Washington state proposes high school sports division for transgenders, separating them from female athletes

The state of Washington could be one of the first in the nation to introduce a third gender category for high school sports in order to prevent biological males from competing against girls. 

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced a proposal to create a separate open division for transgender athletes to compete in. One of the amendments proposes the creation of a girl’s division and an open division in which athletes could participate, regardless of whether their gender identity matches their assigned sex at birth.

“In order to maintain fair and equitable competition, participation in girls’ sports and girls’ divisions of sports is restricted to students who were assigned female at birth. The purpose of this policy is to offer clarity with respect to the participation of trans and gender-diverse student-athletes. Additionally, this policy encourages a culture in which student-athletes can compete in a safe and supportive environment, free of discrimination,” the proposal reads.

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The state’s high school athletes are currently allowed to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex. The WIAA policy states that each athlete will participate in programs “consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed,” and there are not even any medical or legal requirements. Bills that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls’ and women’s sports have been introduced but not passed.

Washington is one of 25 states in the U.S. to have laws in place to protect trans inclusion in girls’ and women’s sports. 

The proposal comes weeks after a school board in the state voted to send a letter to the WIAA pleading for it to reconsider its current rules that allow trans athletes to compete against females. 

The Central Valley School Board, which oversees schools in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, Washington, voted to send a message to the WIAA over the issues after much debate at a school board meeting.

The resolution, titled “Supporting Equity and Safety in Female Sports,” claims that the entire board is comprised of female members who have either competed in athletics themselves or have daughters who competed in athletics.

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

“When I ran cross-country for Greenacres Middle School, a boy who was biologically male but identified as female competed on the girls’ team,” she said. “While I respect everyone’s right to participate in sports, the situation made me question the fairness of competing of someone who had the physical advantage associated with male biology.”

In May, a trans athlete competed in a girls’ cross-country championship and won. 

Veronica Garcia, who was previously known as Devina Brown and Donovan Brown, won the 400m heat race in the girl’s division with a time of 55.59 seconds. The second-place runner finished at 58.83 seconds. In the finals, Garcia won with a time of 55.75 seconds, a full second ahead of the second-place runner who finished with 56.75.

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The victory prompted outrage by women’s rights activists, including former NCAA swimmer and OutKick contributor Riley Gaines. 

The idea of a third gender category in high school and college sports to accommodate trans athletes has been floated as opposition to trans inclusion has stirred outrage across the country over the last year. Deep-blue states like Washington, as well as Oregon and California, which also have laws in place to protect trans inclusion, have been considered the places where a third category makes the most sense due to the influx of trans athletes competing against females in those states. 

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Steve Garvey, the former California Senate candidate and Los Angeles Dodgers World Series champion, previously told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that he would support President-elect Trump’s ban on trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports, and that he believes trans athletes should compete against each other. 

In Riverside, California, Martin Luther King High School is facing a student uprising over the issue after two cross-country runners wore T-shirts that read “Save Girls’ Sports,” in response to a trans athlete taking a varsity roster spot from a female athlete. 

The two female athletes filed a lawsuit against the school, and another teammate gave an impassioned plea during a board meeting, which went viral on social media, to remove the trans athlete from the team. Now, hundreds of the school’s students have committed to wearing the T-shirts every week. 

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