The transgender athlete at the center of a high profile women’s sports U.S. Supreme Court case allegedly sexually harassed two West Virginia female students.
The two high school students and their relatives have spoken out to detail their alleged experiences with the transgender athlete at the center of a lawsuit appearing before the Supreme Court this month, Fox News Digital reported. The trans athlete’s lawsuit originally aimed to make sure the biological male could be part of West Virginia middle and high school girls’ sports teams. The athlete is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
We are grateful to partner with these states to protect brave girls like Adaleia Cross 👏. No one else should have to suffer harassment by a male student in the locker room. pic.twitter.com/FuahLuJqZh
— Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal) June 17, 2024
Adaleia Cross, a Bridgeport High School student, was a former track and field teammate of the trans athlete when they were both on the Bridgeport Middle School track and field team. She alleged the trans athlete said things to her while in the girls’ locker room that constituted sexual harassment. (RELATED: Pennsylvania School District Settles With Mom After Secretly Calling Her Daughter A Boy)
Cross, who is a year older than the trans student, claimed she quit the team as a sophomore at Bridgeport High School in 2025 to not have to share the locker room again with the trans athlete once the athlete became a freshman at the high school.
The transgender athlete launched a lawsuit at 11 years old in July 2021, successfully blocking enforcement of West Virginia’s law barring biological males from taking part in girls’ sports, Fox News Digital reported.
Under the resulting court ruling, the athlete was allowed to compete on girls’ teams and share locker rooms with Cross and other female students at Bridgeport Middle School, and later at Bridgeport High School.
Cross’s mother, Abby Cross, told the outlet what the trans athlete allegedly said to the girl when they were in the same locker room amid the 2022-23 school year. Cross was an eighth grader at the time.
“When Adaleia first told us, she told us that [the trans athlete] was telling her and other girls ‘s— my d—,’” Cross’s mother alleged. “[The trans athlete] was saying to her, coming up and saying to her, ‘I’m going to stick my d— in your pants and also in your a–.’ At different times [the trans athlete] was saying these things to her.”
Attorneys with the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) are representing the Cross family. The organization also represents the state of West Virginia against the trans athlete in the case expected to appear before the Supreme Court.
When the ACLU asked a court to stop West Virginia from protecting women’s sports, it argued that “no one will be harmed” if a boy competes with girls.
The ACLU got its way. But it couldn’t have been more wrong.
Let’s talk about the girls who were—and are—being harmed. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/L5qk304cdo
— Kristen Waggoner (@KristenWaggoner) December 22, 2025
The mother told Fox that the family reported the alleged harassment to the school but claimed no action was taken against the transgender athlete as far as they were aware. Now a junior in high school, Cross has not participated in high school sports for over two years.
The ACLU issued a response to the Cross family’s claims obtained by Fox. “Our client and her mother deny these allegations and the school district investigated the allegations reported to the school by the A.C. 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,” the organization said.
Former Lincoln Middle School track athlete Emmy Salerno alleged the trans athlete targeted her with “intimidation tactics” after she declined to compete against the athlete during a 2024 spring season event.
The incident reportedly took place on April 18, 2024, when both students were in the eighth grade. She and four other girls refused to participate in the shot put event at a local meet in protest. The team was later disqualified from its next meet and Salerno faced intimidating stares from the transgender athlete at later events, according to Salerno.
“After we stepped out, it was an immediate personality change. He didn’t want to talk to me. He just wanted to stare at me, and just stare down,” Salerno told the outlet.
She also described an incident at a local basketball game where she alleged the transgender athlete followed her and repeatedly stared at her in a way that made her worried the athlete might try to “fight” her.
Salerno and her father told Fox they believe the stares from the trans athlete, alleged repeated following and social media posts amounted to “intimidation tactics” that caused “lingering discomforts.”
The ACLU did not respond to a request for comment from Fox on Salerno’s allegations.
READ: High school athletes speak out about sexual harassment by male athlete in Supreme Court case.
Adaleia Cross and Emmy Salerno told @FoxNews about their experiences with the male athlete in West Virginia v. BPJ, which will be heard next week.https://t.co/A28WQ6ZwXV
— Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal) January 6, 2026
To avoid competing against the transgender athlete the following season, Salerno said she asked her coach not to include her in meets against the athlete in order to avoid penalties for her team.
Over 130 congressional Democrats have signed an amicus brief in support of the athlete, including Congressional Equality Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont, Women’s Caucus Chair Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of New Mexico and Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono. (RELATED: College Students Identifying As Trans And Non-Binary Absolutely Craters In Just Two Years)
Notably absent are Democrat Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
The Daily Caller reached out to ACLU for comment regarding the allegations from Salerno and Cross against the trans athlete but did not receive a response prior to publication.