West Virginia AG responds to harassment allegations towards trans athlete

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West Virginia Legal professional Basic John McCuskey spoke out in response to allegations of sexual harassment towards a transgender athlete who has sued his state to dam its regulation that retains organic males out of ladies' sports activities.

McCuskey, who's main his state's authorized protection towards the trans athlete the U.S. Supreme Court set to evaluation the case Tuesday, addressed the allegations at a press convention Monday.

"Any time you assume of a kid being harassed, it offers you pause as a mum or dad. And it is not actually a part of our case, however harassment of any baby of any variety on this nation is inappropriate. And it’s fallacious, and all of us want to face up to make sure that youngsters aren’t being harassed in any of their venues, notably athletics," McCuskey mentioned.

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West Virginia AG responds to harassment allegations towards trans athlete

The allegations have been leveled towards the trans athlete by Bridgeport Excessive Faculty pupil Adaleia Cross, who's a former observe and area teammate of the trans athlete when the 2 have been at Bridgeport Center Faculty.

Cross' mom, Abby, informed Fox Information Digital what the trans athlete allegedly mentioned to her daughter once they shared the women' locker room in the course of the 2022-23 college yr. Adaleia was in eighth grade, and the trans athlete was in seventh. Abby Cross alleges the trans athlete made extraordinarily graphic and vulgar sexual threats to her daughter and different women on the workforce.

The trans athlete's authorized representatives on the American Civil Liberties Union has denied the allegations.

"Our shopper and her mom deny these allegations and the college district investigated the allegations reported to the college by A.C. and located them to be unsubstantiated. We stay dedicated to defending the rights of all college students underneath Title IX, together with the best to a protected and inclusive studying surroundings free from harassment and discrimination," learn an ACLU assertion supplied to Fox Information Digital.

The Cross household's attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) responded to the ACLU's assertion.

"Our shopper has sworn underneath oath and underneath penalty of perjury in quite a few circumstances in regards to the occasions that occurred between her and the male athlete. Because of the state of affairs, [Cross] needed to step away from the game she beloved fully and sacrifice a key component of her college expertise to guard herself," learn an ADF assertion supplied to Fox Information Digital.

The trans athlete personally denied the allegations to The New York Times in a narrative that was printed Monday.

TOP DEMS SILENT AFTER TRANS ATHLETE THEY BACKED IN SCOTUS CASE IS ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION

"I used to be not raised like that," the athlete mentioned.

The outlet obtained a letter from the Harrison County Faculty District, stating an investigation decided Cross's allegations "couldn't be substantiated."

The Cross household mentioned once they reported the alleged harassment to the college, nothing was accomplished to reprimand the trans athlete, to their information.

"They informed me they'd do a full investigation into what I informed them," Adaleia mentioned. "After which, hastily, it was like nothing else was taking place, it was accomplished, and it appeared like they thought nothing of it as a result of they did not discuss to us about it in any respect, they simply left it there and did not inform us anything, so it simply made it appeared like, yup it is accomplished."

Her father, Holden Cross mentioned, "We acquired no response from the college after submitting the report."

Fox Information Digital made repeated requests to the ACLU and the Harrison County Faculty District, which oversees Bridgeport Center Faculty and Bridgeport Excessive Faculty, in search of documentation associated to the college’s investigation and clarification on whether or not an investigation occurred and, in that case, why solely the Cross household was not notified of the outcomes. These requests haven't been met.

OutKick podcast host and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines additionally addressed the allegations on the Monday press convention, recounting Adaleia's testimony, saying that the expertise "traumatized" Cross.

"We've to fret about center school-aged women who've to fret about being informed these items in an space of undressing," Gaines mentioned. "The alleged issues that have been mentioned to her, as a mum or dad myself now, and I'd think about my husband would have alternative phrases if somebody mentioned issues like that to our daughter. Relaying a few of the issues [Cross] mentioned to me, it traumatized her."

<img src="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/01/1200/675/save-womens-sports-legal-defense.jpg?ve=1&tl=1" alt="(Left) Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador (Center) West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey and (Right) women's sports activist Riley Gaines speak at a press conference on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 ahead of Supreme Court oral arguments on two cases on the issue of trans athletes in women's sports." width="1200" height="675"/> (Left) Idaho Legal professional Basic Raul Labrador (Heart) West Virginia Legal professional Basic John McCuskey and (Proper) girls's sports activities activist Riley Gaines communicate at a press convention on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 forward of Supreme Court docket oral arguments on two circumstances on the problem of trans athletes in girls's sports activities. (Courtesy of Republican Attorneys Basic of America)

Gaines and McCuskey have been joined Monday by the attorneys basic from Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Montana, Virginia, Ohio, authorized counsel for the AG of Alabama, and 4 different girls's athlete activists; Olympic silver medal gymnast MyKayla Skinner, former U.S. gymnast and XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey, former NCAA volleyball participant Macy Petty and former California collegiate girls's soccer participant Sophia Lorey.

