Santa Rosa Junior College Players File A Title IX Complaint Over Team's Transgender Teammate

PETALUMA, CA — Three volleyball players at Santa Rosa Junior College filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, claiming that the school and California’s community college athletic association violated Title IX by permitting a transgender player to participate on the women’s team.

In the complaint filed Wednesday against the Sonoma County Junior College District, Santa Rosa Junior College and member schools of the California Community College Athletic Association, sophomore Madison Shaw and first year students Gracie Shaw and Brielle Galli alleged physical endangerment by a trans-identifying male student, Ximena Gomez, who is currently playing in SRJC volleyball matches.

The women said they filed multiple complainants urging the college to protect their Title IX rights and "their privacy and safety" by removing Gomez from the volleyball team. The college repeatedly refused, according to the complaint.

The three also accused their coach retaliated against them for voicing their concerns by preventing them from competing in games.

Their equal opportunity statement on the college website states that, "The Sonoma County Junior College District is committed to an environment in which all employees and students are treated with respect and dignity. Each employee and student has the right to work/learn in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal opportunity and is free of unlawful discriminatory practices."

The statement also notes that, "Because the ability to serve students from broad cultural heritages, socioeconomic backgrounds and genders is a key commitment of the College mission, The Sonoma County Junior College District actively encourages applications from candidates who recognize the value that diversity brings to a professional education community. The Vice President of Human Resources is responsible for Sonoma County Junior College District’s equal opportunity efforts, and reports directly to the Superintendent/President on these matters."

The college did not respond to a request for a comment.

Ximena Gomez competed on a women’s volleyball team in high school at Elise Allen High School in Santa Rosa, California, according to the compaint.

Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal money for programs. Under the law, federal money must be distributed equally between male and female sport programs in institutions subject to the law.

However, the law — and women's athletics in particular — have become a focus of political battles over gender. High schools and colleges across the country have launched Title IX investigations into whether state laws and school athletics policies violate the civil rights of female student-athletes by allowing individuals assigned male at birth to compete in female sports.

"Title IX exists to protect women and girls in education. It is perverse to allow males to compete against girls, invade their private spaces, and take their trophies," Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said in a statement. "This division will aggressively defend women's hard-fought rights to equal educational opportunities."

President Donald Trump in May threatened to withhold federal funding from California if transgender athletes are allowed to compete in girls’ events.

In California, the state's Interscholastic Federation stepped in on Tuesday by modifying entry rules for the state meet. Under a new "pilot entry process" announced Tuesday, any biological female athlete who was edged out of a qualifying spot by another competitor — including transgender athletes — was offered a wildcard opportunity to compete.

Lawsuits are pushing junior colleges like Santa Rosa's into the spotlight. They are scrambling to make sure their policies and governance are up to date, said Beth Murphy, president of CFM Partners, a firm that advises schools on governance, risk, and compliance.

Until about two years ago their clients were mostly financial firms. The demand from education institutions for help with policies and governance exploded in the past 18 months. Compliance tops the list of trustees, she said.

Although Title IX became law in 1972, some lack resources to keep up.

See Also:

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