A Michigan father has reported receiving death threats and being subjected to hateful messages, including being called a 'Nazi,' after his daughter competed against a transgender volleyball player. Sean Lechner stated that his 16-year-old daughter, Briley, played against a transgender athlete from Ann Arbor Skyline during the late 2024 and early 2025 seasons.
Lechner filed a Title IX complaint in December, alleging that his daughter and her Monroe High School teammates were required to share a locker room with the transgender athlete. He claimed this constituted a violation of privacy and bodily integrity protections under Title IX. Briley Lechner also reported receiving messages threatening violence and stating that individuals would come to her home or her father's workplace.
"We've been threatened with violence, called Nazis, subjected to racist insults, and even received threats to blow up our home," Sean Lechner told Fox News Digital. "All of this because I'm a father standing beside my daughter, her teammates, and every female athlete who deserves safety, privacy, fairness, and equal opportunity." The situation prompted contact from the FBI, according to Lechner.
Briley Lechner expressed devastation and concern upon learning her opponent was a biological male, noting a perceived physical difference. "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," she stated. She also felt abandoned by local education leaders and lawmakers for failing to ensure fair competition for female athletes.
Following Lechner's complaint, Monroe's athletic director, Chet Hesson, reportedly made an unauthorized media appearance defending the transgender athlete. This led to Hesson being placed on administrative leave, according to reports from Outkick and CBS News in December. Monroe Public Schools Superintendent Andrew Shaw issued a statement clarifying that Hesson's comments did not represent the district's official position and that his podcast appearance was not authorized.
An internal email sent to Monroe Public Schools staff on December 8 instructed them to direct all media inquiries to the administration building while the Title IX investigation was ongoing. Despite this directive, a portion of Hesson's interview was released, in which he expressed sympathy for the negative attention directed at the athlete. Superintendent Shaw later confirmed Hesson's administrative leave in an email to staff, urging them not to speculate on the reasons and to be respectful of the process.