A group of girl athletes from Washington state recently gained attention for their protests against competing with a boy, but the actions of adults in the state could soon attract even more headline coverage when they vote to potentially overturn the regulations that allowed this situation.
During a cross-country race on Tuesday, members of the Camas High School girls’ team took matters into their own hands and walked off the course. This was in protest against competing with a male teammate, and some girls from the Battle Ground team also chose to leave in solidarity.
While the girls exited the race, it’s the adults who crafted these rules that curtailed their competitive opportunities — and this might be on the verge of changing.
The male runner in question, Logan Mihailoff, initially competed for Camas in the boys’ junior-varsity category, finishing in 76th place at a race on September 5. However, he transitioned to the girls’ division just weeks later.
After this switch, his performance took a dramatic turn. On September 26, he placed second among 195 girls in a race at the Nike Portland Invitational. Just three days later, he emerged victorious in a girls’ varsity race against Union High School, finishing ahead of all 45 biological female competitors.
This was quite a leap — from 76th in boys’ junior varsity to first in girls’ varsity in about three weeks.
At the elite Hole in the Wall Invitational on October 10, Mihailoff finished in 39th among 135 girls, but his time would have placed him at the bottom of the boys’ elite race, which featured 159 finishers.
He followed that with a second-place finish in the girls’ varsity 5,000-meter event on Tuesday, outpacing at least a dozen other female runners.
Supporters of changes allowing boys to compete in girls’ sports often claim that the actual number of boys participating is negligible, arguing that it’s not a significant issue. Yet, their perspective overlooks the fact that even if only one boy competes, many female athletes may feel the impact.
This sentiment was echoed by two female runners from Skyview High School, Charlie Garrett and Sierra Retzlaff, who kickstarted the protests. They expressed their frustration by lining up with body messages advocating for women’s sports and stepping off the course during a meet against Camas. “We did it because we didn’t want to act like we were OK with what was happening,” Retzlaff later shared.
Camas High School states that it’s adhering to state law and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rules, which allow participation based on gender identity. However, this rationale puts the female athletes in a tough position — either accept unfair competition or sacrifice their own opportunities to compete.
Other athletes in Washington have faced similar dilemmas. Frances Staudt, a Tumwater High School basketball player, chose not to compete against a male opponent and later found herself under investigation for alleged harassment and misgendering. Meanwhile, wrestler Kallie Keeler claimed she was not informed that she would be facing a biological male competitor, who allegedly assaulted her during a tournament. Prosecutors decided not to charge him, stating they could not prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt.
Keeler, along with her mother, is now advocating for regulations that ensure advance notice and the ability to decline matches against male opponents without facing penalties.
Another student, Ahnaleigh Wilson, who has publicly shared her experiences of competing against a male athlete, found her own way to push back by supporting WNBA star Sophie Cunningham. Her backing ignited a national protest when fans gathered outside Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena during a game. Inside the venue, Wilson and another girl displayed a sign in support of Cunningham, which led to an upsetting exchange with a Storm co-owner that concluded with one of the girls in tears. The incident prompted public backlash, which led to an apology from the team and disciplinary action against the co-owner.
Cunningham expressed her support for the teenage protesters, stating, “Bravo to those girls for standing up for what they believe.” Wilson’s actions resonated widely, and on November 3, voters in Washington will consider whether to reserve girls’ sports for biological females. Initiative IL26-638 would bar biological males from participating in designated girls’ sports and mandate verification of biological sex by an athlete’s healthcare provider.
Should this initiative succeed in a state that traditionally leans Democratic, it could set off a ripple effect across the nation, challenging the prevailing narrative and potentially reshaping views on female athletics.
Democratic leaders might find it harder to maintain that safeguarding female athletes is merely a fringe concern, and it wouldn’t be unexpected if this generation of young female athletes heads to the polls to support candidates that align with their beliefs.
The political party that once championed feminism appears to be sidelining these young women, who are now taking it upon themselves to advocate for their rights. It’s unfortunate that they have had to do so.
