Overview

• Emma Morquecho sued Westcliff University, the California Pacific Conference and the NAIA on Aug. 14, 2025, alleging her women’s volleyball scholarship was rescinded because of her gender identity.
• The lawsuit targets the NAIA’s April 2024 gender-eligibility rule restricting women’s sports to those assigned female at birth who have not begun hormone therapy.
• Morquecho says she relocated from Phoenix to Irvine to attend Westcliff, quitting her job and facing out-of-pocket tuition expenses after her scholarship was revoked in August 2023.
• The complaint asserts that cancelling her eligibility violates federal civil rights laws and California anti-discrimination statutes by discriminating against transgender athletes.
• The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is backing the case, arguing that such restrictive policies disproportionately affect Latino and other marginalized communities.