California junior college athletes speak out on trans controversy that's now in the Trump admin's crosshairs

Santa Rosa Junior College was just supposed to be a stepping stone for Madison Shaw. Instead, she stepped right into a transgender athlete scandal that is now being investigated by the federal government.

With her graduation coming up, she has to move forward without being able to chase her dream of playing NCAA volleyball, which was the whole reason she went to Santa Rosa in the first place.

"It was the only plan I had," Shaw told Fox News Digital of transferring to an NCAA program.

"I was planning on going to Chico [State University] and transferring, and getting set up through the recruiting process in that. And I wasn't even able to upload any film or have a coach come out for my sophomore year. Because that year I was forced to be off the team."

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Shaw had to step away from her volleyball team in the fall because she didn't want to share a locker room with a biological male, and felt her Title IX rights to privacy, safety and equal opportunity were being violated. She had to throw away her plans for her sophomore season, and any chance of making it to an NCAA program.

Because Santa Rosa, as a junior college and not affiliated with the NCAA, and did not have to comply with the NCAA's updated policy to prevent biological males from competing in women's sports, Madison and her teammates ended up on the same roster as a trans athlete.

The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) allows transgender athletes to participate based on their gender identity. Biological males can compete on women’s teams after one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment.

Santa Rosa and the CCCAA as a whole have been under Title IX investigations by the U.S. Department of Education, and the federal Title IX task force, since January, after Madison and two teammates sent an S.O.S.

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Madison, and her freshman teammates Brielle Galli and Gracie Shaw, Madison's sister, filed a Title IX complaint last September that brought attention to what was going on with their team.

Once the complaint became public, and garnered national media attention, multiple tense on-campus incidents allegedly occurred.

The three women allege Santa Rosa President Dr. Angélica Garcia led a pro-trans rally before a volleyball game, handed out packets to attendees.

"The president of our school had a rally to support our male athlete and had packets that were being hand handed out that said that our school is a gender inclusive closet," Gracie Shaw alleged, with Madison Shaw and Galli corroborating the allegations.

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Santa Rosa Junior College students Gracie Shaw, Brielle Galli and Madison Shaw (Fox News)

Teammates who had once been friends began distancing themselves, and in some cases, they said, actively excluded them.

"We were completely ostracized," Gracie Shaw said. "We were left in the dark."

They said teammates created separate group chats without them and held meetings they were not invited to, effectively cutting off communication.

The players said they received backlash on social media and, at times, felt uncomfortable on campus. In one instance, they recalled being recorded and photographed by other students after being recognized in connection with the complaint.

The incident occurred when two other students set up a table with a sign that read "We are Christians, ask us anything."

The women claim that the two men at the table were being told by other students that they were "hateful people."

And soon, the anti-Christian crowd realized who the three women were, and two other students allegedly began to record Gracie Shaw and Galli, non-consensually.

The women say the only time the college and its administrators expressed concern for their well-being was in an investigative interview after news of their Title IX complaint had gone public.

"Those interviews really rubbed me the wrong way," Galli said.

"They kept pushing the same questions on us trying to get a different answer and trying to make us say something that wasn't true. They kept stating that or they wanted us to state that it was our choice when really we were left with no choice with the way that we were made to feel uncomfortable and unsafe...

"They kept in bringing up the fact that there are so many resources available to us, so many counseling options and just so many resources that are just the school will provide for us. And that was a little ridiculous to me because throughout the whole season when we were participating, we had made it clear to our coach that we didn't feel safe coming to the games."

Santa Rosa Junior College provided a statement to Fox News Digital responding to the three women's statements.

"Santa Rosa Junior College is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students and employees. The District complies with California Community College Athletic Association regulations, which govern student eligibility and participation in our athletic programs," the statement said.

"We respect the legal privacy rights of all students and cannot discuss individual circumstances. What we can affirm is that SRJC takes all reports seriously and responds through established procedures."

But there were some moments when the women felt they were being supported, not by administrators, but male athletes at a competing school.

When Santa Rosa Junior College faced Sierra College in Rocklin, California, weeks after the complaint was filed, a "save women's sports" protest broke out outside of the gym.

One of the protesters, local women's sports activist Beth Bourne, handed out protest signs to students who attended the game and said it was the first time she'd seen college students protest the issue in person.

Sierra's men's athletes even joined in on the protesting. 

California college students protest the participation of a transgender volleyball player at a women's game. (Beth Bourne)

"There were men that were college students... that were holding those signs in support of us. Even though they probably didn't know who we were. They knew that this was something that, that they could, even if it's a small thing, just like just holding a sign up, they knew that it would make an impact," Galli said.

It was a rare bright moment in an otherwise grueling school year. But now the summer is coming.

The women can at least move forward knowing their activism caught the attention of the federal government, as the Title IX investigations into the college and the entire CCCAA press on.

And as the three women look to regroup and determine the next step in their education, they each expressed gratitude for President Donald Trump's administration for having their backs.

But they're still dealing with the irreversible effects on their futures, and are now navigating life after missing a chance at their NCAA dreams.

Madison Shaw said she is currently working three jobs as she tries to save up for tuition.

"Coming from a very athletic family, we all played sports," she said. "For them to see this opportunity taken away was very hard on them, knowing that I wasn't going to get the same opportunities they had when they played sports. And even just financially, this was a way for me to move on past the JC, so it was hard for them to watch."

Galli found herself in the same situation.

"I saw it as my opportunity to pursue [NCAA sports]," Galli said of her decision to play at Santa Rosa. "I wanted to reach out and try to get recruited, and like Madison said, we didn't really get the opportunity to play so we didn't have any film that we could send to the coaches."

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Gracie Shaw did not step away from the team right away, and continued practicing, but wouldn't play in games as a form of protest. But eventually she just couldn't take it anymore. she stepped away from the team as the situation progressed, and more national attention befell the team.

"I always wanted to get recruited and play at the next level, that was the plan," Gracie Shaw said.

Madison Shaw continues to work her jobs and explore opportunities outside of playing sports, while Galli and Gracie Shaw are currently set to do another year of junior college.

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