Parents of girls attending El Camino High School in Sacramento, California, have come forward to allege that a male student playing on the girls’ volleyball team sexually harassed the female players after being permitted to use the girls’ changing room. Despite filing a sexual harassment complaint against the student, the parents say the school was more concerned with including him than protecting their girls.
While El Camino High School appears to have taken steps to conceal the boy’s identity, Reduxx can confirm his name as Ariana “Ari” Grialou, born Bradley Grialou. Grialou previously ran on the boys’ track and cross country teams in middle school, but began to identify as a girl in the 8th or 9th grade. After enrolling at El Camino, Grialou signed up for the girls’ junior varsity volleyball team, and eventually moved up to girls varsity at the start of this year’s season.
According to sources at the school, during varsity tryouts, two senior girls who had played on the team for the previous three years were cut, and Grialou’s participation had an immediate impact on the opportunities given to the female players. One parent who spoke to Reduxx under the condition of anonymity said Grialou was given more game time than many of the girls on the team, and was able to choose his position based on his personal preference.
“Ari gets to play in whatever position he wants. He is allowed to play a good portion of the playtime during games because he gets to play all-around. So all of the girls are impacted, because he gets to say what he wants to do and the coach listens,” Carol, whose name has been changed to protect her family’s privacy, said. “Sometimes there were games where I had to wonder if my kid was even going to get to play at all. There have been games where my kid maybe gets 10 minutes playtime, where Ari is out there for two-thirds of the game.”
However, at the beginning of the 2026 season, coaches were forced to address the issue after a game against Rio Linda High School. Following the match, a concerned aunt of one of the Rio Linda players sent an email to the coaches and staff of the schools set to play against El Camino. The subject line read: “Safety of Varsity Girls Volleyball Teams.”
In the email, which was shared with Reduxx, the aunt writes: “As I watched, I became increasingly concerned for the girls on Rio Linda’s team. After playing for much of the game, it became obvious to me that #13 on El Camino is a boy. He particularly had at least two hits that nailed a couple of the girls in the head that came in much harder than a girl would hit.”
The email prompted an immediate scramble among the staff at El Camino.
According to another parent who spoke with Reduxx, the next game El Camino played had school officials and staff stationed throughout the gym, including in the stands. There was also a “significant presence” of representatives from the California Safe School Coalition – a network of organizations and individuals who act as advocates for LGBT students.
But the efforts to “protect” Giralou didn’t stop there. A girl on the El Camino team was required to switch jerseys with Grialou in order to further hide his presence because he had previously been identified as player #13.
“After the jersey exchange, Ari pulled all the girls aside for a private conversation. This was when the team had disappeared from the gym. During that conversation, Ari told the girls that he hadn’t been completely truthful with them and revealed that he was transgender. He explained that the reason Safe Schools and so many school officials were present was to support him. He also told the girls that he hoped none of them were particularly attached to their jersey numbers because, throughout the season, each of them would be expected to switch jerseys with him and take turns wearing #13,” explains Kelly, another mother from El Camino whose name has also been changed to protect her family’s privacy.
“What was particularly concerning was that no school officials or coaches appeared to be involved in this conversation with the girls. Ari was the one leading the discussion, explaining the jersey changes, and communicating what was expected of his teammates. He told them that the school fully supported him and that this was why so many officials were present that day.”
Kelly says that several of the girls went home in tears that night because they were frightened of being made to wear jersey #13.
“They didn’t want to be mistaken for him or become the focus of attention or controversy simply because they were wearing his former jersey,” Kelly says.
But both Kelly and Carol mention that serious safety concerns were raised after the jersey switch.
“If the school believed Ari could be placed in an uncomfortable or potentially unsafe situation by continuing to wear #13 after being publicly identified, why would they think it was appropriate to transfer that same attention or potential risk to another girl,” Kelly questions.
The school later acknowledged that the decision was inappropriate and agreed to retire jersey #13 altogether. Grialou was subsequently assigned jersey #17.
But the parents reveal the jersey issue was only one of many apparent safeguarding failures prompted by the school’s efforts to accommodate Grialou.
“Even before Ari disclosed that he was transgender, several girls had expressed feeling uncomfortable around him because of the nature of his conversations and comments,” Kelly says. “According to the girls, Ari frequently made inappropriate and sexually suggestive comments about their bodies. He would ask personal questions about their relationships with their boyfriends, including whether they had sex and whether they had tried different sexual positions. These were not isolated comments, and the girls found the conversations invasive and uncomfortable.”
