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Former Oregon high school athletes Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard have settled with the state’s high school sports league, the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), in a lawsuit alleging violations of free speech.
Anderson and Eckard stepped down from a medal podium at the state championships on the last day of May to protest a transgender competitor, claiming they were forced out of the podium picture and not given their medals in response.
“I asked after the medal ceremony was over, we went into a kind of tunnel that takes 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 would be sent to our school. And then they were never sent to our school,” Anderson previously told Pakinomist Digital.
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The two teenagers filed a free speech lawsuit against the OSAA in July, claiming their medals were then sent to their law firm, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI).
Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Youlee Yim You denied the OSAA’s motion to challenge a portion of the lawsuit that highlighted what forms of political speech the league allows, including Black Lives Matter and pro-LGBTQ pride messages, which were a key point of the plaintiffs’ argument.
On Tuesday, their AFPI lawyers agreed with the OSAA to dismiss the lawsuit by mutual agreement. A separate lawsuit between the two parties alleging violations of Title IX is still ongoing.
“Counsel for Plaintiffs Alexa Anderson and Reese Eckard confirm that they have conferred in good faith by telephone with Defendant OSAA’s counsel regarding this motion to dismiss. Defendant’s counsel has indicated that Defendant does not oppose this motion,” a court filing obtained by Pakinomist Digital stated.
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AFPI Director of Litigation Andrew Zimmitti said the case accomplished what it set out to do by raising awareness of the treatment of Anderson, Eckard and other students in Oregon who express similar views.
“This case did exactly what it was supposed to do,” Zimmitti said in a statement to Pakinomist Digital. “We protected these young women, we exposed how officials retaliated against them for speaking 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 happened was not fair. The AFPI stood with us from day one, made sure our story was heard, helped raise awareness of this issue and continues to help us fight for protection in girls’ sport. I am grateful to everyone who supported us.”
Eckard added: “To be able to stand up and say, ‘I don’t approve of this’ is a basic right that everyone learns in school. It was appalling that an actual school event tried to silence us.”
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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 certainly frustrating that we didn’t get them at the moment… but it kind of is what it is at this point. There’s more important things we’re fighting for,” Anderson previously said. “Obviously I wanted that medal, I worked super hard to get to where I was on the podium … but also part of me knew that was part of the sacrifice I made when I stepped off the podium and there were going to be consequences.”
