Remember when common sense used to matter? When a girl’s locker room was for girls, and fairness in sports wasn’t a political minefield? Well, those days are gone—but two Oregon high school seniors just reminded the whole country that we don’t have to accept it.
At the Oregon state championship track meet, Reese Eckard of Sherwood High and Alexa Anderson of Tigard High had enough. After placing fourth and third in the girls’ high jump, they were asked to share the podium with a transgender athlete—biologically male—who tied for fifth place. Instead of clapping politely and pretending it was all fine, they quietly stepped down and turned away.
It wasn’t about hate. It was about truth.
“We didn’t refuse to stand on the podium out of hate,” Anderson later told Fox News. “We did it because someone has to say this isn’t right.” And she’s absolutely right. Let’s be honest: no girl trains for years just to be told her place on the podium now depends on how someone else identifies that day.
These girls didn’t just speak—they acted. And in a world full of hashtags and hollow virtue signals, action still means something. Video of the moment went viral. Even a track official tried to shuffle them off camera. But it was too late. Their message was clear: fairness matters, and they won’t be silent.
They’re not alone. Riley Gaines, who’s been leading the charge nationally, praised them. So did legendary tennis star Martina Navratilova. And it’s not just athletes speaking up—legal groups are, too. The America First Policy Institute filed a Title IX complaint against Oregon for letting this happen. “Every girl deserves a fair shot – on the field, on the podium, and in life,” said their general counsel, Jessica Hart Steinmann.
It shouldn’t take legal action just to say men don’t belong in women’s sports. But here we are.
President Trump didn’t mince words either. He signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order—and his DOJ is suing states like Maine that refuse to follow it. And if places like California think they’ll keep getting federal funding while throwing girls under the bus? Think again. Trump’s made it clear: fairness isn’t optional.
The truth is, most Americans get it. A recent AP-NORC poll found 7 out of 10 adults—and 9 out of 10 Republicans—believe biological males shouldn’t be competing against girls. That’s not bigotry. That’s reality. And it’s about time Washington—and woke state officials—started listening.
Reese and Alexa may have stepped off the podium, but they stood taller than most elected officials ever will. In a time when courage is rare, they showed the country what it looks like. We need more of it.