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In November, 130 congressional Democrats signed an amicus brief supporting two transgender athletes who are plaintiffs in a pair of lawsuits being reviewed by the US Supreme Court. The lawsuits challenged and blocked state laws in Idaho and West Virginia that banned biological males from women’s and girls’ sports. Supreme Court justices are set to review the cases, beginning with oral arguments on Jan. 13.
One of the plaintiffs in those cases, a transgender teenager in West Virginia, has been charged with allegedly sexually harassing a former female teammate and using intimidation tactics against a female opponent, Pakinomist Digital reported Tuesday.
Pakinomist Digital has reached out to the offices of some Democrats who signed the letter and asked if they stand by their signatures in light of the allegations. Pakinomist Digital has not received any response.
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Top Democratic lawmakers who signed an amicus brief to support trans athletes in an upcoming SCOTUS review include Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Adam Schiff, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Alexadria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Hakeen Jeffries, Sen. Elizabeth Jaminar, Representative C. Petrocke. (Courtesy of House.Gov, Senate.gov, Congress.gov)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffires, DN.Y.; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y.; Late. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Late. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas.; Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Late. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Late. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif.; Late. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Late. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Late. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Sen. Jeff Merkely, D-Ore., are among the lawmakers who signed the amicus brief and have not responded to Pakinomist Digital’s request for comment.
The 130-member coalition has come under scrutiny on social media since the allegations emerged.
Erika Donalds, wife of Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fl., named all 130 members in an X post Tuesday citing the allegations.
The conservative advocacy group, The American Principles project, also condemned the 130 members amid the latest allegations in an X post on Tuesday.
“130 Congressional Democrats are calling on SCOTUS to side with male athletes in a legal battle over men in women’s sports. A male athlete at the center of the case is accused of sexually harassing and intimidating his female teammates in the locker room. Why does the left continue to die on this hill?” wrote the organization.
The amicus brief urged the Supreme Court justices to side with the two transgender plaintiffs, arguing, “Categorical bans — such as the bans in West Virginia and Idaho — undermine these protections and the ability of transgender students to be part of their school community.”
Hirono wrote in a November announcement about the brief: “All students deserve equal access to opportunities in schools — whether in the classroom, on the playground or in any other setting. No student should be discriminated against based on who they are.
“A categorical ban on transgender student participation in sports not only harms those students, but also exposes women and girls to harassment and discrimination, and leads to policing of children’s bodies. This defeats the very purpose of Title IX: to stop discrimination in federally funded educational programs. These bans are blatant discrimination, and the court should say so.”
Two female students from West Virginia and their families came forward with the allegations against one of the trans accusers ahead of oral arguments in the case next week. The trans athlete is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Pakinomist Digital is not releasing the name of the trans athlete because the person is a minor.
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Bridgeport High School female student Adaleia Cross, who is a former athletic teammate of the trans athlete when the two were at Bridgeport Middle School, claims the trans athlete made comments to her that amounted to sexual harassment in the girls’ locker room. Cross, who is a year older than the trans athlete, said she left the athlete at Bridgeport High School last year as a sophomore to avoid sharing a locker room with the trans athlete again when that athlete reached high school.
Cross’ mother, Abby, told Pakinomist Digital what the trans athlete allegedly said to her daughter when they shared the girls’ locker room during the 2022-23 school year. Adaleia was in eighth grade and the trans athlete was in seventh.
“When Adaleia first told us, she told us [the trans athlete] told her and other girls — my d—,” Abby Cross alleged.”[The trans athlete] told her, came up and told her, ‘I’m going to stick my d— in your p—- and also in your a–.’ At different times [the trans athlete] said these things to her.”
The mother said the comments were reported to the school.
The ACLU has responded to the Cross family’s allegations.
“Our client and her mother deny these allegations, and the school district investigated the allegations reported to the school by AC and found them to be unsubstantiated. We remain committed to defending the rights of all students under Title IX, including the right to a safe and inclusive learning environment free from harassment and discrimination,” read an ACLU statement provided to Pakinomist Digital.
Cross family attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) have responded to the ACLU’s statement.
“Our client has sworn under oath and under penalty of perjury in numerous cases about the events that took place between her and the male athlete. As a result of the situation, [Cross] had to step away from the sport she loved entirely and sacrifice a key element of her school experience to protect herself,” read an ADF statement provided to Pakinomist Digital.
ADF is also representing the state of West Virginia against the trans athlete in the case to be heard by the Supreme Court.
The ACLU has not responded to ADF’s response.
The Cross family said that when they reported the alleged harassment to the school, nothing was done to reprimand the trans athlete to their knowledge.
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West Virginia teen Adaleia Cross (Courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom)
“They told me they were going to do a full investigation of what I told them,” Adaleia said. “And then, all of a sudden, it was like nothing else happened, it was done, and it seemed like they didn’t think anything of it because they didn’t talk to us about it at all, they just left it there and didn’t tell us anything else, so it just made it seem like, yeah, it’s done.”
Her father, Holden Cross said: “We received no response from the school after filing the report.”
Pakinomist Digital made repeated requests to the ACLU and the Harrison County School District, which oversees Bridgeport Middle School and Bridgeport High School, seeking documentation related to the school’s investigation and clarifying whether an investigation took place and, if so, why only the Cross family was not notified of the findings. These requests have not been granted.
Meanwhile, former Lincoln Middle School girls runner Emmy Salerno claims the trans athlete used “intimidation tactics” against her after Salerno refused to compete against the trans athlete during an event during the 2024 spring season.
Salerno’s protest came on April 18, 2024, when she and the trans athlete were in eighth grade. Salerno, along with four other girls, refused to compete in the girls’ shot put competition that day at a local meet. Salerno claims her team was disqualified from the following meet, and then began facing intimidating looks from the trans athlete at public events.
“After we stepped out, it was an immediate personality change. He wouldn’t talk to me. He would just stare at me and just stare down,” Salerno told Pakinomist Digital.
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Salerno also provided Pakinomist Digital with a screenshot of a Snapchat post that appeared to be sent by the trans athlete, showing a photo of Salerno with a caption that reads, “Reminder she has more testosterone than me.”
Salerno said there was an incident where the trans athlete followed her while they were at a local basketball game and made intimidating looks, and Salerno was concerned that the trans athlete would try to “fight” her.
“At the basketball game, when he was just following me everywhere, I was like, ‘Is he going to try to fight me?'” Salerno said. “‘Is he going to try to sneak up behind me and hit me?’
Salerno and her father say they believe the stares, following patterns and social media posts were “intimidation tactics” and there has been “ongoing discomfort” as a result of the situation.
“I always tried to avoid him everywhere I went,” Salerno added.
The ACLU has not responded to Pakinomist Digital’s request for a response to Salerno’s allegations.
Salerno said she avoided competing against the trans athlete the following season, but instead of protesting publicly, she simply told her coach not to include her in the lineup for the meets against the trans athlete to avoid punishment to the team.
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Salerno claims she has also heard other girls in the community talk about allegations of sexual harassment by Cross against the trans athlete. Salerno said she herself has never been in a locker room or bathroom with the trans athlete.
“Around the track season, it gets talked about more,” Salerno said of the sexual harassment allegations. “I heard through my school, people were talking about it.”
