Two Washington state high school athletes, Frances Staudt and Ahnaleigh Wilson, publicly challenged claims by former professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe regarding a state ballot measure on transgender sports participation. The students argued that Rapinoe’s recent op-ed mischaracterized the requirements of Initiative 638, a measure scheduled for the fall ballot.
The debate centers on Washington’s current athletic policies, which allow transgender students to participate in sports aligned with their gender identity. Staudt and Wilson reported personal experiences under these rules, with one finishing second in a 1600-meter race behind a biological male and the other choosing to sit out a basketball game rather than play against a biological male opponent.
Staudt and Wilson stated that Initiative 638 would not require genital inspections or DNA testing, as Rapinoe suggested. Instead, they said the measure requires students in female-only sports to provide a statement from their health care provider verifying their biological sex as part of a standard sports physical. The athletes noted that Washington’s Superintendent stated current data only tracks transgender participation at the varsity level, leaving participation at lower levels unrecorded.
The scale of impact remains partially undefined because the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) only reports transgender participation at the varsity level. One of the athletes involved in this dispute stated she had already competed against four biological males by her sophomore year, suggesting the number of affected students extends beyond current official varsity counts. For these students, the policy represents a fundamental change in how competition categories are defined and maintained across all high school sports levels.
The concrete day-to-day change for students would be the introduction of sex-based eligibility criteria for female sports divisions. Proponents argue this ensures fair competition and safety, while opponents, including Rapinoe, have argued such measures could lead to invasive inspections or the exclusion of students who do not meet certain physical stereotypes. The measure will be decided by Washington voters this fall, with the specific election date not reported in the source text. Until that vote, current state policies remain in effect.