Female athletes at Santa Rosa Junior College are taking a bold stand for truth, fairness, and safety in women’s sports. Refusing to stay silent, Madison Shaw, Gracie Shaw, and Brielle Galli have filed a Title IX complaint to challenge the school’s policy that allows a male to compete on the women’s volleyball team. Their courage highlights the devastating consequences of California’s misguided leadership, which has forced female athletes to choose between their sport and their safety.
California Family Council Outreach Director Sophia Lorey recently interviewed sisters Madison and Gracie Shaw about the situation. “I wasn’t one for confrontation, but I knew that this was wrong and that I couldn’t stand by this any longer,” Madison told Lorey on the This is a Woman Podcast. “I was willing to sacrifice ending my career early for volleyball. … There are so many detrimental things that can happen by having a male athlete on the team.”
After several injuries occurred during practice and games, including a concussion sustained by Gracie, reportedly caused by a male teammate, the three girls filed a Title IX complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, in consultation with the Independent Council for Women’s Sports.
Gracie’s injury caused her to miss two weeks of play. “I was set up to pass, but the ball came so fast at my face that I couldn’t protect myself and didn’t have time to think,” she recalled.
“Injuries happen. It’s inevitable, especially in a contact sport, but this one particularly could have been prevented by not having this male athlete on the team,” Madison told Fox News.
The women’s complaint challenges the California Community College Athletic Association’s Transgender Participation Policy (TPP), calling for a federal investigation, a Title IX violation ruling, funding cuts for noncompliant schools, penalties, and new rules limiting women’s teams to females only.
Gracie described how her concussion experience highlighted the biological advantages that male athletes have. “They’re born bigger, stronger, faster, bigger skeletal structure. Even with taking testosterone suppressants, that doesn’t take away any physical advantage,” she said.
Men’s volleyball is played with higher nets and rules that account for male physiology, such as restrictions on jumping in front of the 10-foot line.
Gracie explained that even during co-ed grass volleyball, men aren’t allowed to block spikes from women players on the other team to ensure fairness and safety. Males have ”the physical advantage of being taller and being able to jump higher,” Gracie said. “There are different rules for men for a reason.”
Madison found the male athlete’s presence in her locker room as intrusive. He sat inside, talked with the other girls, and looked around in a way that made several athletes feel uncomfortable, prompting them to hide and change behind closed doors.
“A locker room is supposed to be a comfortable space for you to change and talk with your teammates. And that’s just not the environment that was created for us,” Madison said.
Before the season began, the female athletes raised concerns with their coaches and athletic director, but they were repeatedly shut down. First, the girls initiated a team meeting that was canceled after they were told to stay silent due to “privacy concerns.”
Despite this, they attempted to hold another meeting, believing their teammates deserved to have a voice. However, their team captain said the meetings could not occur without a school representative present. Once the coach was informed, she downplayed the meeting and told the team that attendance was not mandatory. The meeting was scheduled before an 8:30 a.m. weight session, but the coach canceled the weight session the night before. It was obvious that the Shaw girls’ concerns were not being taken seriously.
Other conversations the sisters had with their coach resulted in their playing time being threatened.
“I felt my voice wasn’t being heard. I was not being respected by the school or the league,” Madison said.
She had hoped to continue her volleyball career at a four-year college, possibly earning a scholarship. However, she had to make the decision to step away from the sport to take a stand for herself and for other female athletes:
“I never thought I’d be put in a situation where I’d have to choose my volleyball career or stand up for what’s right,” Madison said. “Honestly, it was an easy decision for me to make. I want justice for all these female athletes. And if I’m having to lose something, a little part of my life, for the greater good, I think it’s worth it.”
During her interview, Lorey placed the blame squarely on state and school leadership for forcing young women into this impossible position. She believes that if every female athlete competing against a male took action, “we would see this come to an end quicker and faster.” But she added that it is deeply troubling that change depends on the courage of the athletes themselves.
“It should have never started,” Lorey said. “It should have never gotten to the point of the female athletes having to say something; it should have been changed by the leadership in California, the leadership at these schools.”
