Officials in Washington State are under fire for their response to a protest involving a biological male seeking to run on the girls’ cross-country team.
During a district-level cross-country event on Tuesday, approximately a dozen girls from the Camas High School team walked off when their race started.
They are protesting the inclusion of a biological boy who switched to the girls’ team mid-season after previously being on the boys’ team.
The situation has led to various protests and counter-protests, some of which have become heated.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which governs high school sports, stated that students may compete in sports that align with their gender identity. Their policy specifies that “students do not need to provide medical or legal documentation to participate in athletics matching their gender identity.”
One student athlete, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared her thoughts with KING-TV about the protest. “Many girls on my team felt it was unfair and worried it could influence their times and placements,” she mentioned. “I’m all for letting people live their lives how they want. I’m fine with trans kids.”
In contrast, a counter-protester held a sign reading, “Let our trans kids play,” arguing that they have the right to compete as representatives of their identity. “They are trans girls. They are girls,” she asserted.
The biological male in question finished second out of 26 runners on Wednesday, bumping a biological girl out of a spot in the regional race, having placed 76th among boys just weeks earlier.
Camas is a city with a population of about 26,000 in the southwestern part of the state.
