Students refuse cross-country race with male on girls’ team

Eleven girls sat out of their cross-country race on Tuesday after learning they would face a male athlete who had started the season racing on the boys’ team. A video of the start of the race showed half of the girls competing while the male athlete took off running. Then, half of the team from Camas High School in Washington state slowly walked forward past the starting line and into a nearby line of trees. In doing so, they forfeited one of their high school competitions. Two girls sat down, embracing each other, seeming distressed.   

Who is this athlete? The individual started the year on the boys’team, where he finished 76th in a JV race, but then began competing as female, according to race information on athletic.net. The person, whose name has remained the same in race records, has since taken first place in a varsity meet and finished second in a different invitational.

What did the parents say? In an interview with Fox News, Kevin and Sarah Burns, whose daughter protested the race, received pushback for the protest. Kevin Burns said that security challenged them about signs they held, but when Burns asked if that was constitutionally legal, security seemed unsure what they could tell them to do. A woman who identified herself as a psychiatric nurse confronted Sarah Burns, accusing her of psychologically damaging the children with her signs. Sarah told the woman she believed she was doing the right thing according what Jesus Christ wanted, according to Fox News. 

What is the current policy? In the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association handbook, all students have the opportunity to participate in athletics and/or activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, which the association defines differently than what it calls assigned sex. The Camas School District told local media that it follows Washington law and Washington Interscholastic Activities Association eligibility rules and was trying to protect student privacy.

Another decision awaits Washington voters on Nov. 3. Initiative 638 would prohibit students it defines as biologically male from competing in certain female-only interschool athletic competitions. It would require students seeking to enter those competitions to obtain verification of biological sex from a healthcare provider.

Camas lists its next championship meet for Oct. 21 at Lewisville Regional Park. Even if the initiative passes, it will not be enacted until after the school’s cross-country season is over.