Michigan teen volleyball player files lawsuit after she unknowingly shared locker room with trans athlete
A 16-year-old Michigan volleyball player suing her school district says she was frightened to learn days after a match that a transgender athlete had allegedly shared the girls' locker room, telling Fox News Digital she had no idea at the time and now worries about the privacy of female athletes.
Briley Lechner, a varsity volleyball player at Monroe High School in West Monroe, Mich., said she and her teammates routinely changed clothes, took pictures and recorded videos in the locker room without knowing that a transgender athlete from the opposing team was allegedly present.
"What's very scary is that the day that this happened, I had no clue that there was a boy on the other team," Lechner told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday.
Lechner said the experience left her feeling uncomfortable and disrespected, arguing that female athletes should be able to expect privacy in spaces designated for girls.
Lechner and her father, Sean, filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 9, announced by the Thomas More Law Center, raising Title IX and constitutional claims against Monroe Public Schools, the Michigan High School Athletic Association and school officials over the alleged incident.
"I personally think that this is a very point-blank situation," Lechner said. "I think it's very straightforward. There should not be males competing in female sports, and so I realized that if my father and I just said, ‘OK, like whatever, you guys declined it, it is what it is, then nothing's going to change.'"
The lawsuit alleges that school officials knowingly concealed from the Monroe High School girls’ volleyball team and their parents that a Sept. 9, 2025, match with Ann Arbor’s Skyline High School included a biological male, according to the Thomas More Law Center.
The lawsuit also alleges that school officials defended their actions, dismissed the family's formal Title IX discrimination complaint and denied them a meaningful opportunity to appeal the decision.
Lechner said the lawsuit is so critical because fairness for women hangs in the balance.
"This is so important to me, and I want everyone to know that, because we play the sport, us female athletes play the sport, yes, for the sisterhood, yes, for the love of the game, but also girls take this seriously," Lechner said.
"Some girls want to play at a collegiate level, and so this is everyone's, like their life sometimes. They put their tears, their sweat, everything into it. And so this isn't just something so little, like, ‘Oh, it's just a high school sport.’ No, it's not, because it's also happening in college places. It's happening everywhere. It's happening in elementary school, it's all age ranges, and so if we allow it in one age range, it's going to continue."
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Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, echoed similar sentiments.
"This lawsuit is about much more than a single volleyball game," Thompson said in a statement. "It’s about whether public school officials can, with deliberative indifference, knowingly sacrifice the rights of female athletes to accommodate a biological male athlete, conceal that decision from the girls and their parents, and then evade accountability under federal law and the U.S. Constitution."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Andrew Shaw, superintendent of Monroe Public Schools, said, "Monroe Public Schools is aware of recent reports regarding an alleged federal lawsuit, though the district has not been served with any lawsuit. We remain steadfast in our commitment to adhering to all state and federal guidelines and laws while upholding student safety. Should legal proceedings be initiated, the district will address the matter through the appropriate legal channels."
The Michigan High School Athletic Association told Fox News Digital in a statement, "For many years, MHSAA policy in this area has been crafted to be fully compliant with federal and state law. We believe the claims made are legally unsound, and we will defend that position through the legal process. Due to the ongoing litigation, we will have no further comment at this time."