WHO: Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys
WHAT: Available for media interviews following hearing in K.M.K. v. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association
WHEN: Immediately following hearing, which begins at 10 a.m. PDT, Tuesday, Aug. 18
WHERE: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, 1717 Pacific Ave., Suite 4410, Tacoma, Courtroom B, or watch the livestream. To schedule an interview, contact ADF Director of Media Output Hattie Troutman at (771) 200-7630.
TACOMA, Wash. – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys will be available for media interviews following a federal district court hearing Tuesday in K.M.K. v. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association in which they’re asking the court to require Washington state officials to respect parental rights and protect female athletes.
ADF attorneys represent teenage wrestler Kallie Keeler and her mother, Stephanie Brown, in their case against officials who directed Keeler to take the mat against a male wrestler without telling anyone. During the match, the male sexually assaulted Keeler. Brown quickly reported the sexual assault, with video evidence, to coaches and school staff, but district officials did little. Keeler’s principal and athletic coordinator have now been criminally charged by prosecutors for failing to protect her by delaying reporting the sexual assault.
“A 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted because of political cowardice. Washington state officials insist on pushing gender ideology at all costs—even at the expense of girls’ safety and privacy,” said ADF Senior Counsel Hal Frampton, director of the Center for Conscience Initiatives. “Our client’s story shows the grave harms caused by lying about biology. Washington’s policies not only subject Kallie to an unfair athletic disadvantage, but they also put her at risk of unknowingly wrestling a male again—unless she leaves the sport she loves. We’re urging the court to hold state and school officials accountable and require them to respect parental rights and prioritize girls’ safety in sports.”
Keeler, who was 15 at the time of the incident, was matched against a male athlete without her or her mother’s knowledge during a high school girls’ wrestling tournament under the aegis of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association in December 2025. During the match, the male athlete sexually assaulted Keeler. She appeared visibly distressed while competing and tried to communicate what was happening to her mother, who was recording the match. As ADF attorneys explain, the assault was not a wrestling move—it was a flagrant foul and sexual assault. She left the mat crying, but her coaches did nothing.
After the match, another team’s coach informed her that her opponent was male. Besides failing to report the assault, district officials told Brown and her daughter that they would continue to allow males in girls wrestling and would not provide Brown with notice of matching Keeler against a male. So Brown and her daughter are asking the court to protect their rights and the rights of all girls in Washington not to be unknowingly forced to compete against a male athlete.
The motion for preliminary injunction specifically requests that state officials respect Brown’s parental rights by giving Brown notice of matching Keller against a male, and the ability to opt Keeler out of that match without penalty or forfeit. The motion further explains that Title IX protects Keeler from having to compete against male athletes and from having her sexual-assault complaint ignored.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
# # #
