Obama-Appointed Judge Tosses Lawsuit From Female Runner Forced To Compete Against Male

A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Pennsylvania high school girl who claimed her athletic career was upended after being forced to race against a biological male. The ruling came in early August.

Aislin Magalengo, a cross-country and track runner from Quakertown Community High School, sued school and athletic officials earlier this year. She said allowing Luce Allen — a male who claims to identify as female — to compete in girls' sports violated her rights under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

U.S. District Court Judge Wendy Beetlestone said Magalengo failed to prove that the defendants "intentionally" discriminated against her. The judge also dismissed the Title IX claim, citing that the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association (PIAA) isn't federally funded and the other public school defendants couldn't have done anything to stop the male athlete from competing. 

OutKick previously covered Luce Allen, formerly Sean Allen, winning a girls' 200m race back in May. This came after President Trump's executive order on "Keeping men out of women's sports," which the state of Pennsylvania has continued to defy, along with several other states. 

Allen's parents have said that it would be "cruel" to force the male athlete to compete against boys. 

"My child is a female in her heart and soul, and according to her medical labs. Having her play sports with males would be cruel," Allen's mother, Sarah Hansen said during a PIAA meeting, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Through an attorney, Allen released a statement that said, in part, "If you remove the ability of trans people to compete with a team that corresponds with their gender, then you’ll strip them of their opportunity to develop as people." 

The judge obviously sided with the male athlete's mother, ruling that policy alone doesn’t prove discriminatory intent. Let that sink in: according to this ruling, you can have a policy that hurts girls, so long as no one says it out loud.

An Obama-appointed judge dismisses female runner’s lawsuit over being forced to compete against a biological male, re-sparking national debate on fairness in women’s sports.

(Stock Photo - Getty Images)

One of the plaintiffs' attorneys, Keith Altman, said they will appeal the decision. 

"We have a basic belief that you compete against your biology," Altman said. "The judge is ignoring biology. You just simply can’t."

The legal battle over transgender athletes in women's sports continues

This is the latest in a string of legal battles across the country over biological males in female sports. And it won’t be the last, nor the most consequential. The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear two cases relating to males competing in girls' and women's sports. 

As OutKick's Amber Harding previously reported, "The Court will hear appeals from West Virginia and Idaho, both of which passed laws aimed at preserving sex-based categories in athletics. The cases — West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox — will be argued this fall, with a decision expected by mid-2026." 

OutKick also spoke to one of the plaintiffs in the Idaho case, Madison Kenyon. 

"I'm really grateful that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this case. It's sending a message to women that we have a chance to be listened to, and we have a chance to be told that we do matter," Kenyon said. "We hope that they'll be able to restore the integrity to women's sports and preserve opportunity, safety, and the ability of women to be safe in their sports." 

While Trump and Republicans continue pushing to protect sex-based categories in athletics, the Pennsylvania ruling shows Democrats remain committed to defending gender ideology over biology, fairness, and safety.

Because of that, the fight is far from over.