ADF President Reveals Strategy to Uproot Gender Ideology From Every Courtroom in America

Clear Facts

• Alliance Defending Freedom won historic Supreme Court victory protecting women’s sports from biological male competitors
• ADF currently pursuing lawsuits in 23 Democrat-controlled states that continue allowing trans athletes in women’s sports
• Eight in 10 Americans support protecting fair play for female athletes, according to ADF president Kristen Waggoner

The legal powerhouse behind the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on women’s sports has unveiled an aggressive nationwide strategy to eliminate gender ideology from American law. Alliance Defending Freedom president Kristen Waggoner sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss her firm’s ongoing battle against states forcing biological males into female athletics.

“We will uproot gender ideology from the law, and we will not stop until we do,” Waggoner declared. “It harms women and girls, it harms children, it harms parental rights.”

The conservative legal advocate reflected on how dramatically the media landscape has shifted over the past decade. When ADF first began challenging transgender policies in sports, mainstream outlets were hostile to the conversation. Now, Waggoner says, even liberal networks are beginning to recognize the overwhelming public opposition to biological males competing against females.

“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,” Waggoner explained. “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.”

She credited the courage of young female athletes who have stood up for truth, often facing intense pressure from school administrators, coaches, and activist groups. These athletes have appeared on networks ranging from CNN to MSNBC, fielding hostile questions while defending their right to fair competition.

“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,” Waggoner said. “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.”

ADF’s litigation strategy extends far beyond the courtroom victory at the Supreme Court. The organization has active lawsuits in 23 states that continue to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports, with no plans to relent until every state protects female athletes.

“We have several lawsuits that are already ongoing in those 23 states, and we will continue to work to protect women and girls,” Waggoner stated. “This isn’t just something that 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.”

Among the most disturbing cases ADF is handling involves Washington state wrestler Kaylee Keeler, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a biological male opponent. Waggoner described the 16-year-old’s experience as devastating and warned it is not an isolated incident.

“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 sexually assaulted… that is… it’s horrendous,” Waggoner said. “I wish it was an isolated case, but it’s not.”

The state’s response has been particularly egregious, according to Waggoner, essentially arguing there was consent because the girl agreed to wrestle. ADF is committed to winning justice for Keeler and preventing similar assaults in the future.

“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,” Waggoner noted.

She referenced client Adelaide Cross, who has spoken publicly about inappropriate comments and threats made to her in locker room situations involving biological males. “What do you think will happen when a boy comes into a girl’s locker room?” Waggoner asked pointedly. “No girl would ever talk like that, and yet that is what our girls are experiencing every day.”

Even in states where ADF faces uphill battles, such as Minnesota, Waggoner remains confident in ultimate victory. She pointed to the Supreme Court’s recognition that allowing biological males to compete against females is a “zero-sum game” where every spot taken by a boy is one lost by a girl.

“We’re used to tough, hard stances and going uphill. Sometimes we even say we win by losing,” Waggoner explained. “You might lose in the lower courts, but you keep going until you win the day, and we will do that in Minnesota.”

The battle extends beyond athletics into religious freedom, Waggoner emphasized. In Vermont and other states, Christian schools face pressure to violate their beliefs about biological sex. ADF is defending their right to operate according to their faith traditions.

“This is also an issue of religious freedom, and it’s not even limited to the Christian faith,” she said. “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.”

ADF’s first case, filed in Connecticut on behalf of three high school track athletes, continues to work through the courts. Those athletes witnessed two biological males who had competed as boys just weeks earlier sweep state championships, displacing up to 85 opportunities for female competitors.

“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,” Waggoner said. “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.'”

When asked about additional cases in the pipeline, Waggoner declined to provide details but confirmed ADF is executing a strategic plan designed for maximum impact. The organization is clearly preparing for a long-term campaign to protect women’s sports nationwide.

Her message to former female athletes who have remained silent on the issue was direct and uncompromising.

“There’s no room for cowardice. There’s only room for courage, and it’s never too late to speak out on behalf of women and girls,” Waggoner declared. “The equal opportunities that so many of those athletes have benefited from because of Title IX should be available to those who come behind, and I think there’s nothing but good to come from being a person of courage and speaking boldly on behalf of all women and girls.”

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