SEATTLE, Wash. — The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) , which is in charge of high school sports, is proposing a new way for transgender athletes to participate.
The WIAA is considering two proposals.
One idea is to create a separate athletic program specifically for transgender athletes.
The second, recommends participation in girls’ sports be limited to students who were assigned female at birth.
You can read the details of the amendments here.
KIRO7 spoke with Mick Hoffman, the Executive Director for WIAA, who says at least 14 school districts in the state of Washington came to them about these proposals.
“The schools that are involved have the beliefs within their school board or the community that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete in anything other than the gender they were born,” Hoffman said.
The topic of transgender athletes in women’s sports has garnered national attention in recent years, and the Evergreen state has seen some of the backlash. For example, a transgender athlete won the girls’ 400 M in the state championships back in May. Videos of the ceremony showed some people in the crowd boo the winner.
These proposals have already been met with some backlash. The ACLU of Washington sent KIRO7 this statement on the matter:
“The Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association has successfully administered its existing policy for over a decade. The policy is consistent with Washington’s anti-discrimination laws and policies and respects the right of transgender students to participate in athletics consistent with their gender identity. The ACLU of Washington encourages WIAA members to uphold existing policy and will be closely monitoring the situation.”
Hoffman tells KIRO7 that the current laws that the ACLU is referring to in their statement have been law in Washington for the past 18 years. He says the final vote on the proposals won’t take place until April. Even then, he believes this discussion is far from over.
©2024 Cox Media Group
