On November 19, 2024, the Central Valley School Board, near Spokane and Liberty Lake, Washington, voted to send a message to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). The resolution, titled "Supporting Equity and Safety in Female Sports," notes that the entire board is comprised of female members who have either competed in athletics themselves or have daughters who competed in athletics.
One of those women, an unidentified current cross country runner, shared her experience of having to compete against one of those athletes during the hearing. The meeting had over an hour's worth of public comment and 75 submitted written comments, a large majority of speakers urging the board to send a clear message denouncing trans girls' participation in girls sports. Most spoke in support of the documents, or asked the board to send a stronger resolution like Mead passed in October.
"You're on thin ice if you continue to support this mental illness," Spokane Valley City Councilwoman Jessica Yaeger said in public comment. "In closing, I ask you, what are we willing to sacrifice for the sake of a very small minority?"
The board passed its resolution and by doing so sent an official letter to the WIAA and Washington state legislators: "Students born male, including transgender girls or non-binary boys, have a biological advantage over students born female. Therefore, unless a sport category is deemed co-ed, those born male should continue to be welcome to enjoy fair play within male sport categories," the resolution reads.
The board members close the resolution by urging WIAA to "have open dialogue and discussion with its member school districts to restore equity and safety to all student-athletes," as well as "to advocate for legislative adjustments for such equity and safety." They also ask state legislators to amend current laws to allow all students to participate in athletics "while ensuring that biological female athletes are not denied their rights under Title IX to fair competition and opportunity."
"As our legislators, we respectfully urge you to address current inequalities and safety concerns effecting girls’ and women’s sports before further injury or loss of opportunities occur."
On October 21, 2024, the Mead School Board passed a similar resolution which reads: “The Mead School District recognizes the inherent biological and physiological differences that exist between male and female students. These differences place male students at an advantage for physical performance in athletic competitions.”
Spokane City Councilman Jonathan Bingle spoke in support of the resolution, as his district on city council slightly overlaps with Mead school district. “This is about fairness to female athletes,” Bingle said, wearing a “protect girls sports” T-shirt. “It’s about making sure that the next generation of young women will compete safely, and their hard work, dedication and talent will be rewarded, not undermined by forces beyond their control.”
No one spoke opposed to the resolution.
14 or more school boards in Washington State join the resolutions to protect girls sports
The resolution adds Mead to a list of school districts supporting an effort to amend this WIAA policy, restricting girls’ teams to athletes assigned female at birth. Lynden School District in Northwest Washington proposed the initial amendment on October 7, with 13 other school districts in support, according to the district’s website. Other supporting districts include Wenatchee’s Eastmont, Moses Lake and College Place, near Walla Walla, Kennewick, Thorp, Cashmere, Colville Okanogan, Brewster, Oroville, Tonasket, Lynden Christian, Lake Chellan Grand Coulee, Omak Blaine, Mansfield and La Center
Congress and 25 States also support protecting girls sports
In the U.S., 25 states have laws in place to restrict or prevent transgender inclusion in girls' and women's sports. On April 20, 2023, the US House of Representatives voted to protect girls sports from biological males. Not a single Democrat in the House of Representatives voted to protect women’s sports. Talk about being on the wrong side of history.
“The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act,” introduced by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., passed the House in a 219-203 vote. The legislation would require that “school athletics comply with the Title IX recognition of a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”
Not one Republican voted against the bill. Not one Democrat voted for it.
This should be a bipartisan, consensus issue. It should not be controversial that girls deserve a chance to compete in sports against their physical peers, not boys. Parents do not want biological men in locker rooms with their daughters, nor do they believe its equitable that a male can compete with women in female athletics. It’s the whole purpose that Title IX was created to begin with.
WIAA fails to acknowledge that they are violating Title IX
The amendments to WIAA policy that would prevent trans girls from playing on girls teams and one to create a third ungendered league will be considered during by the WIAA assembly's annual amendment review process. A spokesperson for WIAA told Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) the association "is aware of numerous school board resolutions being adopted across the state."
"The Gender Identity Participation policies must follow Washington state law (RCW 28A.642.010), and the current rules do so. Our office is conducting a legal review of the policies in place, evaluating the possibilities within Washington state law."
