By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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Sage Blair, a Virginia teen whose legal case involves school officials and parental rights, is among President Donald Trump’s guests for his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Blair is expected to attend the speech alongside her mother, Michelle Blair.
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Sage Blair's case centers on allegations that school officials made decisions affecting her without notifying or involving her parent, including responses to her safety and welfare at school, claims that remain the subject of ongoing litigation. The Blair family alleges that Sage ran away, was sex trafficked and suffered abuse and trauma as a result of the school's actions.
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Why It Matters
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted a Daily Caller article on X and included a quote from the article: "President Donald Trump’s guests for his State of the Union address will include Sage Blair, a young woman who was separated from her parents at age 14 after school officials attempted to secretly transition her to a male."
Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2025, the day of his second inauguration, establishing that gender identity "cannot be recognized as a replacement for sex," which the order defines as "not changeable" and "grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality."
What To Know
A brief in Sage's lawsuit alleges that a school counselor spoke to Sage when she was a freshman after a science teacher overheard Sage tell a friend that she wanted to be referred to by a male name and pronouns.
The counselor spoke to Sage, who said she identifies as a boy, before contacting her family, the 2023 brief alleges.
The counselor "told S.B., a diminutive 14-year-old girl with mental health issues, that if she identified as a boy, she could use the male restroom at school," attorneys for the plaintiff wrote. Sage told the counselor that her parents were not supportive of her gender identity, the attorneys also claim.
The school counselor "again took the statement from a 14-year-old with significant mental health issues at face value, did not inform Mrs. Blair, and agreed to use S.B.’s given name and female pronouns when speaking with Mrs. Blair, but use the male name and pronouns at school, so as to deceive Mrs. Blair as to how S.B. was being treated at school," the attorneys wrote.
Sage's mother was also not informed of reports of bullying and sexual harassment by male classmates, the plaintiff's legal team alleges.
The brief says that Sage "had a psychotic breakdown and ran away" after her mother learned she had been using the boys' bathroom.
"She was abducted and raped by an adult male stranger and subsequently taken across state lines to Washington DC and Maryland and raped and drugged repeatedly by multiple men," the attorneys also claim in court filings.
After Sage was found, the school counselor testified in court about Michelle Blair's "failure" to support her daughter’s "assertion of a male gender identity," even though Michelle did not know about the assertion until hours before Sage ran away, attorneys for the plaintiff allege. Sage was separated from Michelle for many months, according to the brief.
Attorneys for the school counselor said in a reply that the plaintiffs "do not point the Court to any authority" that she "had an affirmative constitutional duty to inform Blair of S.B.’s decision to identify as a male."
The counselor's attorneys also said the complaint "does not factually link" the counselor's "alleged concealment of information from Blair and testimony in Maryland juvenile court with S.B. running away, being abducted, trafficked, drugged, and raped."
The legal team for the school counselor also said those alleged damages "were not, and could not have been caused" by Sage's interactions with the counselor.
Erika Kirk Will Attend State of the Union
Leavitt confirmed on X that Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, will be among Trump's special guests at the State of the Union.
Charlie, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on September. Erika became CEO and board chair of Turning Point after his death.
What People Are Saying
Vernadette Broyles, president and general counsel of Child & Parental Rights Campaign, on X: "Honored to stand alongside my courageous client Michelle Blair and her daughter Sage in DC today as they prepare to join the President as special guests at the State of the Union. For the second consecutive year, a CPRC family will be spotlighted before the nation. Michelle's fight began when Virginia educators secretly affirmed Sage's gender confusion, ignoring threats of assault and stripping away parental rights. The result? Sage's runaway, sex trafficking, and profound, unimaginable trauma and abuse. But through it all, Michelle's unwavering love and our legal battle, including the Fourth Circuit's recent revival of her Title IX claims, prove the tide is turning. Watch tonight and pray for policies that protect children and empower parents. Grateful for this platform to advance truth and justice!"
**The Heritage Foundation, on X: "**Sage Blair will be a special guest for President Trump’s State of the Union address. Unfortunately, her story of being secretly transitioned and forcibly taken from her parents’ custody is not unique. Federal action is necessary to protect children like Sage from the predatory conduct of gender ideology proponents."
What Happens Next
Trump will deliver his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
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