The group gave remarks in help of the "Save Ladies's Sports activities" authorized protection at some point earlier than the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two circumstances over the problem of trans athletes in women' sports activities, together with McCuskey's case in West Virginia and a separate case in Idaho.

Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador has been battling a lawsuit by a trans athlete who sued to dam the state's girls's sports activities regulation since 2020, referred to as out that trans athlete for trying to drop the case after the Supreme Court docket agreed to evaluation it.

"This athlete by no means determined to dismiss the case till the petition for cir was granted by the U.S. Supreme Court docket. So once they knew that they have been within the Ninth Circuit that they'd win, they have been superb with having this case heard. once they knew that they have been going to go earlier than the Supreme Court docket, they determined to attempt to dismiss this case. I feel that is basically unfair. I feel that is gamesmanship and I hope that the court docket, the U.S. Supreme Court docket sees it that approach."

Skinner mirrored on her girls's gymnastics profession and turning into a mom for her ardour in becoming a member of the battle to "save girls's sports activities."

"Staying silent on points that matter would not serve the subsequent technology of ladies. I've spent my complete life in girls's sports activities. I understand how uncommon and laborious one these alternatives are. That is why what's taking place proper now on the Supreme Court docket and within the states like Utah matter a lot extra," Skinner mentioned.

"Ladies's sports activities exist as a result of women and men are biologically totally different. In gymnastics, girls do not compete on the rings. Why? As a result of males are stronger. And occasions are designed round physiological actuality. That is not controversial. It's normal sense."

Petty shared her expertise of getting to play a transgender athlete throughout her faculty profession, recounting the laborious work and sacrifices, together with lacking promenade, that went into incomes an opportunity to play collegiate volleyball.

"However as a substitute of exhibiting off these expertise that I had been coaching my complete life to construct, they watched a boy slam the ball in our faces. Now, there have been loads of alternatives for this boy to play on the boys courts on the opposite facet of the conference middle the place, thoughts you, the nets are over 7 in increased than our nets. However as a substitute, it was humiliating. It was degrading to me as a feminine. And naturally, it jeopardized my alternative to even put that jersey on within the first place."

Lorey ripped California management, together with Legal professional Basic Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom for persevering with to permit the state to be a hotbed for controversial incidents involving organic males compete in women' sports activities.

"Our personal lawyer basic, Rob Bonta will not carry a finger to guard women," Lorey mentioned. "Once I testified on the California State Capital in protection of ladies, an meeting member in contrast what we have been saying to instances of Nazi Germany."

Sey, like Skinner, additionally recounted her expertise as a professional gymnast en path to turning into a U.S. champion, mentioned she by no means would have achieved this if she needed to compete towards males.

"Why will little women even trouble to compete at a sure level once they know that it would not matter to our establishments that it's not honest for them? I am telling you, that is the place this goes. They cease making an attempt. They cease competing all collectively. Why would they trouble in the event that they haven't any probability of creating the workforce, the rostrum, of profitable? Finally, they will not. They may cease making an attempt," Sey warned.

Indiana Legal professional Basic Todd Rokita was the lone determine in attendance on Monday calling for empathy for the trans athletes, turning into visibly emotional whereas recounting an incident in 2022 when his state was sued by the ACLU and a 10-year-old transgender plaintiff for enacting a regulation to solely permit organic females in women' sports activities.

Rokita argued that the 10-year-old had been "co-opted by the left."

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"That plaintiff in Indiana was 10 years previous and I say my opinion is was co-opted by the left. That 10-year-old wants love and so do all the remainder like her. That 10-year-old wants remedy. What that 10-year-old and all those like that individual would not want is to be affirmed within the wrongness that was that case in Indiana," Rokita mentioned.

"So to my colleagues, good luck tomorrow. Might justice prevail."

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Jackson Thompson is a sports activities reporter for Fox Information Digital overlaying vital political and cultural points in sports activities, with an investigative lens. Jackson's reporting has been cited in federal authorities actions associated to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media shops together with The New York Instances, The Los Angeles Instances, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Related Press and ESPN.com.