A lawsuit claimed two girls’ First Amendment rights were infringed when they were punished for protesting a decision to allow a male in an a girls’ event.
The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) filed a lawsuit on July 23 on behalf of two Oregon high school athletes, alleging that the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) violated their First Amendment rights by punishing their peaceful protest of a boy competing in a girls’ high jump event.
Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard earned medals in the women’s high jump at the 2025 Oregon State high school track and field championships.
But when they quietly stepped off the podium rather than share it with a male competitor, OSAA officials swiftly removed them from the awards ceremony, excluded them from official photos, and withheld their medals.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, the lawsuit argues that OSAA’s actions amount to unconstitutional ”viewpoint discrimination and retaliation,” violating the First and 14th amendments.
“OSAA has promoted political speech from one particular viewpoint, on social issues such as LGBT rights and gender identity, and encouraged student athletes to speak on these topics, as long as they express the viewpoint that OSAA approves,” AFPI Counsel Leigh Ann O’Neill told The Epoch Times.
“When Reese and Alexa publicly disagreed with the policy that allows biological males to compete in girls’ sports, OSAA retaliated against them for expressing their viewpoint.”
According to Alexa, a fear of potential retaliation kept other athletes from joining their protest.
“Most of the athletes on the podium agreed with us and had planned to step down,” she told The Epoch Times.
But under the spotlight, they changed their minds.
“Some girls said they were scared of standing up for fear of repercussions or retaliation from their teams or from OSAA.”
Their viewpoint and their form of nonverbal expression, protected by the First Amendment, were not given the same respect and rights given by OSAA to those who were supportive of OSAA’s transgender policies, O’Neill said.
“The First Amendment protects the right to dissent—not the right to agree with government-approved viewpoints,” O’Neill said.
