Washington Lawmaker Pushes Initiative to Bar Transgender Girls from School Sports

State Sen. John Braun, the Republican nominee for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, is promoting Initiative 638, a statewide ballot measure that would require a health-care provider’s verification of a student’s sex as part of the physical exam for girls’ school sports. If approved, the measure would prohibit transgender girls from competing in those events.

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Braun’s focus on the measure comes amid his campaign to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a race that could influence which party controls the U.S. House. The initiative entered the spotlight after a group of high-school athletes in Camas, Washington, refused to run in a cross-country race that included a transgender teammate who had previously competed in boys’ events and placed second in a girls’ junior- varsity 5,000-meter race in September. The incident attracted attention from anti-trans influencers online and prompted Braun to intensify his advocacy for the ballot measure.

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Braun frames the proposal as a “common sense” effort aimed at fairness and safety for female athletes. She also noted her prior vote with eight other Democrats for a federal bill that could require schools to disclose transgender students’ identities to their parents.

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A poll commissioned by the advocacy group Let’s Go Washington, which supports the ban, found that 56 percent of respondents favor Initiative 638. The poll’s result is presented as evidence of broad voter backing for the measure.

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• “It’s a common sense issue, it’s a fairness issue, it’s a safety issue,” — John Braun, State Senator

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• “I don’t think it’s fair to have people who are born boys compete in girls' sports,” — Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, U.S. Representative

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