Transgender athlete sues Princeton for removing him from meet 

A trans-identifying male athlete is suing Princeton University, alleging discrimination after being removed from a women’s track event because of gender identity.

Sadie Schreiner filed a complaint last week in New Jersey Superior Court naming Princeton University, athletic director John Mack, director of track operations Kimberly Keenan-Kirkpatrick and Leone Timing and Results Services, which handled timing for the meet, the Associated Press reports.

Schreiner had registered for the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the Larry Ellis Invitational but later declared only for the 200. About 15 minutes before the event, Schreiner learned his name was removed from the official list of competitors.

The suit describes the incident as a “humiliating, dehumanizing and dignity-stripping ordeal” that occurred “in front of friends and family.”

When Schreiner approached Leone Timing officials, they directed the athlete to Mack and Keenan-Kirkpatrick, according to the complaint.

During an exchange, the suit alleges Keenan-Kirkpatrick said, “I do not want to assume, but you are transgender.” It also states Keenan-Kirkpatrick “further suggested that she had tried to organize a separate segregated event just for Sadie so that [Schreiner] could run.”

Schreiner previously competed for Div. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology and entered the Princeton event as an unattached runner.

“We stand by the allegations in the pleading,” attorney Susie Cirilli told reporters. “As stated in the complaint, the defendants’ individual actions were intolerable in a civilized community and go beyond the possible bounds of decency.”

The lawsuit cites New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination, which bars discrimination based on gender identity and considers universities to be places of “public accommodation.”

The event took place more than three months after the NCAA changed its eligibility policy to restrict participation in women’s events to female athletes only. That change came one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring males from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

Several states also followed suit after Trump’s EO, including Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nebraska and Nevada.

On Instagram, Schreiner also claimed to be “barred” from a Boston University track meet in February after the policy change.

Over 30 states have policies restricting male participation in women’s sports.

Nearly 80% of Americans oppose male transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, according to a January 2025 New York Times poll.