In a recent vote by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) representative assembly, two proposed amendments concerning the participation of transgender students in high school and middle school sports did not receive sufficient support.
Among the amendments that passed was a noteworthy measure that mandates the conclusion of soccer games if an eight-goal margin is reached, regardless of the time remaining. However, other proposals, such as increasing the allowable regular season games in baseball and fastpitch from 20 to 22 and extending regular season soccer games from 16 to 18, did not achieve approval.
The assembly, which consists of 35 high school administrators and 18 middle school administrators, successfully approved seven out of the 16 proposed amendments. This included the historic decision to officially sanction girls flag football as a recognized sport and a revision of transfer eligibility rules for high school athletes. For an amendment to pass, it requires a 60% majority approval from the assembly.
The rejection of the two amendments related to transgender athletes was particularly notable, especially given the WIAA’s existing policy that allows students to compete in the gender division they most consistently identify with. One of the failed amendments sought to limit participation in girls’ sports, such as fastpitch and volleyball, to those assigned female at birth. This proposal narrowly missed the threshold with 31 votes in favor and 22 against, needing 32 votes to meet the required 60%.
The second amendment proposed the establishment of separate athletic programs for boys and girls, along with an open division for athletes wishing to compete based on their gender identity, should it differ from their assigned sex. This measure garnered only 13 votes of support compared to 40 against it.
Both failed amendments were categorized as “advisory vote only” items after being deemed in violation of state law by the Attorney General’s office, the Office of Civil Rights, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, as noted by WIAA director of communications Sean Bessette in a local media report.
In a positive development, girls flag football secured enough backing to become the first new sport officially sanctioned by the WIAA since 1999, with 22 assembly members voting in favor while 13 opposed. The sport has seen a surge in popularity in Kitsap County; two years ago, only South Kitsap and North Kitsap offered girls flag football, but last season, teams from Bainbridge, Bremerton, and Kingston participated, alongside the formation of a combined team from across the Central Kitsap School District.
