Three women from Santa Rosa Junior College’s volleyball team have filed a federal Title IX complaint demanding the removal of a male player from their women’s squad. Sophomore Madison Shaw and freshmen Gracie Shaw and Brielle Galli allege that they were penalized for protesting the inclusion of Ximena Gomez on the team.
The 46-page filing, submitted to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights on September 3, accuses SRJC and the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) of “egregious violations” of women’s rights, claiming current policies allow men to take roster spots, invade locker room privacy, and even inflict injuries on female athletes.
The complaint centers around Ximena Gomez, a male student who identifies as a “woman.” Gomez first appeared on SRJC’s roster as a redshirt freshman in 2024. That season, Gomez did not compete in matches but practiced with the team, joined weight training sessions, and utilized the women’s changing room.
According to the filing, which was first reported by OutKick, Gomez allegedly concussed a teammate during practice in 2024 by spiking a ball at her head. The female athlete was unable to participate in practices and competition for two weeks due to the severity of the injury.
The complaint notes: “Men maintain significant athletic performance advantages over women
in 3C2A varsity sports including volleyball. This is evident, for instance, from the fact that the women’s net in college volleyball is 5 5/8 inches lower than the men’s net, i.e., 7 feet, 4 1/8 inches (2.24 meters) compared to 7 feet, 11 5/8 inches (2.43 meters). This height difference is due to significant overall differences in height, jumping ability, and hitting strength between male and female volleyball players.”
🚨OUTRAGEOUS: Santa Rosa Junior College benched 3 women’s volleyball players to let a man play on the women’s team—after the women demanded the school honor their Title IX rights. https://t.co/RZy263KyHo pic.twitter.com/m7NNICPGEo
— ICONS (@icons_women) September 4, 2025
Throughout the 2024 season and into 2025, Gomez was also given full access to the women’s locker room, causing discomfort amongst the female players. The female athletes cited in the filing say Gomez was repeatedly present while they and other teammates undressed and changed. While they noted that Gomez did not openly disrobe in front of them, the complaint stresses that his mere presence during intimate moments created an environment of “privacy invasion and humiliation.”
The athletes raised these concerns directly to Athletic Director Matt Markovich, Head Coach Ally Sather, and SRJC’s Title IX Coordinator Stephanie Jarrett, citing safety, fairness, and privacy. But rather than address the issue, they say administrators claimed they could not confirm or disclose Gomez’s sex, citing outdated privacy laws that had in fact been withdrawn years earlier. At one point, the players say, they were even instructed not to talk to their teammates about Gomez’s male sex or transgender status.
By spring of 2025, Head Coach Sather integrated Gomez more fully into team practices. When the 2025 season began, Gomez was retained on the official roster and moved into active competition, playing as an outside hitter, the same position as sophomore starter Madison Shaw.
Gomez is described in the filing as having been stronger, faster, and hitting harder than any female player the complainants had ever played with or against. One teammate compared Gomez’s power to levels “beyond anything seen even in NAIA competition.”
The three women began formally protesting in June of 2025, meeting with administrators to demand Gomez’s removal from the team. It was around this time that they claim the tone from SRJC’s athletic department and coaching staff shifted dramatically towards them. Head Coach Sather, who had previously assured Madison Shaw she would return as a starting outside hitter, allegedly began withholding coaching attention from her once she raised concerns about Gomez. Madison says drills were redirected toward Gomez, leaving her sidelined in practices where she had once been the focus.
Over the summer, the three athletes repeatedly returned to Athletic Director Markovich’s office to raise their concerns about Gomez, and by mid-August, tensions reached a breaking point.
At the team’s opening event on August 15, the Solano Scrimmage, the three women refused to play when Gomez was included on the roster. Their coach told them their starting spots could not be held if they didn’t play alongside him.
On August 20, after a meeting where SRJC officials confirmed Gomez would stay on the team, the players announced that they would remain on the roster but sit out matches in protest. The following day, they submitted letters reiterating their position and demanding a Title IX investigation. That evening they attempted to hold a team meeting to explain their decision, but the captains cancelled it under administrative pressure. They then organized a Zoom call with teammates, which the coach monitored. Most teammates stayed silent, and the call ended abruptly.
Due to her vocal opposition to Gomez’s inclusion on the team, Madison says she was benched outright, despite being one of the most experienced players on the roster. Gracie and Brielle saw their positions reassigned, and their opportunities to develop as freshmen undercut. By August 22 and 23, when the season opened, they were reduced to staging a symbolic sit-down protest from the bench while Gomez played in their place.
The women say they felt isolated by their coaches, alienated from teammates, and constantly under surveillance. Madison in particular reported that the stress left her drained, forcing her to quit the team altogether on September 2.
The complaint argues that SRJC and the 3C2A knowingly enforced a transgender participation policy in violation of Title IX. The policy reportedly allows male athletes to join women’s teams after one year of testosterone suppression, without setting clear hormone thresholds or requiring ongoing monitoring. In some cases, athletes may compete without even disclosing their biological sex if they adopted a female identity before enrolling. The female athletes argue this framework not only strips them of opportunities and privacy, but also puts them in direct physical danger.
The complaint concludes by asking the Department of Education to investigate and determine whether SRJC should be cut off from federal funding due to noncompliance with Title IX. In their words, the complaint is not just about one roster spot in Santa Rosa, but about thousands of women across California’s 112 community colleges who could face the same loss of safety, dignity, and opportunity if males are allowed to continue self-identifying into women’s athletics.
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