Washington State Proposes Third Gender Category for High School Sports to Address Transgender Athlete Concerns
Washington state is considering implementing a third gender category for high school sports competitions, a decision that would make it the first in the nation to do so. The proposed policy aims to prevent transgender-identifying biological males from competing in girls’ divisions by creating a separate “open division” in addition to the existing girls’ division.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) outlined the proposal, stating that the open division would allow participation from all athletes regardless of whether their gender identity aligns with their biological sex. The girls’ division would remain restricted to biological female athletes.
“In order to maintain fair and equitable competition, participation in girls’ sports and girls’ divisions of sports is restricted to students who were assigned female at birth. The purpose of this policy is to offer clarity with respect to the participation of trans and gender-diverse student-athletes. Additionally, this policy encourages a culture in which student-athletes can compete in a safe and supportive environment, free of discrimination,” the proposal stated.
Currently, WIAA policy permits high school athletes to compete in sports categories matching their gender identity without requiring medical interventions. Washington is one of 25 states allowing biological males identifying as transgender to compete in girls’ sports, according to Fox News.
The proposal follows a resolution by the Central Valley School Board, which voted to request the WIAA to reconsider its current policies. The resolution, titled “Supporting Equity and Safety in Female Sports,” highlighted concerns about fairness and safety for female athletes. Board members, all women with experience in athletics or daughters in sports, expressed that competing against biologically male athletes creates disadvantages for female competitors.
During the board meeting, an anonymous cross-country runner shared her experience:
“When I ran cross-country for Greenacres Middle School, a boy who was biologically male but identified as female competed on the girls’ team,” she said. “While I respect everyone’s right to participate in sports, the situation made me question the fairness of competing of someone who had the physical advantage associated with male biology.”
Due to the ongoing debate nationwide regarding fairness in women’s sports and transgender-identifying athletes, there has been growing consideration for sports competitions to include an open category to satisfy all groups involved. Other far-left states like Washington, including Oregon and California, have also considered exploring such measures.
