The debate over transgender athletes in high school sports has reached a fever pitch this fall, as legal battles and on-court protests ripple across the country. In the Riverside, California, area, seven girls' volleyball teams have now forfeited their scheduled games rather than face Jurupa Valley High School, which features a transgender player on its girls' squad. Meanwhile, in Vermont, a Christian school recently won a major legal victory in its bid to rejoin statewide competitions after being banned for a similar forfeit over transgender participation.
On September 13, 2025, Jurupa Valley High School was handed a win by default when Yucaipa High School became the latest to refuse to take the court. The list of schools declining to play against Jurupa Valley now includes Riverside Poly High School, Rim of the World High School, Orange Vista High School, AB Miller High School, Aquinas High School, Yucaipa High School, and San Dimas High School. This wave of forfeits follows a lawsuit filed on September 9 by three girls—two Catholics, Alyssa McPherson and Hadeel Hazameh, and one Muslim—against the Jurupa Unified School District, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and the California Department of Education (CDE). Their complaint? That their religious beliefs and privacy were violated by the school’s decision to allow a transgender student—identified as a biological male—to join the girls' volleyball team and use the girls' locker room.
The lawsuit alleges, “Plaintiffs have been intimidated by an intentionally hostile environment created by Defendants wherein they were bullied by school officials to censor their objections to competing with, and against, a male and to sharing intimate and private spaces with a male.” The girls argue that their faith “emphasizes modesty, dignity, and the honoring of gender distinctions which must conform with one’s biological sex in both practice and identity.” Both McPherson and Hazameh ultimately left the team, citing discomfort and religious objections to sharing private spaces with a transgender teammate.
Jurupa Valley High School and district officials responded that their hands are tied. California law, signed in 2013 under then-Governor Jerry Brown, mandates full compliance with state policies protecting transgender students’ rights—including participation in sports and access to facilities that align with their gender identity. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office weighed in, stating, “The school and school district have stated they follow existing state law—a law that was passed in 2013 and signed by Governor Jerry Brown (not Newsom) and in line with 21 other states. For the law to change, the legislature would need to send the Governor a bill. They have not.”
This local controversy is emblematic of a much larger, nationwide debate. Just days earlier, on September 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit handed down a significant ruling in Vermont, reinstating Mid Vermont Christian School in statewide competitions after it had been expelled for forfeiting a girls’ basketball playoff game against a team with a transgender athlete. The legal saga began in February 2023, when Mid Vermont’s girls’ basketball team, the Eagles, chose not to take the court against Long Trail School, citing concerns for safety and fairness in competing against a biological male transgender student.
That decision triggered swift and sweeping consequences: the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) expelled Mid Vermont Christian School from all state-sponsored sports and even non-athletic events such as spelling bees, science fairs, and debate competitions. The school, with legal support from Alliance Defending Freedom, sued state officials, arguing that their punishment violated the school’s First Amendment rights. The appeals court agreed, at least for now, granting a preliminary injunction that allows the school to rejoin the VPA while the broader lawsuit continues. The court’s panel wrote that the school is “likely to succeed” on its Free Exercise claim because the VPA’s decision “demonstrated hostility toward the school’s religious beliefs.”
Coach Chris Goodwin, who has led the Eagles for nearly a decade and whose daughter plays on the team, explained the school’s stance: “It’s clear in Scripture that there is a difference between males and females. So if we decided to play that game, in essence, we’d be agreeing with the state’s belief system that boys can be girls and male athletes can be female athletes.” Goodwin emphasized that safety and fairness were also major concerns, and described the expulsion as “excessive,” saying the VPA was trying to “make an example” of the school.
The impact on students was immediate and profound. After being kicked out of the VPA, Mid Vermont’s athletes were forced to travel hours to compete in a Christian league in neighboring states, losing out on local exposure and scholarship opportunities. “Athletics in high school and junior high is a really big part of the overall educational experience,” Goodwin said. “So for that to be taken away from the kids was very disappointing, and for them to lose out on opportunities to be recognized in the state as all-state athletes or all-conference athletes and also have the possibility of receiving scholarships is a big deal. And they were denied that opportunity by the state.”
Alliance Defending Freedom’s senior counsel David Cortman hailed the ruling as a precedent-setting victory for religious schools facing similar dilemmas. “So having to force the school to make a choice between standing up for their religious beliefs and losing out on all their athletics was an improper choice for the state to make,” he said. “So we’re glad the court righted that wrong and are now looking forward to the school getting back into all the athletics and being treated on the same basis as everybody else.”
For its part, the VPA has stood by its policies. Executive Director Jay Nichols told Fox News Digital that the association does not comment on pending legal matters but insisted it does not discriminate based on religious beliefs. The VPA’s appeals committee previously dismissed the school’s safety and fairness concerns as a “myth” and called its religious objection “wrong.” “It is a myth that transgender students endanger others when they participate in high school sports or create unfair competition,” the committee wrote in its ruling.
With the U.S. Supreme Court set to review state bans on transgender athletes in public schools later this year, the stakes could not be higher. The outcome may well reshape the landscape for school sports across the country, as administrators, athletes, and families navigate the intersection of inclusivity, fairness, and religious liberty.
As the legal battles rage on and teams continue to forfeit games in protest, one thing is clear: the question of transgender participation in high school sports is far from settled. With courts, legislatures, and communities all weighing in, this season promises to be one for the history books—no matter which side of the net you’re on.
