West Virginia high school track and field athlete Adalia Cross is joining a national Title IX lawsuit alleging that she was sexually harassed by a 13-year-old transgender teammate during practice and in the school locker room.
BPJ, which refers to the transgender athlete at the center of this allegation and another lawsuit in West Virginia in court documents, said it had made “several offensive and inappropriate sexual advances” toward Cross throughout the school’s shot put season. He is said to have made a “comment”. The interactions reportedly escalated during Cross’ final year of middle school, with more “aggressive, mean and disturbing” comments. BPJ is biologically male, but identifies as female.
In the suit filed May 8, Cross alleges that BPJ “looked at me two to three times a week during the end of that year” and made sexually explicit and vulgar comments to her. “There were other girls around who heard it all the time. I heard BPJ say the same thing to other teammates.”
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BPJ, a trans athlete with a blurred face reflected in a truck. (ACLU)
Ms. Cross claimed that the additional “vulgar comments” caused her deep distress and affected her ability to continue participating in athletics.
“BPJ also made other, more sexually explicit comments that I felt were threatening to me. At times, BPJ” would make comments that suggested a desire to commit sexual assault, according to the complaint. It is said that
“I was confused and disgusted to hear these vile and offensive comments,” Cross claimed. “I was especially confused because I was told that BPJ was on the women’s team because BPJ identifies as a woman, but the women on the team have never talked to me like that.” was.”
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Cross later claimed to report the comments to the school’s administration, but “BPJ faced little or no punishment for making comments that no other student would have gotten away with.” he claimed.
Cross, 15, started high school last fall, but still interacts with BPJ because the middle school and high school share the same course and practice times overlap. BPJ will be entering high school this fall, and Cross said, “I’m scared of being on the same sports team again.”
“I don’t feel comfortable continuing to compete on a team that exposes me to these inappropriate comments. I’m also reluctant to continue competing in track and field if I have to compete against boys. I don’t want to play the sport enough in this environment.” I can’t enjoy it,” Cross said.
Earlier this month, five West Virginia middle school girls were banned from participating in track and field events after protesting a court’s refusal to enforce BPJ and the state’s Women’s Sports Protection Act. (Luis C. Ribeiro, NY Daily News, via Getty Images)
Cross noted that BPJ’s athletic performance steadily improved throughout middle school. In 2023, BPJ surpassed Cross and earned a spot in the Mid-Mountain 10 Junior High School Championships, a track and field competition open to only the top three students from each team. BPJ eliminated Cross from one of the top three spots and qualified for the tournament.
“If I complained, I would be unfairly labeled as ‘transphobic’ even if it wasn’t true. I felt that was unfair. I just sucked it up and went with it. I felt like I had to live. I felt unheard and unseen,” Cross told the magazine. Lawsuit.
BPJ is currently involved in the following legal proceedings: Tennessee vs. Cardona, filed in the Northern District of Kentucky. West Virginia was part of the original group of six states that filed as plaintiffs in Biden’s Title IX reform lawsuit.
During April, New Title IX Regulations They were introduced by President Biden’s Education Department and would roll back Trump-era rules that protect gender identity from discrimination while strengthening the rights of people accused of sexual misconduct.
Adaleia Cross (center) during the Harrison County Middle School Championships at Liberty High School’s Mazzei Reaser Athletic Complex on April 12, 2023 in Clarksburg, West Virginia. (Alliance to Defend Freedom)
Sarah Marshall Perry, a legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said in an interview on Fox News Digital that Cross’s lawsuit expands the number of individuals, organizations and states challenging Title IX.
“We know that this matter has not been formally published in the Federal Register, but nevertheless, it has already been reported to more than 17 school districts, one school board, seven organizations, and two individual plaintiffs. , and has drawn the ire of 26 states, some of the largest in terms of depth and swiftness of filings I have ever seen in my 25 years of law practice. It’s a lawsuit,” Perry said.
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Moms for Liberty and other parent groups have slammed President Biden’s Title IX overhaul, saying it guts parents’ rights and puts children at risk. (Getty Images)
“Like Mr. Cross’ claims, it is unconstitutional that the allegations are based on everything from First Amendment violations to sexual harassment to religious freedom violations to religious freedom violations. It also violates administrative law and civil rights law, the Administrative Procedure Act,” Perry continued.
“So this is an encouraging development and I don’t think this will be the last two we see here in mid-May.”
Earlier this month, five West Virginia middle school girls were banned from participating in track and field events after protesting a court’s refusal to enforce BPJ and the state’s Women’s Sports Protection Act. But they were given the right to compete again after Judge Thomas A. Bedell issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Harrison Board of Education and its schools from penalizing the student-athletes. for their speech.
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The school board denied the allegations of retaliation against the students, insisting that the students were allowed to protest without interference and with the full knowledge and permission of their coaches and principal.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
