Leader of firm that won SCOTUS women’s sports cases opens up on dealing with liberal media, Title IX lawsuits

Leader of firm that won SCOTUS women's sports cases opens up on dealing with liberal media, Title IX lawsuits

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Alliance Defending Freedom President and CEO Kristen Waggoner spoke to Fox News Digital about managing "save women's sports" interviews on mainstream media outlets, and what's next in the legal campaign on the issue.

Fox News Digital sat down with Alliance Defending Freedom president, CEO, and chief counsel Kristen Waggoner after her law firm won a historic Supreme Court victory in the battle to "save women's sports."
Waggoner spoke about her experience in dealing with mainstream media, and leading the ongoing legal battles against the Democrat-run states that continue to let biological male trans athletes play in women's sports.
Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom speaks to members of the press in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

On handling interviews with outlets like CNN and MSNBC
Waggoner: "I've been delighted because I know where we began. It was a tough go 10 years ago, to be able to talk about these things. But I think now as Americans have seen in real time the differences between men and women, they already knew that, but the media has also begun to shift a little bit as well in recognizing that eight of 10 Americans support the right of women to have fair play, and more and more we are seeing the real harm that comes from trying to blur distinctions between men and women and boys and girls.
"I will say we've had some tough interviews, and it has been an absolute delight to see courageous young women athletes stand up for truth.
"Over the years, we've done everything from CNN to MSNBC to other outlets as well, and I will say, first of all, I'm grateful for the opportunity that we can come in and share a different perspective and especially on CNN. But they do ask the tough questions and sometimes some unfair ones, and it's a real privilege to be able to answer those questions honestly and to ensure that the message gets out to those audiences."
On pending and potential future litigation in the 23 states that don't have laws to protect women's sports
Waggoner: "You can expect that we will uproot gender ideology from the law, and we will not stop until we do. It harms women and girls, it harms children, it harms parental rights. There's no right that gender ideology has not touched in terms of protecting those rights, and it harms children. We know that from the science. The science is now catching up with the truth. We have several lawsuits that are already ongoing in those 23 states, and we will continue to work to protect women and girls.
"And it does take all of us. I think that's so important. This isn't just something that it can be won in the courtroom. It has to be won in the culture as well, and the two go hand in hand, so all of us have a role to play."
Lorie Smith, a Christian graphic artist and website designer in Colorado, walks out of the Supreme Court with her lawyer, Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

On ADF's newest Title IX lawsuit in Washington state after a female wrestler was allegedly sexually assaulted during a match against a trans athlete
Waggoner: "Kaylee [Keeler's alleged] experience is not just unfortunate, it is devastating to any girl. To wrestle as a 16-year-old in a sport and believe that you're wrestling a girl, and then learn that it not only is a boy, but to be [allegedly] sexually assaulted... that is... it's horrendous... But I have to tell you, it's not the only time that threats like sexual assault have been made in these types of contexts.
"I wish it was an isolated case, but it's not, and the fact that the state has essentially said there was consent because the girl was wrestling is especially egregious. We will work until we win that case for her."
On the coverage and conversation of concerns over similar incidents to the one in Washington state
ADALEIA CROSS PROMPTS VIRAL CONVERSATIONS WITH NEW CLAIMS IN SCOTUS TRANS ATHLETE SEXUAL HARASSMENT SCANDAL
Waggoner: "I think that it's sad that it has to be a part of the conversation, first of all. I mean, it's horrific, it's criminal, and there should be a price to be paid for sexual assault and threats of sexual assault. But the fact that we even have to bring those things up to demonstrate the real harm that comes to women is also, it's grievous in the sense of women and girls deserve their right to privacy and their right to physical safety. And so you shouldn't have to even have to talk about sexual assault as a consequence of this because we know that differences matter between the sexes.
"But I will say that there are more and more stories like this coming up. What do you think will happen when a boy comes into a girl's locker room? As our client Adelaide [Cross], for example, has said, looking at her experience, the comments that were made to her, the threats that were made to her, no girl would ever talk like that, and yet that is what our girls are experiencing every day when boys come into their private spaces."
On ADF's Title IX lawsuit in Minnesota over a trans pitcher that won a girls' softball state championship in 2025, after the case was dismissed by a federal judge
Waggoner: "We're used to tough, hard stances and going uphill. Sometimes we even say we win by losing. You might lose in the lower courts, but you keep going until you win the day, and we will do that in Minnesota.
"Again, having boys come into girls' sports take away not just their trophies, but not just their scholarships, but actually even their ability to even be on the team. I mean, there are limited spots, as the Supreme Court has already said, and I do believe that the Supreme Court has laid the groundwork for future victories in states like Minnesota because the court recognizes that this is a zero-sum game.
"Every time a boy takes a spot on a team, he takes that spot from a girl, and that's wrong."
On ADF's recent legal victory and settlement for a Christian school in Vermont that was banned from competing in the state for refusing to compete against a team with a trans athlete, and potential future cases in Vermont to challenge its law that allows trans athletes in girls' sports
Mid Vermont Christian school was reinstated to Vermont state sports following a court order his month by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. (Alliance Defending Freedom)

Waggoner: "We will continue fighting for Vermont and every other state that is not recognizing not only the rights of women and girls and biological differences, but the rights of Christian schools and Christians across this country. This is also an issue of religious freedom, and it's not even limited to the Christian faith. The Abrahamic faiths all recognize that they should have the right to be able to raise children in their faith, consistent with their faith, and they believe that God created male and female. Not only do they believe that according to their religious doctrine, but that is the truth.
"Science backs that up."
On ADF's Title IX lawsuit in Connecticut over a trans track runner, which dates back to 2018
Waggoner: "We have a case in Connecticut, which was actually the first case filed in the United States. We filed it on behalf of three high school track athletes. And again, just wanna go back to these are high school girls that had to stand up, not the adults, not the coaches, not the school principals. They had to stand against all of those individuals to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute. These two boys competed as boys three weeks before they came and competed against us, and they took more than four, four state championships from our client alone and displaced many.’ Up to 85 opportunities were lost by girls, as these boys competed.
Track and field athlete Selina Soule speaks during an event celebrating the House of Representatives passing The Protection Of Women And Girls In Sports Act outside the U.S. Capitol on April 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"So that case is continuing on. As you mentioned, we have a Minnesota case that's continuing, the assault violation in Washington. So I think there are plenty of cases that are being filed, but we also need to go back to how many girls are gonna be injured before we can win this. This has taken more than 10 years to get to the place where 27 states are protected. We need parents, we need school officials, we need all of us to stand up and say, ‘This is enough.’"
On ADF's plans for future lawsuits in other states
Waggoner: "Well, yes, but I wouldn't be able to talk about that now. What I can tell you is that Alliance Defending Freedom is privileged to stand. We have a strategic plan. We follow that plan to have the most impact, and we are executing on it."
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Message to other women who are considering stepping up in the battle to "save women's sports"
Waggoner: "My message would be that there's no room for cowardice. There's only room for courage, and that it's never too late to speak out on b