A moment meant to honor athletic achievement turned into a flashpoint in Oregon’s ongoing debate over fairness in women’s sports.
During Saturday night’s state track and field championship, two high school seniors: Reese Eckard of Sherwood High and Alexa Anderson of Tigard High made a bold, silent protest when a transgender athlete joined them on the high jump medal podium. Rather than standing beside the competitor, the girls turned away and stepped down.
As medals were being handed out, an official appeared to confront the girls, gesturing for them to move. They complied, stepping to the side of the ceremony and watching from a distance.
“This Isn’t Hate—It’s About Fairness,” Says Anderson
The act sparked immediate reaction online. Social media erupted with support, and among the first to speak out was former NCAA swimmer and outspoken advocate for women’s sports, Riley Gaines.
The protest, according to Anderson, wasn’t born out of hostility.
“We didn’t refuse to stand on the podium out of hate. We did it because someone has to say this isn’t right,” she told. “In order to protect the integrity and fairness of girls sports we must stand up for what is right.”
That statement quickly spread across digital platforms, turning Anderson and Eckard into symbolic figures in a growing grassroots resistance to trans inclusion in female sports categories.
A National Trend: More Athletes Speak Out
Oregon isn’t alone in this reckoning. Across the country, female athletes are increasingly taking public stands, sometimes literal ones.
Just weeks earlier, at a sectional final in California, Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran High made headlines when she boldly stepped onto the first-place podium after a trans competitor, AB Hernandez, vacated it. That quiet but powerful gesture also drew praise from Gaines and like-minded advocates.
And back in April, fencer Stephanie Turner made international news when she took a knee before a match against a trans athlete in Maryland. That act of protest cost her a suspension, but earned her widespread attention.
Legal Battles Brewing Over Title IX Rights
The protests aren’t just happening on the track or in gymnasiums, they’re hitting courtrooms too.
Last week, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) filed a Title IX discrimination complaint against the state of Oregon, challenging the legality of allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports. The complaint was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, joining similar filings from states like California, Minnesota, Maine, and Massachusetts.
AFPI’s Jessica Hart Steinmann, who serves as executive general counsel and vice chair of the Center for Litigation, condemned Oregon’s policies:
“Every girl deserves a fair shot – on the field, on the podium, and in life,” she said in a statement.
“When state institutions knowingly force young women to compete against biological males, they’re violating federal law and sending a devastating message to female athletes across the country.”
The Trump Administration’s Pushback
This issue has also escalated to the federal level.
On February 5, President Donald Trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. Since then, his administration has prioritized enforcing it, particularly in Democratic-led states that allow transgender athletes to compete in female categories.
The Department of Justice has already launched a lawsuit against Maine for defying the order. And during a recent appearance, Trump hinted at withholding federal education funds from California, following the backlash surrounding athlete AB Hernandez.
Oregon Championship Becomes Focal Point
While the Oregon School Activities Association has yet to respond to inquiries about Saturday night’s podium incident, the debate is unlikely to quiet anytime soon.
The transgender athlete in question had previously competed in the boys’ division during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Their presence in the girls’ category this year has reignited long-standing concerns from athletes and parents alike.
For now, Eckard and Anderson’s podium protest has added yet another chapter to a polarizing national conversation, one that continues to test the boundaries of law, fairness, and gender identity in American sports.
