‘Heartbroken’ Washington state superintendent says no consequences for girls who protested transgender runner
About a dozen Camas High School girls’ cross-country runners walked off the starting line during a meet against Battle Ground to protest a transgender teammate competing in the girls’ category. Superintendent John Anzalone said the action was peaceful and that the students would face no consequences, while expressing concern for the teenagers caught up in a polarising dispute.
The sophomore runner switched from the boys’ team to the girls’ team last month and has since won one varsity meet and finished second in two others. Anzalone said the district would follow Washington Interscholastic Activities Association policy, which currently permits the runner to compete, and would not take steps to prevent her from running. At the 21 October district meet, teams can field only seven varsity runners, so the athlete may take a place that otherwise could go to a female teammate.
- Around a dozen Camas girls walked off the start line in protest.
- The superintendent said they would face no consequences.
- The district will follow the state sports eligibility policy.
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Camas and Battle Ground are high schools in Washington state, where cross-country teams compete in races as part of school sport. A transgender pupil is a student whose gender differs from the sex recorded at birth; in this case, the runner moved from the boys’ team to the girls’ team.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association sets rules for school sports across the state, including who may compete in girls’ events. Its policy allows this runner to take part, and the school district says it will follow that policy. The dispute reflects wider questions about how sports rules should balance transgender pupils’ participation with competition for places on girls’ teams.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The girls’ category exists to provide female athletes a fair opportunity to compete, and opponents of the policy argue that puberty-related physical advantages can matter in distance running. From this perspective, the protest was a peaceful way for students to raise a concern about fairness and representation, particularly when the runner’s place at the district meet could mean another girl is left out.
The case against
The transgender runner should be able to take part in the girls’ team under the association’s current rules, which the district says it will follow. Supporters argue that including transgender students in school sport respects their identity and equal participation, while singling out a teenager or penalising classmates for a peaceful protest could deepen the harm caused by an already polarising dispute.