Washington voters approve ban on trans girls in girls' sports
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Voters in Washington state have approved a measure banning trans girls from competing in girls' sports, The Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: The vote showed that restrictions on transgender athletes can win support at the ballot box even in a blue state where Democratic lawmakers have resisted similar proposals.
State of play: Initiative 638 was receiving 56.6% support and 43.4% opposition as of Wednesday evening, according to the Washington secretary of state's office.
- AP declared the ballot measure passed on Wednesday, after two days of vote counting.
Zoom in: I-638 will reverse Washington state's longstanding policy of letting trans students play on K-12 sports teams that match their gender identity.
- The measure will bar trans girls and other students assigned male at birth from participating in school sports competitions designated for girls.
How it works: Under I-638, all girls who want to participate in K-12 girls' sports will need to submit a statement from their health care provider verifying what the initiative calls their "biological sex."
- The verification must be based on at least one of the following: "the student's reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels," the measure's text says.
What they're saying: Supporters of I-638 said it was necessary to ensure fairness in girls' sports. They argued that trans girls have an unfair competitive advantage when competing against girls who aren't transgender.
- "To every female athlete who wondered whether her voice mattered: tonight, Washington heard you," Brian Heywood, founder of Let's Go Washington, a political committee backing I-638, said in a news release on election night.
The other side: Opponents had argued I-638 would discriminate against trans girls, while subjecting all girls to onerous medical checks to participate in school sports — something that the measure wouldn't require of boys.
- The "measure has the potential to harm any girl who wishes to play sports through its invasive exam requirements," No Hate in Washington State, which opposed the initiative, said in a news release Wednesday.
Between the lines: The measure's supporters denied that additional medical exams would be required, noting that all kids undergo a physical before participating in sports.
- But the statewide group that governs middle- and high-school athletics — the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) — says its current rules don't require visual checks of girls' genitals, DNA testing or hormone testing as part of the required sports physical.
What's next: I-638 is set to take effect Dec. 3 — although opponents may go to court to try to block its implementation.