EXCLUSIVE: Evidence Shows Michigan HS May Be Hiding Trans Athlete On Girls Volleyball Team

If you’re a transgender athlete who was born a male and want to compete on a high school girls' team in Michigan, you need to apply for and receive a waiver from the state’s high school athletic association.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association granted two such waivers last fall, but hasn’t granted any additional waivers — which need to be requested every season even if a player previously received one — since then.

Yet public records, Instagram posts and game footage show that a transgender athlete is competing on the varsity girls team for Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. Under MHSAA rules, that athlete is ineligible, and the team risks losing postseason eligibility.

The athlete in question – whom OutKick is not naming because the student athlete is under 18 – had his name changed in 2022, according to publicly available legal documents reviewed by OutKick. Instagram posts and game footage suggest the athlete has competed in at least three matches this season, including on Aug. 26 against Plymouth. 

The athlete initially had a public Instagram profile with volleyball highlights – including several from this season with Skyline – but the profile was set to private during OutKick's investigation. 

Skyline Ignores Requests, District Denies Wrongdoing

OutKick reached out to Skyline High School, but multiple requests for comment to the school's principal, athletic director and volleyball coach went unanswered.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools District, of which Skyline is a part, denied that any of its schools are in violation of MHSAA rules.

"Our high schools follow all the MHSAA guidelines and regulations. We do not share information about any AAPS students," a district spokesman said in a statement to OutKick. Since overwhelming evidence suggests there is a player who was born male on the girls volleyball team at Skyline, we asked the district how that reconciles that no waivers have been granted. OutKick even offered an off-the-record discussion to explain how these facts reconcile. At the time of publication, we did not receive a response.

The situation highlights the stakes for schools when eligibility rules collide with the politics of transgender participation in girls’ sports. Skyline’s decision could cost its volleyball team a state tournament berth, and also illustrates the broader state and federal battles over Title IX and girls’ athletics.

A Skyline High School volleyball player is competing without an MHSAA waiver, raising questions about transgender athlete participation in Michigan high school sports.

(Getty Images)

According to the MHSAA, waivers must be applied for each season and past approvals do not carry over. Under MHSAA rules, any transgender athlete competing without a waiver would put the player and the school at risk.

"If a student were found to be participating without a waiver, that student would be deemed ineligible, and the student’s team would be ineligible to play in our MHSAA postseason tournament," MHSAA said in a statement. "We have not granted any waivers since last fall."

The athlete also competed on the team last year – when Skyline reached the second round of the MHSAA Division I state tournament. It's unclear whether one of the waivers granted last season was for this athlete, as the MHSAA told OutKick that it will not comment on specific athletes.

The athlete also competed on a top-tier girls’ club volleyball team in Michigan, according to college recruiting websites and Instagram posts. OutKick reached out to the club, Dynamite Volleyball, but did not receive a response.

Transgender Athlete Eligibility Subject of Debate in Michigan 

The status of transgender athletes in Michigan is in legislative limbo. Although the Republican-controlled Michigan House of Representatives has passed two bills to prohibit transgender participation in girls' and women's sports, the Democrat-controlled state Senate has said it won't even consider a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports.

While Michigan does not explicitly ban transgender participation in girls' and women's sports, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that effectively does. As a public high school, Skyline could be subjected to a loss of federal funding if found to be in violation of that executive order.

While there are schools, districts and athletic associations across the country currently under investigation by the Department of Education for Title IX violations related to transgender athletes, none are in the state of Michigan.

With Skyline’s next match scheduled for Tuesday, questions remain about whether the team is in compliance with MHSAA eligibility rules — and what consequences could follow if it isn’t. 

OutKick will continue its investigation and post updates as warranted.