Washington state proposes creating high school athletic departments for transgender people, keeping them separate from female athletes

Washington state may be one of the first states in the country to introduce a third gender category in high school sports to prevent biological males from competing against girls.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has announced a proposal to create a separate open division for transgender athletes to compete. How identity matches gender assigned at birth.

“In order to maintain fair and equitable competition, participation in women’s and girls’ athletic programs is limited to students assigned female at birth. The purpose of this policy is to clarify the participation of transgender and gender-diverse student-athletes. Additionally, This policy encourages student-athletes to compete in a safe and supportive environment without discrimination,” the proposal reads.

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High school athletes in the state can currently compete based on gender identity rather than biological sex. WIAA policy states that each athlete will compete in events “consistent with their gender identity or most consistently expressed gender,” even without any medical or legal requirements. A bill to ban transgender girls from participating in women’s and girls’ sports has been introduced but has not yet been passed.

Washington is one of 25 U.S. states with laws protecting transgender people participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

A few weeks ago, a school board in the state voted to send a letter to the WIAA asking it to reconsider rules that currently allow transgender athletes to compete against women.

Central Valley School Board, which oversees the Spokane Valley and liberty lake washingtonAfter much debate at the school board meeting, it was voted to send a message to the WIAA regarding these issues.

The resolution, titled “Supporting Equity and Safety in Women’s Sports,” states that the entire committee is composed of female members who have either competed in track and field themselves or whose daughters have competed in track and field.

One of the women, an unidentified current cross-country runner, shared her experience at the hearing.

“While I was running cross country for Greenacres High School, a boy who was biologically male but identified as female ran on the girls’ team,” she said. “While I respect everyone’s right to participate in sport, this situation makes me question the fairness of competition for those with the physical advantages associated with male biology.”

In May, a transgender athlete competed in the women’s cross country championships and won.

Veronica Garcia, formerly known as Devina Brown and Donovan Brown, won the women’s 400m heat in 55.59 seconds. The second runner finished in 58.83 seconds. In the final, Garcia won with a time of 55.75 seconds, a full second ahead of the second place finisher of 56.75 seconds.

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The win drew outrage from women’s rights activists, including former NCAA swimmer and OutKick contributor Riley Gaines.

The idea of ​​creating a third gender category in high school and college sports to accommodate transgender athletes has been floated last year as opposition to transgender inclusivity sparked nationwide outrage. Deep blue states like Washington, Oregon and California, which also have laws protecting transgender inclusivity, are considered places where the third category makes the most sense, given the influx of transgender athletes competing against women. state.

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Former California Senate candidate and Los Angeles Dodgers World Series champion Steve Garvey previously said in a digital interview with Fox News that he would support President-elect Trump’s ban on transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports, and that he Believe trans athletes should compete against each other.

In Riverside, Calif., Martin Luther King High School is facing a student protest after two cross-country runners wore T-shirts that read “Save the Girls Movement” in response to a transgender athlete having a spot on the college roster stolen. .

The two female athletes filed a lawsuit against the school, and another teammate made an impassioned plea to remove the transgender athlete from the team at a board meeting that went viral on social media. Hundreds of students at the school have now pledged to wear the T-shirts every week.

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