VANCOUVER: Five athletes backed Washington Initiative 638 at an October 3 rally, urging voters to restrict transgender girls’ participation in school sports when the state votes on November 3.
The proposal would generally prevent transgender girls from competing in school athletic events designated for female students, Washington’s attorney general’s office explains.
It covers kindergarten through 12th grade. If approved, students seeking to enter those events must submit a healthcare provider’s statement verifying their sex.
Frances Staudt, a 17-year-old final-year student at Tumwater High School, described refusing to play basketball against a transgender opponent.
She said other students harassed her daily because of that decision. “I think we need people to know that it’s possible to be done,” Staudt told the gathering.
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Meanwhile, college softball player Kendall Kotzmacher described receiving death threats after speaking publicly about the issue. She said some people had threatened to appear at her home or college.
However, opponents have challenged the initiative’s medical requirements. Tacoma City Council member Olgy Diaz warned in July that girls could face invasive genital inspections.
The Seattle City Council and King County Democrats raised similar concerns. Rally host and podcast presenter Brandi Kruse rejected that interpretation, arguing that doctors already know their patients’ sex.
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XX-XY Athletics founder Jennifer Sey also attended the rally. She hopes approval in Washington and Colorado, where voters face a similar proposal, will encourage restrictions elsewhere in the country.
