A federal judge is allowing the only female who was on her high school football roster last year to proceed with a lawsuit filed against a Santa Maria Christian school that refused to allow its all-male team to compete against her.
The Cuyama Valley High School student, identified only as E.H. in the complaint, alleges that the Valley Christian Academy violated Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments, which prohibit discrimination based on gender by educational institutions receiving federal financial assistance.
“E.H.’s claim falls within the zone of interests of Title IX as the allegedly discriminatory conduct was inflicted by Valley Christian on its own campus,” wrote Central District of California federal Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong in her opinion. “The Court finds that the “contact sports exception” and “religious organization exception” do not apply to the instant facts. For these reasons, the Court hereby DENIES Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss with regards to E.H.’s cause of action under Title IX.”
However, a Congressional candidate disagrees with the decision.
“I think that women should have every opportunity to compete at the highest levels possible, but I also think it sets an extremely dangerous precedent for females to compete with males in a male-dominated sport,” said Joe Collins, III who is campaigning to represent the 36th District of Congress.
Counsel for the school, which is affiliated with First Baptist Church in Santa Maria, argued that E.H. does not have standing because she is no longer a Cuyama Valley High School student and that their non-compete decision was based on respect for the “guiding principles of the Bible regarding the care of a woman.”
E.H. was 15 years old at the time that the complaint was filed in December 2021, according to media reports.
“When you take into consideration the female anatomy versus a male’s anatomy, the male body itself is denser, stronger, and equipped to take on the punishment that comes with certain sports or jobs,” Collins told the Southern California Record.
Neither First Baptist Church nor Valley Christian Academy responded to requests for comment.
The complaint, written by Susan Stark, states that the plaintiffs seek injunctive relief as well as past and future pecuniary and/or non-pecuniary damages.
“I do not support biological females competing against biological males, however, I do support the idea of creating leagues for male genders, females genders and self-proclaimed transgenders competing in leagues of their own,” Collins added. “I do think the idea of a transgender league coming about would make for an interesting spectacle.”