Voters in Washington state passed a ballot measure banning transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams, a major loss for LGBTQ+ rights in a solidly Democratic state.
The measure states that elementary, middle and high school students who wish to join women’s athletics must first submit statements from their health care providers verifying their “biological sex.” Opponents have raised the alarm that the measure could force girls to undergo “invasive and extreme” genital exams to participate in school sports.
Initiative 638 passed with the support of nearly 57% of voters Thursday morning, although votes were still being counted.
More than 25 U.S. states have passed similar bans on young trans athletes, mostly through laws promoted by Republican lawmakers. Voters in Arizona and Nebraska approved similar ballot measures this week, and a proposed ban in Colorado led in early results, but that race has not yet been called.
Banning trans youth from sports has become a major priority of conservatives and anti-LGBTQ+ groups who argue they are protecting “equity” in women’s athletics. But civil rights advocates say the policies are discriminatory and unnecessary, pointing out that trans youth have a long history of playing sports and that the restrictions target a small group of students already facing extreme prejudice and exclusion.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association said earlier this year that it was aware of only about a dozen trans athletes in middle and high schools, a tiny fraction of the more than 200,000 students competing statewide. The state has allowed transgender students to play on teams matching their gender identity for nearly two decades.
Critics of the sports bans say they subject all girls to intense scrutiny of their bodies, with opponents of Initiative 638 warning that it could “force tens of thousands of Washington girls each year to undergo invasive, embarrassing and potentially dangerous genital exams just to play sports.”
More than 140 health care providers issued a statement opposing Washington’s measure, and Kelsey Gellner, a Seattle-based pediatric nurse, said last month: “I tell my children and my patients that my number one job is to keep them safe. I can confidently say that girls do not want to undergo an unnecessary exam that creates a dangerous barrier.”
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The initiative was introduced in 2025 by a political action committee called Let’s Go Washington, founded by Brian Heywood, a hedge fund manager who has financed conservative measures. The measure was seen as the most restrictive of four bans on trans youth sports in national elections this year, because it requires girls to prove their gender through hormonal or genetic testing, or genital exams. The measure only applies to women’s sports and boys are not required to undergo similar procedures.
Medical professionals also criticized the measure because it does not allow doctors to rely on birth certificates to confirm a patient’s eligibility to play on women’s sports teams. Libby Loft, a family physician in Spokane, said, “I have to examine someone’s reproductive anatomy – it seems inappropriate for a sports physical. »
In an interview last month, Loft said gender verification requirements create additional barriers for girls who want to participate in athletics, noting that they are already twice as likely as boys to drop out of sports by the age of 14: “I don’t see this as a way to level the playing field for girls, and we’re making trans girls who are kids into villains.” »
Civil rights advocates also argued that Washington’s ban was unconstitutional, violating students’ rights to privacy and equal protection rights. The initiative is expected to take effect in December, although it could face legal challenges.
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