Allen v. Millington

Vermont school officials suspended Travis Allen from his coaching job and disciplined his teenage daughter Blake Allen for calling a male student “a dude” and using male pronouns when expressing their view that the male student should not be allowed to change in the girls’ locker room.

Case timeline

• September 2022: A male identifying as a female entered the girls’ locker room while Blake and other girls were changing for a volleyball game. This upset many of the girls, leading their parents to complain about the presence of the male student. Blake and Travis made comments about the incident in the following days.
• October 2022: Both Blake and Travis were punished for expressing their views and concerns. ADF then filed a lawsuit on their behalf for viewpoint discrimination and violations of their First Amendment rights to free speech. Shortly after filing the lawsuit, counsel for the school officials notified ADF attorneys that the superintendent was rescinding the disciplinary actions against Blake.
• June 2023: The school agreed to a settlement in which it agreed to pay $125,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees.