An Oregon high school track and field athlete who declined to share the podium with a transgender competitor during the girls’ high jump medal ceremony says she was told by event officials to step away from the area if she chose not to participate.
Alexa Anderson of Tigard High School gained widespread attention after her protest during the Oregon School Activities Association’s Girls High Jump final at Hayward Field in Eugene on May 31.
Anderson and Reese Eckard of Sherwood High School, who placed third and fourth respectively, stood behind the podium during the ceremony in protest, opting not to stand alongside Ida B. Wells High School’s Liaa Rose, a transgender athlete who finished fifth.
Alexa Anderson of Tigard High School gained widespread attention after protesting the conclusion of the Oregon State Athletic Association’s Girls High Jump final at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on May 31.
“We stepped off the podium in protest, and as you can see, the official told us, ‘Hey, go over there—if you’re not going to participate, get out of the photos,’” Anderson told Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle.
Anderson, who has committed to the University of South Alabama, claimed that the area where they were directed to stand was out of the photographers’ view.
“They asked us to move away from the medal stand, so when they took the photos, we weren’t even included,” Anderson told the outlet.
Anderson and Eckard simultaneously stepped down from their platforms and turned their backs to the podium as the names of the top eight finishers were announced.
An official noticed them and directed them to move further away from the podium, which frustrated Anderson.
Rose cleared 5 feet 1.65 inches in the competition, trailing behind Eckard’s 5 feet 3 inches and Anderson’s 5 feet 4.25 inches.
Both seniors, Anderson and Eckard, believed it was unfair to compete against a transgender athlete who had previously competed in the boys’ division in 2023 and 2024.
“It’s unfair because biological males and biological females compete at such different levels that allowing a biological male to compete in our division takes away opportunities from hardworking girls—like the ninth-place finisher who should have been eighth and earned that podium spot, along with many others,” Anderson said.
Anderson explained that this was her first time publicly protesting a transgender athlete, though she has long supported other females who have spoken out against similar policies in high school sports.
“This is the first public stand I’ve taken on this issue, but I have privately supported many girls with positive messages, commenting on posts, and letting them know I’m behind them in any way I can,” she said.
At the same time as Anderson’s protest, transgender athlete Verónica Garcia won the state Class 2A 400-meter dash in nearby Washington.
Garcia claimed victory by over a second and addressed critics who questioned her dominating performance against biological females.
“I’ll be honest, I kind of expected it,” Garcia told the outlet. “But maybe it didn’t have their intended effect. It made me angry—not angry enough to give up, but angry in a way that pushes me to keep going,” she said after the race.
The 17-year-old senior from East Valley High School made history last year by becoming the first transgender athlete to win a state title in Washington.
“I’ll put it in the most PG-13 way possible — it’s a damn shame they don’t have anything better to do. I hope they find a life. But oh well, it just shows who they are as people,” she added.
