Over a dozen school districts in Washington, one of the country’s most left-leaning states, are proposing banning males from playing in girls’ sports.
A group of 14 school districts has proposed an amendment to the handbook of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which governs athletics at middle and high schools, that would ban trans-identifying boys from playing on girls’ sports teams.
The proposal comes after 17 years of trans-identifying public school students in Washington being able to play on the team of the opposite sex.
The group of school districts also have a second proposal that would establish a new “open division” that would allow trans-identifying students to play.
The amendments must pass with 60% approval at an April meeting of the Association in order to take effect.
One of those leading the movement to ban trans-identifying male students is Superintendent David VanderYacht of the Lynden school district in the northwest corner of the state.
VanderYacht called the current guidelines around trans-identifying students in sports “unworkable” and said the push to preserve sports for biological girls is “female-forward” and follows Title IX’s intention to protect female athletes.
Another superintendent behind the push, Steve Quick of the Okanogan school district, said the proposals would create a “fair and safe space” for female athletes.
“The number of instances where this is occurring is on the rise nationwide,” Quick told The Seattle Times. “These results have sparked significant concern among our parents, coaches, athletes, and community, many of whom have expressed that the current system is undermining the fairness and safety of girls’ sports.”
The 14 school districts behind the first amendment are Lynden, Blaine, Brewster, Cashmere, Colville, Grand Coulee Dam, Lake Chelan, Lynden Christian, Mansfield, Mead, Okanogan, Omak, Oroville, and Tonasket.
Earlier this year, trans-identifying male student Verónica Garcia won a track event in the girls’ championship, prompting boos from the crowd and backlash from his female competitors.
Female athletes in high school, college, and professional divisions have spoken out in recent years against women playing with and competing against men, citing safety concerns as well as fairness in competition.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of Americans now say trans-identifying male athletes should “never” or only “in rare cases” be allowed to compete on girls’ sports teams, according to a Los Angeles Times survey from earlier this year.
The backlash to biological men in girls’ sports was also a driving force during the presidential election cycle this year, with President-elect Donald Trump frequently mentioning the issue at his campaign rallies.
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