Washington Voters Back Initiative 638 Banning Transgender Girls From Girls' School Sports

Washington state voters appear to have passed Initiative 638, a ballot measure that bars transgender girls from girls' school sports teams, according to early election returns. As of Wednesday and Thursday morning, about 57% of voters supported it and about 43% opposed it, with votes still being counted. The measure covers elementary, middle and high school students and requires anyone who wants to join a girls' team to submit a statement from a healthcare provider verifying biological sex. Brian Heywood, founder of Let's Go Washington, the political group backing the measure, said it was a win for female athletes. More than 25 states have adopted similar bans, mostly through Republican-backed legislation. Voters in Arizona and Nebraska approved similar measures this week, and a proposed ban in Colorado led in early results but had not been called.

The left-leaning Guardian US calls the result a major loss for LGBTQ+ rights in a solidly Democratic state. It gives space to opponents who warn that the verification rules could force girls to undergo "invasive and extreme" genital exams. It also presents civil rights advocates who call the policies discriminatory and unnecessary and say they target a small group of students already facing prejudice. It describes supporters as conservatives and anti-LGBTQ+ groups. The right-leaning Breitbart calls the measure the Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative and describes it as blocking males who identify as female. It quotes Heywood and a statement naming individual girls, and it presents the vote as a victory over the majority party. It does not feature the exam concerns in the portion available. Both report the roughly 57%-43% margin, the doctor documentation requirement, and that counting continues. Axios, listed as alternative, reports a sizable lead for the measure in a brief, straightforward account.