WA rule proposals on transgender athletes fail to pass, WIAA announces

SEATTLE – Two proposed rule changes for transgender student-athletes in Washington that were advisory-only votes did not pass, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced Monday.

The first proposal, labeled ML/HS No. 7, stated that “participation in girls’ sports would be limited to biological females,” according to the WIAA website. The second proposal, ML/HS No. 8, stated that “athletic programs would be offered separately for boys, girls, and an open division for all students interested.”

To pass, the proposals needed to reach a 60% threshold in favor.

Proposal ML/HS No. 7 missed by one vote from passing, getting support from 31 of the 53-person WIAA Representative Assembly that is made up school administrators from across the state.

Proposal ML/HS No. 8 received 13 votes supporting it and 40 votes opposing it.

The WIAA announced this month that the votes would be advisory-only after it determined that changing the rules, which allow athletes to compete with the gender they identify with, would contradict state law.

“We couldn’t implement it even if it had passed until the (state) law changes,” said Mick Hoffman, executive director of the WIAA. “But if interpretation of that from the (state) attorney general changes to where we would not be able to allow transgender athletes, then this vote would tell us that of the options available, we would be inclined to look at amendment No. 7 language first.

“Number eight did not seem to have a lot of interest in general with the total of the vote, whereas number seven had a majority of people align with those rules.”

The WIAA was the first state association in the nation to craft a policy on transgender athletes in 2007 and allowed students to participate consistent with their gender identity. There are few known transgender athletes in Washington.

Hoffman said the WIAA heard from people across the country concerning the two proposed rule changes regarding transgender athletes, with those getting much wider attention than the other 14 proposed amendments that the WIAA Rep. Assembly voted on.

That the proposals did not pass does not mean that they can’t be brought up again. Hoffman said it takes “only five schools from our 800-plus members” to get it back on the agenda.

Hoffman said it is not uncommon for an amendment to pass after failing one or two times.