WA school district votes to ban transgender athletes from school sports
The Quilcene School District voted to ban transgender athletes from school sports in a 3-2 decision.
The vote came down during a school board meeting on May 7.
The decision contradicts WIAA policy allowing participation based on gender identity since 2007.
QUILCENE, Wash. - A school district in western Washington has voted to ban transgender athletes from participating in school sports.
The Quilcene School District made the decision back on May 7, with a school board meeting ending in a 3-2 vote.
Quilcene is a small community south of Port Townsend in Jefferson County.
What they're saying
The board took comments from parents and students, with many voicing strong opinions. Board members themselves had a tense back-and-forth.
"Title 9 is the law," said Quilcene School Board member Ron Frantz.
"This is an interpretation, this is not the law," responded Quilcene School Board member Viviann Kuehl. "The law nowhere in it says only biological males can play biological male sports, by tradition. That is not in Title 9."
"I'm probably the only one who's read the whole thing of Title 9," Frantz said.
"I did myself, it doesn't say that," Kuehl said.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has a policy that allows transgender students to participate in sports programs consistent with their gender identity. The policy has been in place since 2007.
FOX 13 Seattle has reached out to the school district regarding the ban. We are waiting to hear back.
The Source
Information in this story came from a Quilcene School District board meeting, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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