REDMOND, WA – This week, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Representative Assembly voted against two proposed amendments that would have established clear protections for girls’ athletic competition based on biological sex for the second year in a row. In accordance with IL26-638, these amendments would have restricted biological males from competing in girls’ sports and/or created a separate league for students of all genders to compete in.
The votes were advisory in nature, meaning that school districts would not be required to enforce the policies, however, adopting the amendments would have been a good-faith move on the part of the WIAA and a step in the direction of defending girls’ access to their own sports. Over half of the voting members supported the measures, however, the total vote fell short of the 60% supermajority.
Across the country, documented cases have shown biological males competing in girls’ divisions, displacing female athletes from podium finishes, scholarships, and opportunities. In Washington State alone, there have been at least ten reported cases of biological males competing against girls. The female student athletes that speak out are often met with hate, verbal and physical attacks, and even lawsuits from the State Superintendent. These disputes underscore that the issue is real, consequential, and currently being debated in the state.
A spokesperson for the WIAA defended the decision not to pass the amendments by saying that cases of biological males participating in girls’ sports is rare, thus they aren’t concerned that Washingtonians may be upset by their rejection. Frequency does not determine fairness. Even a single instance in which a female athlete loses an opportunity due to policy ambiguity is a failure to uphold the integrity of girls’ sports.
Let’s Go Washington founder, Brian Heywood, issued the following statement:
“A fanatical and outspoken minority in Olympia is holding girls’ sports hostage and it seems they’re now bringing their niche ideas to the WIAA. The WIAA had the opportunity to listen to the pleas of female student athletes asking for protections for them and their sports, but they turned a deaf ear. Nearly half of the WIAA voting members agreed that biological males should be barred from participating in girls’ sports, yet the anti-women opposition had the final say.
The Four Horsemen of the Sport-pocalypse, Bob Ferguson, Jamie Pedersen, Laurie Jinkins, and Chris Reykdal all refuse to stand up for female athletes. They have made it clear that there’s no room for rational discussion, either you allow boys into girls’ sports, or the conversation ends. The WIAA is hiding behind the beliefs of the four and falling out of step with the vast majority of athletes, coaches and parents in the state; their decision is both unfair and puts the safety of 110,000 female athletes at risk. Moms and dads will make their voices heard in November.”
IL26-638 would establish clear, statewide standards to protect girls’ sports based on biological sex. The campaign will continue working to bring the issue directly to voters this November.