Help Melissa Fight for Women's Sports Rights

My name is Maria Panagakos. I have started this GoFundMe page for my lifelong childhood friend, Melissa Batie-Smoose. Melissa was the Associate Head Coach for the San Jose State University women's volleyball team. She was suspended on November 2nd, 2024, for defending her female athletes against a male player on their team. She joined a lawsuit with eleven volleyball players from five different universities, who are suing San Jose, the Mountain West Conference, and the NCAA, arguing their Title IX and First Amendment rights are being violated. Since this lawsuit, Melissa has been retaliated against, threatened, and even fired on January 31st, losing her 30-year career as a coach.

Melissa is currently looking for an employment lawyer in the state of California to represent her against San Jose for wrongful termination. As of now, she has no income, and hiring a private attorney to go against a well-funded state university is going to be very expensive. This is why I'm asking for help. I'm hoping we can raise $100,000 for loss of wages and attorney fees.

Many female athletes are starting to come forward. But Melissa is the first coach to put her job on the line and come out fighting for these young women. Melissa says she has no regrets about risking her career to fight the inclusion of biological males into women’s sports. She told Fox News, "Fairness and safety cannot exist when male athletes are allowed to compete against women. These brave young women deserve a safe environment and solid support. I couldn't stay silent for another day."

Please google Melissa's story to get detailed information. And thank you. Any amount will help.