Washington state could be among the first in the country to introduce a third gender category for high school sports biological males of competing with girls.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has announced a proposal to create a separate open division for transgender athletes to compete in. One of the amendments proposes the creation of a girls’ division and an open division in which athletes can participate regardless of whether their gender identity matches their assigned sex. at birth.
“To maintain fair and equitable competition, participation in girls’ sports and girls’ sports is limited to students assigned female at birth. The purpose of this policy is to provide clarity regarding the participation of transgender and gender participants. -diverse student-athletes Additionally, this policy encourages a culture where student-athletes can compete in a safe and supportive environment, free from discrimination,” the proposal reads.
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The state’s high school students are currently allowed to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex. 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 banning transgender girls from participating in girls’ and women’s sports have been introduced but not passed.
Washington is one of 25 states in the US that have introduced laws to protect the inclusion of transgender people 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 calling for a reconsideration of current rules allowing trans athletes to compete against women.
The Central Valley School Board, which oversees schools in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, Washingtonvoted to send a message to the WIAA about the issues after much debate at a school board meeting.
The resolution, titled “Supporting Equality and Safety in Women’s Sports,” claims that the entire board is made up of female members who have either competed in athletics themselves or have daughters who have competed in athletics.
One of the women, an unknown current cross-country skier, shared her experiences during the hearing.
“When I was running cross-country at 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 against 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, formerly known as Devina Brown and Donovan Brown, won the 400-meter heat race in the girls division with a time of 55.59 seconds. The runner in second place finished in 58.83 seconds. In the final, Garcia won with a time of 55.75 seconds, a full second ahead of the second runner who finished with 56.75.
The victory sparked outrage among women’s rights activists, including former NCAA swimmer and OutKick employee 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 sparked outrage across the country in the past year. Deep blue states like Washington, as well as Oregon and California, which have also passed laws to protect trans inclusion, are considered the places where a third category makes the most sense due to the influx of trans athletes competing against women in those areas . states.
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Steve Garvey, former California Senate candidate and former Los Angeles Dodgers World Series champion 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 on the issue after two cross-country runners wore T-shirts that read “Save Girls’ Sports” in response to a trans athlete taking a spot on the varsity roster from a female athlete.
The two female athletes filed a lawsuit against the school, and another teammate made an impassioned plea to remove the trans athlete from the team during a board meeting that went viral on social media. Now hundreds of students from the school have committed to wearing the T-shirts every week.
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