"The WIAA staff closely monitors legislation from around the country as well as the developing guidance from the Federal Department of Education, but the WIAA office does not write the rules and regulations of the Association. Policies are developed and voted in by the membership through a year-round amendment process, and the staff provides the interpretations of those rules to the membership."
Comments from the public about the School Board resolutions:
“Those of you who want your daughters to have a chance in sports need to stop voting for democrats.”
“Good for the school board fighting for girls' athletics. It is not anti-trans to state the obvious. Sex is biological and males have an athletic advantage over females regardless of any gender preference.”
“The one good thing about Dems including trans in women's sports is that it's a losing topic in elections. Most people regardless of political affiliation find it absurd and it defies basic science. If democrats stay on the path they are on, they will never win another election.”
“There is nothing equitable or fair with putting the feelings of a few people ahead of what EVERYONE knows is 100% morally WRONG! Boys should not be in women’s sports period!!!!! There is simply no way to spin this other than it’s insane to let it happen.”
“Democrats war on women. Democrats war on family. Democrats war on normalcy. No more Democrats.”
03
24 States file a Supreme Court brief on the dnagers of Transgenderism to Womens Sports
On November 21, 2024, 24 states raised concerns regarding safety and fairness for female athletes in their 32 page brief which asks the Supreme Court to take up Warren Petersen v. Jane Doe, after the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a lower court injunction against a 2022 Arizona law, the Save Women's Sports Act, which prohibits males from competing in female sports. The law was challenged in April 2023 by transgender-identifying students who wished to participate on girls' sports teams. Here is a link to this important brief: https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-449/332454/20241121142738951_2024.11.21%20-%20States%20Br.%20iso%20Petersen%20Pet.%20FINAL.pdf
Here are some quotes: “In sports, equal access means a level playing field. And a level playing field usually means sports teams divided by sex so that girls can compete against other girls. Indeed, providing separate leagues for boys and girls has worked magic, increasing the participation of girls and women in sports by nearly 1,100% over the last half century. For this reason all of our states have laws or policies like Arizona’s that restrict girls’ sports teams to biological females. Basing the distinction on biology rather than gender identity makes sense because it is the differences in biology—not gender identity—that call for separate teams in the first place: Whatever their gender identity, biological males are, on average, stronger and faster than biological females.”
The Ninth Circuit held that heightened scrutiny applies because it determined that Arizona’s law classifies on the basis of gender identity and that such a classification implicates the quasi-protected class status of individuals who identify as transgender. This Court should also provide clarity in this area.
The Equal Protection Clause Does Not Compel States To Define “Sex” as “Gender Identity.”
Contrary to the lower court’s decision (and earlier Ninth Circuit precedent), transgender persons do not constitute a quasi-suspect class. This Court has “rarely deemed a group a quasi-suspect class,” Adams, 57 F.4th at 803 n.5, and has not done so “in over four decades,” L. W. by & through Williams, 83 F.4th at 486. And in stark contrast to recognized suspect classifications, transgender individuals do not share an immutable characteristic, do not constitute a discreet group, and unlike groups suffering long discrimination are far from politically powerless.”
The states that signed the brief are Alabama, Arkansas, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.
If the US Supreme Court decides to take up this case, and rules that Trans Cult members are not a protected class, their decision will go a long way to repealing several insane 9th Circuit Pro-Trans Decisions that they have made in the past several years.
What’s Next? This December, 2024, the US Supreme Court is likely to rule that Transgenderism is not a protected class and that 26 states can proceed with their laws banning giving toxic trans drugs to minors. Then in January 2025, it is likely that after he gets in office, Trump will rescend the Biden 2024 Title IX Final Rule. When this happens, the 2020 Trump Title IX Final Rule (which honors the original intend of Title IX) will become the law in all 50 states including Washington state.
After this happens, we at the Washington Parents Network intend to file a federal complaint against Bob Ferguson and Chris Reykdal and WIAA for blantantly violating Title IX by allowing biological males to enter Girls Bathrooms and participate in Girls Sports.
Finally, and most important, by making this an issue in every school district and at every school board meeting, we intend to make this an issue in the coming school board elections in 2025. We hope to encourage parents to run against any school board member that stands in the way of protect girls rights to their own sports teams and leagues.
It is time to organize politically to end the Trans Drug Cult here in Washington state! We will keep you posted!
Regards,
David Spring M. Ed.
Director, Washington Parents Network