High School Athlete Says She Was Retaliated Against After Wearing a Sports Bra During Practice

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A Texas high school student-athlete claims she was punished for exercising in a sports bra while other male athletes practiced shirtless.

According to KHOU, when the Spring Woods High School student saw her male peers running without a shirt in 100-degree weather, she removed her shirt to reveal a sports bra — and was subsequently disciplined by her coaches.

"I saw a couple of the guys running without their shirts on — on campus and off campus — and they weren't being told anything," the girl, a member of the girls' cross-country and track teams, told the outlet. "So, I took off my shirt, obviously, and I got in trouble for it."

The teenager, who chose to remain anonymous and go by the initials G.H., has since filed a gender discrimination complaint against the high school, alleging her coaches retaliated against her for highlighting the apparent discrepancy regarding how girls and boys were treated.

In a letter on behalf of the girl published by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the ACLU Women's Rights Project, G.H. claimed she was denied an award for being the top runner on the cross-country team after bringing the issues to light.

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"Being overlooked for this award despite excelling as an athlete and teammate was devastating for G.H. and further confirmed that her coaches were mistreating her after she spoke out about the dress code and gender disparities in the athletics program," the letter, addressed to the Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD), said.

G.H. also claimed she was transferred to the sprinting team during the winter, and that her distance coaches allegedly "deliberately ignored" her.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, SBISD said it "denies any discrimination and treats students equally and fairly."

"We are aware of the situation with one student at one of our high schools who is dissatisfied with SBISD practices, which are applied to all athletes at that campus," they added. "SBISD is currently investigating this matter."

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G.H.'s letter claims there were also other gender differences, such as the boys' team receiving more feedback and praise and more supervision during both practices and meets.

The ACLU warned the district that the allegations potentially put them in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title IX.

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"I had faith that the people meant to protect us would do so and do right by us. Me stepping forward for my teammates may never benefit me, but it will benefit the next young woman of color that looks like me," G.H., who is Black, said in a statement, as reported by CBS News.

The teen and her father want to see change.

"I'm hoping to see that the district changes their policy and that they have a change of heart of what they've been saying," the teen added to KHOU. "And, like, they actually own up to their mistakes."