Both Kelly and Carol also note that Grialou’s locker room usage was a “major concern” amongst the girls, who reported to their parents that he would often “hover,” and “stare” at the female players while they undressed. He would allegedly remain in the facilities despite never actually changing himself.
Eventually, several girls organized to file formal complaints about what they perceived as ongoing sexual harassment.
“Following those complaints, the parents were contacted by the school and informed of the allegations and their daughters’ Title IX rights. However, the school also communicated that it felt confident the inappropriate comments would stop and that no further action was necessary,” Kelly says. Carol adds that she felt the response from the school was “very poor” and expressed upset that no monitors were assigned to the locker room after the girls came forward.
Even after the complaint, Grialou continued to be allowed to use the female changing room. Eventually, many of the girls took to changing in the bathroom stalls to avoid his gaze.
“From a parent’s perspective, it increasingly felt as though whatever Ari wanted, the school was willing to accommodate, regardless of how those decisions affected the rest of the team,” Kelly says.
Carol also describes a concerning pattern in Grialou’s public behavior she noticed from the bleachers as she watched El Camino games.
“Ari was constantly manipulating his genitals,” she says. “He would touch himself during the game, excessively. Between every play or every other play.” Carol says she believes Grialou was adjusting his “tuck,” but would not do so in a discreet manner and was often seen with his fingers “lodged” in his behind or genital area.
“The girls didn’t want to high-five him or touch him because of this. They were grossed out. I could understand if it were once or twice, sure, but it was constant. In public. At every game.”
In terms of Grialou’s athletic performance, both parents note that his physical advantages were obvious.
“He hits hard. He has the hands of an adult man. He has a longer reach. He can jump higher. His strength is fully as a boy,” Carol says, noting that there had been multiple reported injuries involving girls being hit or elbowed by Grialou.
“What has been most frustrating throughout this entire situation is the apparent lack of consideration for the other girls,” Kelly says. “This isn’t simply about Ari being transgender or participating on the girls’ volleyball team. It’s about how the school handled the situation, the expectations placed on the other players, the reported inappropriate behavior, and whether the school took meaningful steps to ensure that every student felt equally respected, supported, and safe.”
Carol echoes Kelly’s remarks, adding: “I am fairly open minded. I couldn’t care less than he is trans. Be who you want to be. But don’t negatively impact everyone around you. My issue is not with who he wants to be, it is with how he is significantly impacting girls around him. Everyone is putting this child’s rights ahead of the rights of my child.”
Last week, the situation at El Camino escalated after women’s rights advocate Beth Bourne became aware of Grialou’s participation in a game against Woodland High School. Bourne regularly attends sporting events to support young female athletes who oppose boys being able to self-identify into their sport.
Speaking to Reduxx, Bourne says that within minutes of her arrival, Grialou was pulled off the court.
“I waited a few minutes and then decided to head into the cafeteria area that is adjacent to the gym. As I was walking around the cafeteria, the Woodland High School principal approached me,” she recalls, noting that the principal told her she was not allowed to film the game.
Bourne posted the video of the interaction to her X account, where it received over 3 million views.
🚨🚨UNREAL: Last night at the Woodland High School vs El Camino High School girls’ varsity volleyball game, the principal approached me to warm me that I was not allowed to film any “minors” unless I was related to the player. Why are they trying to hide the trans-identified boy? Girls’ sports are for girls only. Break the spell!!
— Beth Bourne (@bourne_beth2345) October 23, 2026
“I told him I was there to support the girls on the both sides of the court. I had heard from parents in the Woodland schools for the last two years that they were upset there was indoctrination in the schools around gender ideology and I had heard from several fathers that they wanted their daughter’s sports to be only for girls. I had also heard from an El Camino parent via DM on Facebook about the boy on the team,” Bourne says.
The principal, Gerald Salcido, then reportedly demanded to know which parents had contacted Bourne.
“I think it so wrong that the principal insisted on knowing which parents were concerned about their daughter’s safety. For what purpose did he need this information?”
Bourne praises the parents at El Camino who came forward, and says that she will continue to show up to support young female athletes.
“I believe it’s important for adults to speak out because an entire generation of girls in California have been taught to prioritize the feelings of the trans-identified boys over their rights to fairness and safety in girls’ sports and privacy and dignity in the bathrooms and locker rooms,” she says. “Not only am I hoping to keep the female athletes’ sports fair and safe, but also the boy athlete should understand biological reality. No child is born in the wrong body.”
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