Washington Ballot Measure I-638 Seeks Sex-Verification for Girls’ School Sports

Initiative 638, on Washington’s ballot, would require any student seeking to join a girls’ school sports team to provide a health-care provider’s verification of “biological sex” based on anatomy, genetics or testosterone levels. Boys’ teams would face no comparable requirement. The measure does not specify who would pay for the testing, which can cost up to $1,310 per test.

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While most Democratic-led states have rejected bans on transgender athletes, similar initiatives have appeared in Colorado and Washington. Proponents frame the effort as protecting “fairness” and “safety” for cisgender girls. A June Quinnipiac poll found roughly seven-in-ten registered voters oppose transgender women and girls playing on female teams.

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• Washington’s school sports association estimates about 10 transgender athletes among more than 200,000 participants.

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• The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association reports roughly 101,000 girls in sports.

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• Let’s Go Washington, the pro-initiative group, has raised over $7.8 million, nearly twice the amount raised by opposition groups.

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• A Let’s Go-commissioned poll shows 56 % support for the initiative, though methodology and margin of error were not disclosed.

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• The Washington Education Association, Washington State Nurses Association, and Washington State PTA have endorsed the “No Hate in WA State” campaign opposing I-638.

Washington Is Voting on Sex Checks for Every Girl on a Girls’ School Team. Two of the Measure’s Backers Spent Friday Night Getting Kicked Out of a Pro Women’s Soccer Game in Oregon.

• State Sen. John Braun: “It’s a common sense issue, it’s a fairness issue, it’s a safety issue.”

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

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Medical professionals argue the verification requirement would impose invasive examinations on all girls. Dr. Libby Loft warned the language could force families to pay for “unnecessary medical tests” to identify an estimated five to ten transgender girls in the state. She also noted the measure would prevent physicians from relying on a birth certificate, effectively requiring a genital inspection.

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During a Portland Thorns women’s soccer match, about 20 supporters of I-638 displayed “Save Women’s Sports” banners. The group reported being assaulted with flagpoles and drinks; stadium security escorted one protester out. Portland police logged alleged harassment and vandalism but noted no injuries, no arrests, and that the incidents remain under investigation.

Washington Is Voting on Sex Checks for Every Girl on a Girls’ School Team. Two of the Measure’s Backers Spent Friday Night Getting Kicked Out of a Pro Women’s Soccer Game in Oregon.

• The Justice Department’s viewpoint-discrimination concern hinges on the stadium’s public ownership, while Fox noted private management alone does not establish a violation.

Washington Is Voting on Sex Checks for Every Girl on a Girls’ School Team. Two of the Measure’s Backers Spent Friday Night Getting Kicked Out of a Pro Women’s Soccer Game in Oregon.

• Police reports state no injuries occurred, while supporters claim physical attacks.

Washington Is Voting on Sex Checks for Every Girl on a Girls’ School Team. Two of the Measure’s Backers Spent Friday Night Getting Kicked Out of a Pro Women’s Soccer Game in Oregon.

• The measure’s funding mechanism for the $1,310 tests is unspecified, leaving uncertainty about who would bear the cost.

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• Polling data supporting the initiative’s popularity lacks disclosed methodology, limiting assessment of its reliability.

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