School District Votes on Gender in Sports

A school district in Washington, led by a Democratic governor, has decided to prohibit biological boys from participating in women’s sports.

The Kirsen School District voted 3-2 to retain sports participation based on an athlete’s gender at birth. This choice stands in opposition to a policy by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which had allowed transgender students to compete according to their gender identity since 2007.

Board member Ron Franz defended the decision, asserting that “Title IX is the law,” and that competition should be grounded in birth gender. In contrast, fellow board member Vivian Kuehl expressed her belief that excluding trans women from girls’ sports is “immoral.”

The vote occurred on May 7. It’s worth mentioning that state governor Bob Ferguson won his position against Republican candidate Dave Reihart in November, marking a time since 1985 when no Republican has held the office.

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at barring biological boys from girls’ sports. However, Chris Lakedal, Washington’s public leadership superintendent, claimed that this order conflicts with state law. “State law prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and will not step back from it,” he remarked at the time.

Just a few weeks later, Lakedal stated it was “inaccurate” to assert there are only two genders. Meanwhile, even though a bill to restrict trans athletes in women’s sports has been presented in the state, it has not yet passed.

The matter has drawn significant local concern, prompting the WIAA to propose creating a separate division for trans athletes last December. Additionally, in May, a trans athlete secured a win in the Women’s Cross Country Championship, clocking a time of 55.75 seconds in the final of the 400-meter race.

Furthermore, a civil rights complaint was filed concerning a teenage girl in Washington state, alleging she faced consequences for refusing to play a basketball game against a trans athlete. The Tanwater School District has indicated it is reviewing the actions of 15-year-old Francis Stoast, claiming she misunderstood the situation and violated policies against bullying and harassment.

Other states have also challenged Trump’s executive order, leading to Maine temporarily losing federal funding over similar issues.