Former NC State swimmer, 15 others sue NCAA, saying transgender policy made locker room 'uncomfortable'

By Destinee Patterson, WRAL reporter

A former North Carolina State University swimmer is one of 16 athletes suing the NCAA for allowing transgender athletes to compete and share the same locker rooms.

The class-action lawsuit says the NCAA's actions and policies for transgender eligibility caused emotional stress. Much of the lawsuit focuses on the 2022 NCAA swimming and diving championships.

Lia Thomas, a transgender athlete, competed in the championships and on the women's 500-meter freestyle defeating an Olympic silver medalist.

“For most Plaintiffs, the realization that the NCAA was not dedicated to equal opportunity for women came during the 2021-22 women’s swimming season,” the lawsuit says.

Kylee Alons was competing for NC State at the time.

Court documents say she and other female athletes were unaware that their locker room was considered "unisex." That allowed Thomas to change in the same spaces.

“On one of the early days of the NCAA Championship Kylee Alons saw Thomas in the locker room; that was the first moment that Kylee understood that Thomas had access to the women’s locker room,” it reads.

It describes the locker room as an "uncomfortable" place for Alons.

“She was ‘stressed out’ by having a male body in the locker room. She felt that her ‘privacy and sense of safety was violated,’” it reads. “’It was not a private locker room anymore.’”

On Tuesday, Alons released a statement.

"The NCAA has put women in an impossible situation both in competition and in the locker room,,” Kylee Alons said. “I don’t want another woman to be exposed to the same situation I faced.

"This lawsuit is our stand for what’s right, ensuring that the achievements of female athletes are celebrated and respected on an equal playing field. I am glad to be a part of this.”

The lawsuit also ridicules the organization’s transgender eligibility policies, saying that they reduce female competitive opportunities and deprive women of equal opportunities to protect their bodily privacy.

“The NCAA’s Transgender Eligibility Policies allow a man to make the relatively easy (in terms of comparative athletic challenge) shift to a women’s team, depriving women of athletic accomplishments, recognition, awards, scholarships, and roster spots,” it reads.

The lawsuit accuses the NCAA of violating both Title IX and the 14th amendment.

The group of plaintiffs are also suing the University System of Georgia and Georgia Tech, which where the championships were held.

Title IX is tied to federal funding and protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.

“The most important issue for the 16 courageous whistleblowers, young women who have come forward as plaintiffs in this lawsuit is, what is the future for women in sports?” said Bill Bock, the lead attorney, said. “They're defending the rights of women standing up for young girls that haven't even had the opportunity to get to college and compete yet, and they hope the world is different for those young women than it has been for them.”

The plaintiffs ultimately want the NCAA to no longer be able to enforce its Transgender Eligibility Policies. They also want the organization to invalidate awards won by transgender athletes.

Additionally, the group is seeking compensation for damages and their attorneys’ fees.