Oregon teens who protested trans athlete at medal podium settle free speech lawsuit vs sports league

Oregon

Oregon teens who protested trans athlete at medal podium settle free speech lawsuit vs sports league

'We spoke up because what was happening wasn’t fair,' said Alexa Anderson

Jackson Thompson Fox News

Published

December 9, 2025 4:02pm EST

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Fox Nation Patriot Awards winner reveals death threats after protesting trans athlete

Oregon high school track and field medalist Alexa Anderson reveals how long her medal was kept from her after protesting trans athlete, and the death threats she received in the aftermath.

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Former Oregon high school athletes Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard came to a settlement with the state's high school sports league, the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), in a lawsuit over free speech violations.

Anderson and Eckard stepped down from a state championship medal podium on the last day of May to protest a transgender competitor, and alleged they were forced out of the podium photo and not given their medals in response.

"I asked after the medal ceremony concluded, we went into kind of a tunnel that leads you back out to the audience, and I asked one of the officials, ‘Hey, are we going to get our medals?’ and she said they'd be shipped to our school. And then they were never shipped to our school," Anderson previously told Fox News Digital.

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Oregon female athletes don't stand next to trans competitor on medal podium at state championship

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The two teens filed a free speech lawsuit against the OSAA in July, and claim their medals were then sent to their law firm, America First Policy Institute (AFPI).

Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Youlee Yim You denied the OSAA's motion to strike a portion of the lawsuit that highlighted what forms of political speech the league does allow, including Black Lives Matter and pro-LGBTQ pride messaging, which was a key point in the plaintiffs' argument.

On Tuesday, their AFPI attorneys agreed with OSAA to dismiss the lawsuit by agreement of the parties. A separate lawsuit between the two parties over Title IX violations is still ongoing.

"Counsel for Plaintiffs Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard certify that they have conferred by telephone in good faith with counsel for Defendant OSAA regarding this motion to dismiss. Counsel for Defendant has represented that Defendant does not oppose this motion," read a court filing obtained by Fox News Digital.

OREGON ATHLETES WIN 'MOST VALUABLE PATRIOT' AWARD AFTER REFUSING TO SHARE PODIUM WITH TRANS COMPETITOR

Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard accept the 'Most Valuable Patriot Award' at Fox Nation Patriot Awards

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AFPI Director of Litigation Andrew Zimmitti said that the case achieved what it set out to do, in bringing awareness to the treatment of Anderson, Eckard and other students in Oregon who express similar views.

"This case did exactly what it needed to do," Zimmitti said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We protected these young women, we exposed how officials retaliated against them for expressing the truth, and we elevated their story to a national audience. Now we continue the real fight — restoring Title IX and defending girls’ sports across America."

Anderson said, "We spoke up because what was happening wasn’t fair. AFPI stood with us from day one, made sure our story was heard, helped bring attention to this issue and are continuing to help us fight for protections in girls’ sports. I’m grateful for everyone who supported us."

Eckard added, "Getting to stand up and say, ‘I don’t approve of this,’ is a basic right everyone learns in school. It was appalling that an actual school event tried to silence us."

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Oregon girls bring lawsuit after protesting trans athlete

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Anderson and Eckard were honored at the 2025 Fox Nation Patriot Awards for their protest and lawsuit, where they were given the Most Valuable Patriot award and presented with their state championship medals.

"It's definitely frustrating that we didn't get them in the moment… but it kinda is what it is at this point. There's more important things that we're fighting for," Anderson previously said. "Of course I wanted that medal, I worked super hard to get to that place where I was on the podium… but also a part of me knew that it was part of the sacrifice that I was making when I stepped off that podium, and there were going to be consequences."

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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson's reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.

Oregon teens who protested trans athlete at medal podium settle free speech lawsuit vs sports league