A Michigan family has reportedly received severe threats, including alleged death threats, racist insults, and a bomb threat to their home, after a 16-year-old daughter spoke publicly about her experience competing against a transgender athlete in girls' volleyball. Sean Lechner, the father, told Fox News Digital that the hostility escalated after he and his daughter, Briley, voiced their support for protecting girls' sports.
"We've been threatened with violence, called Nazis, subjected to racist insults, and even received threats to blow up our home," Sean Lechner stated. He added that the situation had become serious enough that the FBI had contacted the family. Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI for comment.
Briley Lechner, a student-athlete at Monroe High School, said she has also faced alleged messages accusing her of attacking transgender people. "We've received death threats and threats of people coming to our house or going to my father's work," she told Fox News Digital. She expressed hurt at being perceived as spreading negativity but affirmed her commitment to her stance.
The controversy began when Briley competed against a transgender athlete from another school in Fall 2024 and early in the 2025 season. Briley stated she was unaware the athlete was biologically male at the time. "I wasn't aware that it was a male," she said. She described learning about the athlete's identity a day or two later through rumors and conversations with a parent and teammates.
Sean Lechner filed a Title IX complaint in December, alleging that his daughter and her teammates had to share a locker room with the transgender athlete. Briley stated that after discovering the athlete's identity, she was "devastated" and concerned, questioning why her team was not informed beforehand. According to Briley, school officials responded that they could not act and had to protect the transgender athlete, and her team received no apology or acknowledgment from school officials.
Briley also reflected on the physical differences observed during matches. "They could jump much higher. They could swing much harder, get the ball down a lot harder, move quicker. It just seemed like they were stronger all the way around." During a rematch, knowing they were competing against a biological male, Briley felt it affected her and her teammates' focus.
Briley first spoke publicly about the situation in December after the season concluded. The harassment reportedly began shortly after this initial public statement. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened investigations into Monroe and Ann Arbor Public Schools in June, examining allegations that Monroe required female athletes to compete and share facilities with a biological male and did not respond adequately to parental concerns.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association's policy allows its executive director to determine transgender girls' eligibility for postseason competition on a case-by-case basis, while schools manage regular-season participation decisions. A Supreme Court ruling on June 30 stated that Title IX permits schools to maintain separate teams based on biological sex, allowing states to protect sex-separated teams without requiring all states to do so. Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act currently mandates the existing transgender participation policy unless state lawmakers alter the law.
Briley acknowledged that the transgender athlete might also feel targeted but stressed the importance of her advocacy. The experience has made her more hesitant about attending college in Michigan, and she plans to scrutinize schools' policies before committing. Sean Lechner asserted that the threats have strengthened their resolve, stating, "We won't be intimidated, and we won't be silenced. We will continue to fight until my daughter—and every female athlete—has the safety, privacy, fairness, and opportunities they deserve."