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Washington voters pass initiative to ban transgender girls in girls’ sports
Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB • • nation
Key Points:
- Washington state voters approved Initiative 638 with 56% support, enacting a statewide ban on transgender girls competing in girls' school sports, requiring medical testing such as genital exams, hormone tests, or chromosome tests to verify eligibility.
- This is the first ban of its kind in Washington, a historically trans-inclusive state, and one of the few Democratic-led states to implement such restrictions; other states with similar bans include Colorado, Arizona, and Nebraska.
- Supporters argue the ban protects fairness in girls' sports, citing physical advantages of trans girls, while opponents warn it marginalizes transgender students and imposes invasive medical testing on all girls, potentially discouraging sports participation.
- Advocacy groups opposed to the ban, including No Hate in WA State and the ACLU, plan to pursue legal challenges, viewing the measure as a harmful precedent for LGBTQ+ rights both in Washington and nationally.
- Washington Attorney General Nick Brown anticipates legal challenges and emphasized his role in defending state laws, signaling ongoing litigation and political debate surrounding the initiative.
