Washington state passes ballot measure banning trans girls from school sports

Key Points:

• Washington state voters approved Initiative 638, banning transgender girls from participating on girls’ sports teams unless they provide healthcare provider verification of their “biological sex,” with nearly 57% support as votes were still being counted.
• The measure requires hormone or genetic tests, or genital examinations, to prove eligibility, raising concerns about invasive and harmful scrutiny for all girls, with critics warning it could force many to undergo embarrassing exams just to play sports.
• More than 140 healthcare providers opposed the initiative, arguing it creates unsafe barriers for girls and is medically inappropriate, as it disallows reliance on birth certificates and mandates physical examinations of reproductive anatomy.
• The ban reflects a broader conservative push across more than 25 states to restrict trans youth athletes, framed as protecting fairness in women’s sports, though civil rights advocates say these policies are discriminatory and target a vulnerable minority.
• Washington had previously allowed trans students to compete according to their gender identity for nearly two decades, and the state association reported only about 10 trans middle and high school athletes among over 200,000 participants statewide.