Attorney Breaks Down Free Speech Case in Women’s Sports: WATCH

When high school athlete Alexa Anderson quietly stepped off an awards podium rather than stand beside a male competing in the girls’ division, her silent act of defiance set off a legal battle that could reshape how free speech is protected in athletics.

Campus Reform sat down with Leigh Ann O’Neill, Chief of Staff for the Center for Litigation and Senior Legal Strategy Attorney at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), to discuss the case. O’Neill is representing Anderson in a lawsuit that challenges the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) for punishing the young athlete’s expression of conscience.

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Unlike many legal fights over men competing in women’s sports, this lawsuit doesn’t center on Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs. Instead, O’Neill emphasized that Anderson’s case is about something even more fundamental: her First Amendment rights.

“This lawsuit is special because it really hones in on the First Amendment violation,” O’Neill said. “The Oregon School Activities Association officials did not allow her to express her viewpoint. They told her she had to step out of the way; she could not participate in the photos being taken. She still has not been given her medal that she earned that day.”

This case is one piece of a larger legal battle. AFPI is also pursuing a Title IX lawsuit against Oregon for allowing males to compete in girls’ sports, while the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened its own investigation. Together, these efforts aim to restore fairness in competition and ensure girls are not forced to choose between competing or speaking out.

“America First Policy Institute decided to take a multiple-lawsuit approach here in Oregon because there were so many violations that were compelling that we felt it made most sense to break them into two different lawsuits,” O’Neill stated.  

[RELATED: Man sues Westcliff University after losing women’s volleyball scholarship]

As Anderson’s case moves forward, O’Neill offered a message to young women facing similar situations. 

“Be brave and courageous like all of these girls have … We have five plaintiffs in Oregon who have been very brave in standing up to these violations and standing up for what’s right,” O’Neill stated. 

Campus Reform will continue to track Anderson’s case and others like it across the country.

Watch the full interview on YouTube.

Follow the author of this article on X and Instagram: @RealEmilySturge