A 16-year-old varsity volleyball player from Monroe High School in Michigan and her father filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 9 against Monroe Public Schools, the Michigan High School Athletic Association and school officials. The complaint concerns a Sept. 9, 2025, match against Ann Arbor’s Skyline High School and alleges that an opposing transgender athlete was in the girls’ locker room without the Monroe players or their parents being informed.
The player, Briley Lechner, told Fox News Digital she learned about the alleged locker-room presence days after the match. She said the team had used the room to change and to take photographs and videos, unaware at the time that the opposing athlete was allegedly there. Lechner described the revelation as frightening and said it raised concerns about privacy for female athletes.
The suit brings claims under Title IX and the Constitution. According to the Thomas More Law Center, which announced the case, the complaint also alleges that school officials defended their conduct, rejected the family’s formal Title IX discrimination complaint and did not provide a meaningful chance to appeal that decision. Those are allegations in the lawsuit; the supplied material does not include a court ruling or a response from the officials named in the complaint.
Lechner said she and her father decided to pursue legal action because they believed that doing nothing would leave the situation unchanged. She argued that female athletes should not have to share girls’ sports spaces with male athletes. She also said the issue matters beyond one high school match, pointing to the effort athletes invest in competition and their ambitions to play at higher levels.
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, said the case concerns whether public-school officials can accommodate a biological male athlete while concealing that decision from female athletes and their parents. His statement characterized the alleged conduct as showing “deliberative indifference” to female athletes’ rights. That phrase reflects the law center’s position, not a finding by a court.
Monroe Public Schools Superintendent Andrew Shaw said the district was aware of reports about an alleged federal lawsuit but had not been served. He said the district follows state and federal requirements and prioritizes student safety, adding that it would respond through legal channels if proceedings were initiated.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association said its policy on the issue had been developed to comply with federal and state law. The association called the lawsuit’s claims legally unsound and said it would defend its position in court. It declined further comment because of the litigation.
The dispute centers on the alleged presence of an opposing athlete in the locker room and the plaintiffs’ claims about how school officials handled the matter. The provided material does not establish whether the allegations have been tested in court, and the district said it had not yet been served at the time of its statement.
