“The Aim Is To Destroy Girls’ Sports”, Washington’s Proposed School Rule Draws Widespread Ire

Girls’ sports are in the spotlight up in Washington. And people are upset about a possible school rule that could deem students eligible to play. Some Washington State citizens are taking issue with IL26-638, a ballot initiative to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls’ sports teams. But, the way that this rule would be enforced is what has people upset online.

In a new report from The Cut, they explain this new ballot initiative that would require eligibility requirements like genetic screening, testosterone-level monitoring, and a physical exam of the athlete in question’s genitalia.  Some people are taking issue with the idea of a genital exam just to play on a team.

One young woman named expressed hesitancy to sign up for that kind of rigorous testing. A student named Maria wondered,”I honestly don’t know if I would be able to do these tests. It would make me question, ‘If I do it, are all my teammates going to do it too?’ Or would I just play with the three or four girls who are willing to or have access to do it?”

Washington Residents Object To School Sports Genital Exams

When these kinds of measures emerge, the logistics often end up being a sticking point for the families affected. Of course, when news of this possibility hit social media, even people outside of Washington felt like the policy would be an overreach. One freelance journalist said, “Demanding to examine a child’s genitals for them to play sports is f***** insane.”

Her take was not alone, another user said, “What a monstrous bill. If you wanted to keep girls from playing this is how you would do it.” 

In actuality, there are only around 10 trans athletes actively enrolled in middle and high school sports across Washington State. Those numbers come from the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. And, that fact is not exactly news to the people reacting to the proposed ballot initiative.

Maria says that this is basically a non-issue for kids playing sports in her community. “If you’re coming to play a sport, then you’re coming to play a sport and that’s it,” she argues. “There are already so many injustices and inequalities in sports. This is not one of them.”  

“They’re implying that a person could wake up one day, decide to transition, pop into this sport, and all of a sudden be amazing at it,” Maria added. “That really discredits women’s sports and the skill, strength, and dedication girls have put into their whole lives to become good at this.” 

A lot more will happen

The vote will continue and it will be up to the citizens of Washington to decide for themselves. School sports has become a battleground for social media takes and argument due to an information environment conditioned to thrive on debate. However, the media coverage this story has garnered could change the outcome in one way or another. Lauren Hipp, the national director for MomsRising, an early education advocacy group quoted in The Cut’s reporting, isn’t mincing her words.

“This is a witch hunt to find the five-to-ten trans girls who just want to play a sport they love with their friends and their community,” Hipp argues. “This is absolutely not about girls’ safety. If they were interested in keeping girls safe, they wouldn’t have men like Brian Heywood forcing themselves into my daughters’ exam rooms.” 

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