqueline Paul said district officials cannot comment on pending litigation.
The lawsuit seeks a U.S. District Court injunction against implementing policies based on Assembly Bill 1266, which took effect a little more than a decade ago. According to the law, each student “shall be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”
AFF Senior Counsel Julianne Fleischer asserted, “Girls’ sports are for girls. No policy can erase the biological differences between males and females, and forcing young women to compete against boys is both unfair and unsafe,” she said in a statement. “This case is about restoring dignity to women’s sports and ensuring that the God-given distinctions between male and female are respected, not erased.”
Advocates for Faith & Freedom filed a similar federal lawsuit in November on behalf of two Riverside Unified School District students. Taylor Starling and Kaitlyn Slavin objected to transgender sports policies at Martin Luther King High School that allegedly conflict with Title IX.
“Taylor was ousted from her position (as captain) 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 team’s strict qualifying requirements,” according to the lawsuit’s court filing. “As a result, Taylor missed opportunities to compete at a high-profile meet, losing valuable chances for college recruitment and recognition.”
Taylor and teammate Kaitlyn wore shirts last year that read, “Save Girls’ Sports” and “It’s Common Sense — XX (does not equal) XY.” Advocates for Faith & Freedom alleged MLK High staff “ordered the students to remove or conceal the shirts, claiming they created a ‘hostile’ environment, comparing wearing these shirts to wearing a swastika.”
In May 2024, the JUSD agreed to a $360,000 settlement with a teacher who sued the district over alleged religious viewpoint discrimination. Citing moral grounds, Jessica Tapia said faculty members had the right to inform parents of students’ gender identity decisions. Tapia was fired for violating the district’s nondisclosure policy.
Updated Sept. 10, 2025, 12:45 p.m.
