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Fox News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Washington state school district votes to keep biological males out of girls sports despite state pushback
A school district in a state with a Democratic governor has voted to keep biological boys out of girls sports. The Quilcene School District in Washington voted 3-2 to keep sports competition based on athletes' birth gender. The ruling defies a policy by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), enacted in 2007, that allows transgender students to participate based on their gender identity. According to Fox 13, board member Ron Frantz said "Title IX is the law," and sports should be kept based on birth gender. But another member, Vivian Kuehl, said it is "immoral" to keep transgender females out of girls and women's sports, according to The Seattle Times. The vote was taken May 7. The state's governor, Bob Ferguson, defeated Republican nominee Dave Reichert in November. The state has not had a Republican governor since John Spellman, from 1981 to 1985. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in February to keep biological boys out of girls and women's sports, but Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said the order defies state law. "State law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and we will not back down from that," Reykdal said at the time. Later that month, Reykdal said it would be "inaccurate" to say there are only two genders. Bills that would prohibit transgender athletes from participating in girls and women's sports have been introduced in the state but have not passed. However, the issue became so concerning for residents that the WIAA announced a proposal in December to create a separate open division for transgender athletes to compete in. In May, a trans athlete competed in a girls cross-country championship and won. The athlete won the 400-meter heat race in the girls division with a time of 55.59 seconds. The second-place runner finished in 58.83 seconds. In the finals, the trans athlete won with a time of 55.75 seconds, a full second ahead of the second-place runner who finished in 56.75. In February, a civil rights complaint was filed with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on behalf of a teenage girl in Washington state who was allegedly punished for refusing to play a basketball game against a trans athlete. The complaint said the Tumwater School District in Washington is investigating 15-year-old Frances Staudt for "misgendering" the opponent and violating the district's policies against bullying and harassment. Several other states have defied Trump's executive order on the issue, resulting in Maine temporarily losing federal funding. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WA school district votes to ban transgender athletes from school sports
The Brief 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. Recovery effort underway after boat sinks in Possession Sound near Everett, WA Shawn Kemp lawyers claim bias in Tacoma Mall shooting case as trial nears Federal judge blocks Trump's dismantling of the Department of Education 'Where is Teekah?': Mother speaks out after Tacoma, WA cold case Activist marks 2 weeks in tree to protest logging near Port Angeles Driver arrested after deadly crash in Kent, WA To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
