Transgender Youth Rowing Lawsuit Targets Sacramento State Programs

A 16-year-old transgender girl, who began rowing with Capital Crew at age 12, filed a lawsuit in Sacramento County Superior Court alleging sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and the university’s failure to stop bullying. The complaint says she joined the girls’ team in 2024 and soon faced hostility after a parent labeled her a “boy on the girls’ team.” According to the filing, teammates excluded her from meetings, laughed at her, spread a false rumor that she had inappropriately touched another rower, and threatened her only friend. Coaches allegedly misgendered her, ignored her achievements, and in January forced her to practice alone on land while the rest of the team rowed. The lawsuit states that repeated notifications to coaches and club leadership produced no corrective action, leading the student to quit the program in April. The suit seeks reinstatement on the women’s team, removal of head coach Rich Wendling and assistant coach Brian Birch, termination of Associated Students, Inc.’s auxiliary status, and unspecified compensatory damages.

Sacramento Bee

Capital Crew is a competitive youth rowing program housed at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma. Although separate from the university’s intercollegiate athletics, the center is operated by the university’s auxiliary organizations Associated Students, Inc., The University Union, the California Division of Boating and Waterways, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Sacramento Bee

A Sacramento State spokesperson said the university and the broader CSU system are “distanced” from the dispute. The executive director of Associated Students, Inc. declined to comment on the active litigation. Neither the accused coaches nor other named organizations responded to requests for comment.

Sacramento Bee

The case arrives after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority upheld state bans on transgender athletes, though it left California’s policy permitting participation consistent with gender identity intact. Plaintiff attorney Susie Cirilli emphasizes that the lawsuit focuses on bullying rather than competition access, arguing that the broader cultural rhetoric “has direct effects on children.”

Sacramento Bee

• “The reason why this case is important, because at issue in this complaint, is the treatment of a child,” — Susie Cirilli

Sacramento Bee