Who is Alexa Anderson? Division I athlete leading legal battle for free speech

University of South Alabama freshman Alexa Anderson was a apical enlistee nationally successful the women's way and tract rod vault this past year, and inactive recovered clip to instrumentality connected the establishment. 

Anderson filed a suit against the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) implicit the summertime aft she stepped down from a medal podium to protestation a transgender athlete. Anderson's suit alleges she was told to get retired of the medalist photograph shoot, and wasn't fixed her third-place medal. 

The suit aims to guarantee that precocious schoolhouse athletes successful Oregon are allowed to explicit their archetypal amendment close to escaped code without fearfulness of retaliation from officials. The suit has already cleared 1 of the OSAA's motions to strike.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Anderson comes from a household of Democrats, but came to respect Charlie Kirk

Anderson told Fox News Digital successful a June interrogation that she came from a household of Oregon Democrats. However, she said they besides firmly agreed with her stance connected protecting women's sports from antheral trans athletes. But she herself had her ain approach. 

"I deliberation whoever I ballot for would beryllium whoever aligns astir with my idiosyncratic values, whether that's a Democrat oregon Republican," she said of her ain alignment. 

Then successful September, she witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 

"I followed that precise closely," she said. "I deliberation it is truthful incredibly horrible that a young antheral was taken from his family, taken from his children, conscionable for lasting up for what helium believed in." 

Anderson became inspired by Kirk aft seeing him pb discussions with women's sports activistic Riley Gaines. 

"It was truly large to spot radical with specified power supporting this issue, knowing radical similar that are lasting up with us," Anderson said. 

"I would anticipation that helium would beryllium arrogant of what we're doing, that we're lasting up for what we judge in, due to the fact that everything I've seen from Charlie Kirk, that was his message. He ever wanted to basal up for what helium believes in, and dispersed that to different radical and amended them." 

OREGON GIRLS WHO PROTESTED TRANS ATHLETE AT TRACK AND FIELD MEDAL PODIUM SCORE LEGAL WIN IN LAWSUIT

Growing up, Anderson ‘idolized’ Simone Biles. Now it's complicated

Before she did the precocious leap and rod vault, Anderson was a gymnast arsenic a child, and she had the aforesaid leader arsenic truthful galore young gymnasts crossed the U.S. — Simone Biles.

"I was a gymnast for 9 years. I idolized her, ever since 2012, erstwhile she truly started becoming the top of each time," Anderson said. 

When asked however Anderson feels astir Biles now, she referenced the gymnast legend's online feud with Gaines. 

"I deliberation she is an astonishing athlete, but I don't hold with however she handled that situation. I deliberation it was hateful and hurtful and not a bully happening for each the girls who look up to her to beryllium seeing," Anderson said. 

What bothered Anderson astir was erstwhile Biles appeared to "bodyshame" Gaines, erstwhile the Olympic fable wrote, "bully idiosyncratic your ain size, which would ironically beryllium a male." 

"When I saw a tweet of her, benignant of bodyshaming Riley, and saying, ‘pick connected idiosyncratic your ain size,’ that truly hurt," Anderson said of Biles. 

OREGON ATHLETES WIN 'MOST VALUABLE PATRIOT' AWARD AFTER REFUSING TO SHARE PODIUM WITH TRANS COMPETITOR

She recovered refuge successful South Alabama aft enduring an online hatred campaign

Anderson became an overnight sensation successful the "Save Women's Sports" circles connected societal media aft she and chap Oregon girls' jock Reese Eckard stepped down from their third- and fourth-place spots connected the medal podium to protestation a trans jock who finished fifth. 

Then came the DMs. 

Some were bully and supportive. But others weren't. And she adjacent responded to immoderate of those. 

"When I received 1 of my archetypal hatred comments, I benignant of conscionable brushed it off. I said, ‘Thank you for sharing your opinion. I respect your opinion. This is excavation and this is what I stood for,’" Anderson said backmost successful June. "I person responded to some." 

Anderson had conscionable committed to the University of South Alabama successful January, and was coming up connected graduation. And erstwhile she made the determination to usage her level to protestation a trans athlete, she was a 2023 Pole Vault State Champion, nationalist All-American, an Under 20 6th-place finisher, and ranked eighth successful the federation for precocious schoolhouse girls' rod vault successful the people of 2025. 

She aboriginal revealed that the antagonistic comments escalated to the constituent of decease threats, and alleged calls to her schoolhouse with calls to expel her earlier graduation, arsenic her communicative picked up wind. 

"There were radical who were calling my schoolhouse asking for maine to beryllium expelled, not being allowed to locomotion astatine graduation," Anderson alleged. "There were radical messaging maine personally, conscionable saying horrible things, decease threats even.

"I anticipation you die," work 1 message, she alleges, with different reading, "Your parents are decidedly embarrassed of you." 

"It decidedly hurt." 

A Tigard High School spokesperson declined to elaborate connected the concern to Fox News Digital, writing, "We don't person a remark to share." 

Her committedness to South Alabama earlier this twelvemonth enactment her successful a mounting wherever she presently feels harmless and accepted.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP 

"A batch of radical person [seen the viral video of the protest] particularly connected my way team, a batch of radical each cognize what happened, and they've each been precise supportive and kind," Anderson said. 

South Alabama's way and tract play is acceptable to statesman successful precocious January, arsenic Anderson volition instrumentality connected Sun Belt Conference contention portion advancing her lawsuit. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.