High School Wrestler Says She Was Sexually Assaulted By Trans-Identifying Male Opponent
A teen wrestler says she was sexually assaulted by a male opponent during a match and that school officials waited nearly two months to report the incident to police.
A high school wrestler in Washington says she was sexually violated during a match by a trans-identifying male athlete. Even more disturbingly, school officials failed to report the alleged assault to law enforcement for nearly two months after she came forward.
Kallie Keeler, a 16-year-old sophomore at Rogers High School in Puyallup, says the incident occurred during a Dec. 6 girls' wrestling match against Emerald Ridge High School in the 190-pound weight class.
A few minutes into the bout, while Keeler was face-down on the mat, her opponent "reached between her legs and, very forcefully for several seconds, tried to push her fingers in her vagina." That's according to unDivided host Brandi Kruse, who originally broke the story.
"That has never happened," Keeler said. "Out of all the years I’ve wrestled."
Keeler said she immediately knew something was wrong.
"I was just kind of like, what? What the heck?" she said. "I didn’t really know what to do or how to handle that situation. I just wanted the match to be over."
She said she allowed herself to be pinned to end the match.
School District Initially Ignored Kallie Keeler's Report
At the time of the match, Keeler said she believed her opponent was female and was not informed ahead of time that the wrestler was biologically male.
"I didn’t really know what to think of it," she said. "It’s a women’s wrestling team, so I wasn’t really thinking that."
Keeler said she learned moments after the match — from a coach at another school — that her opponent was a biological boy, and she was "shocked" by the revelation.
Still, Keeler said she would have reported the touching regardless of her opponent's sex.
Activists rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the court hears arguments on trans athlete bans in women's sports.
(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Keeler said she told her mother immediately after the match and attempted to report the incident to her coach.
"I told her how uncomfortable the match made me feel," Keeler said. "She said she was looking into it."
Two days later, Keeler's parents emailed Rogers High School coaches seeking action.
"This is a huge issue and something that is 100% not OK," Keeler's mother wrote. "The fact that this was done by a biological male who identifies as a female is an even bigger issue for me. Where do we go from here?"
In a Dec. 8 email, Keeler's coach responded: "I most certainly would not put Kallie on the mat if I thought she was competing with a male. I will investigate this and look to see if we have a video on our end. I will touch base with you either this afternoon or tomorrow morning after I do my due diligence."
According to Keeler's family, they never heard back.
Under Washington law, public school employees are mandatory reporters and are required to report suspected child abuse or sexual assault — including allegations involving other students — regardless of whether the allegation is ultimately substantiated.
Yet, despite multiple district employees being aware of Keeler's claims, the incident was not reported to law enforcement until late January.
It was only after unDivided contacted Puyallup School District for comment on Jan. 29 that the district notified the Pierce County Sheriff's Office the following day. That's nearly two months after the alleged incident.
"This matter is currently under investigation," the district said in a Jan. 30 email. "As such, the district is legally required to protect the privacy of students and families and cannot share details regarding individual students or specific incidents. What we can say is that student safety is a top priority and that all reports involving student safety are taken seriously."
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office confirmed a criminal investigation is underway.
"This incident allegedly happened during the match between the victim and a transgender student the victim was wrestling at the time," Deputy Carly Cappeltto said. "This is being investigated and is still active."
This Isn't An Isolated Incident
Keeler came forward publicly after learning she was not the only female athlete raising concerns.
Earlier this year, unDivided reported that at least a dozen female athletes at Emerald Ridge High School complained to administrators about the presence of, not just one, but two biological boys in the girls' locker room.
(Getty Images)
According to that reporting, the girls brought their concerns to the school's principal and vice principal. They said the boys were watching them undress in the locker room, and it made them uncomfortable. But the girls said they were brushed aside.
One of the two boys identified in that report was the same 190-pound wrestler Keeler competed against.
"That was when I realized that more girls than just me were being hurt," Keeler said.
What Are We Doing Here?
Wrestling, like boxing, is a full-contact sport that relies heavily on brute strength and physical leverage. When it comes to combat sports, it's pretty obvious why differences between male and female bodies matter.
But in this situation, we've surpassed the issue of athletic advantage. We're talking about sexual assault, an actual crime.
Two independent wrestling experts who reviewed video of the match told unDivided there was no legitimate reason for Keeler's opponent to place his arm between her legs during that sequence.
"That’s not common, unless you're doing it intentionally," a female wrestling coach said.
Another coach with nearly four decades of experience said such contact, if accidental, would be brief and immediately corrected.
Washington is one of several states being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights over policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports.
If Keeler’s allegations are substantiated, the case raises questions not only about fairness in athletics, but about whether school officials and state policies are prioritizing ideology over the safety and dignity of female athletes.
OutKick reached out to the Puyallup School District for comment but did not immediately receive a response.