A proposal to block males from competing in girls’ sports failed to pass the youth sports governing body in Washington State by a single vote.
On Monday, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced that the measure, an advisory amendment only since banning trans athletes currently runs afoul of Washington State law, earned 31 votes in favor and 22 opposed. While achieving the majority of votes, the measure failed by one vote to win the 60% threshold needed to pass.
“Amendment No. 7 received 31 votes in favor and 22 against passing, just one vote shy of being approved. A second amendment, No. 8, would have created a separate ‘open’ division for transgender athletes in Washington state. It also would restrict both boys’ and girls’ sports to only allowing athletes who were assigned that sex at birth. Amendment No. 8 was much further from passing, with just 13 votes for and 40 against,” KING-TV in Seattle reports.
In February, President Trump reversed the changes to Title IX made by the Biden administration, stating that sex is the gender someone was assigned at birth, not an identity. The executive order, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, further empowered federal agencies to investigate and, if necessary, withhold federal funds from entities that refused to comply with the order.
“The President’s order directly contradicts state law, including the Washington Law Against Discrimination, and our laws prohibiting discrimination in our public schools. Our state law prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity, and we will not back down from that,” said Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal after Trump’s executive order was announced. “Washington state will do everything in our power to defend the rule of law, states’ rights to establish education policy, and to protect the beautiful diversity of our 1.1 million students and educators. We believe in inclusion over discrimination, and love over hate.”
