Trans volleyball player allowed to use US high school women's changing room as furious parent makes complaint

Sean Lechner, who claimed the incident occurred during a match on September 9, said: "The adults in charge knowingly allowed a male athlete to compete against our girls and allowed him access to the girls' locker room while they were changing without the girls' consent or any parent."

He added: "There's no excuse for this, ever."

His daughter Briley, who plays for Monroe High School, described learning about the situation weeks afterwards.

"When we found out after, weeks after, that there was another male in the same locker room as us, as we were changing and also playing against us, it caught everyone off guard," she said. "Nobody expected that."

Superintendent Andrew Shaw announced the district would bring in an external party to conduct the investigation and deliver a recommended outcome.

The school administration said: "The district has chosen to use a third party so that the investigation can be completed in a manner that allows for complete transparency from beginning to end."

Officials added Monroe Public Schools would offer no further comment while the independent inquiry proceeds.

The two schools met twice during the volleyball season, first at Monroe High School on September 9 and subsequently at Skyline High School on October 25.

Mr Lechner noted sharing changing facilities, as occurred during the first fixture, was unusual.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association maintains it does not directly involve itself in transgender athlete matters, though its executive director assesses tournament eligibility individually.

Communications director Geoff Kimmerly confirmed one eligibility waiver, which complied with relevant state and federal legislation, was approved under the association's transgender student policy for the 2025-2026 autumn sports season, but declined to identify the school or sport involved, citing privacy concerns.

Mr Kimmerly acknowledged the association had engaged with state legislators throughout the autumn regarding these issues, writing: "The legal landscape in this area under both federal and state law remains unsettled, and state and federal guidance have evolved in recent years often in competing ways."

The MHSAA requires schools to provide documentation covering gender recorded on official documents, medical and psychological records, and any hormone therapy or gender-affirmation surgery undertaken.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February prohibiting male participation in women's sports.

Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, however, bars discrimination based on gender identity, creating tension between federal and state requirements.

Monroe County Democratic Party chairman Rick Kull dismissed Monday's press conference, held outside the county courthouse with Republican state lawmakers, as "political theatre".

Mr Kull asked: "With everything else going on, they are concerned about one kid playing a high school sport? With everything going on with health care, unemployment, school lunches ... this is what they are focusing their efforts on? They have their priorities mixed up."

The chairman expressed confidence that school officials and the athletic association would handle the matter appropriately.

Mr Lechner maintained his complaint aims not to target any individual child but to ensure proper protocols exist and are followed.

The US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights will determine whether to pursue an investigation.

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