Oregon Teenagers Rating Authorized Victory After Protesting Trans Athlete at State Championship
Two Oregon high school track athletes who made headlines earlier this year for stepping down from a medal podium in protest of a transgender competitor have scored an early legal win in their case against the state’s high school sports association.
In May, Alexa Anderson of Tigard High School and Reese Eckard of Sherwood High School made a quiet but powerful statement during the Oregon state track and field championships. After finishing third and fourth in the girls’ high jump, the pair refused to stand on the podium alongside a transgender athlete who had previously competed in the boys’ division. Instead, they stepped down and turned their backs during the ceremony — a moment that was captured on video and quickly went viral.
The protest, Anderson later explained, was not about hatred but fairness.
According to both athletes, event officials ordered them to move away from the podium and excluded them from official photographs. Anderson recalled that one official told her, “If you’re not going to participate, get out of the photos.”
Following the incident, Anderson and Eckard filed a lawsuit against the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), arguing that their First Amendment rights were violated when they were punished for peacefully expressing their beliefs. Represented by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), the lawsuit also raised Title IX concerns, claiming the OSAA’s policy of allowing biological males to compete in female sports undermines the very protections Title IX was designed to ensure.
WATCH:
We’ve come a long way.
From ridiculing women & girls for standing up for themselves, to celebrating them for doing so.
Congrats, Alexa Anderson & Reese Eckard on winning the Most Valuable Patriot Award.
(Oh and nice XX-XY tees!) pic.twitter.com/qUxUChuoU8
— XX-XY Athletics (@xx_xyathletics) November 7, 2025
The legal action, filed in federal court as Anderson v. Oregon School Activities Association, argues that OSAA has selectively allowed certain forms of expression — such as Black Lives Matter or LGBTQ-themed messages — while punishing others. The plaintiffs say that by permitting some political or social viewpoints but not others, the organization engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Youlee Yim You sided with Anderson and Eckard on a key procedural point, rejecting OSAA’s motion to dismiss their claim of viewpoint discrimination. While the decision does not resolve the entire case, it ensures that the girls’ lawsuit will move forward, allowing discovery and potentially a full trial.
Anderson criticized the OSAA for trying to dismiss the argument, speaking out in a statement to Fox News.
“I’m not surprised OSAA thought their past behavior didn’t matter — or that the judge disagreed. That’s the thing with bias: The worst offenders are the ones who can’t see their own behavior for what it is,” Anderson said.
Both Anderson and Eckard are represented by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI).
“This may seem like a small procedural win, but it’s actually a big one. Every time a judge refuses to let government officials or institutions silence women for speaking the truth, it’s a victory for the First Amendment and for common sense,” the AFPI said in a statement to Fox News.
“When the OSAA proudly celebrates causes like BLM and Pride Month but then punishes our plaintiffs for expressing a different, equally protected belief, it exposes the hypocrisy at the heart of their actions. The Constitution doesn’t let government officials pick which viewpoints are acceptable. And today’s ruling reaffirmed that truth.”