Doctors rally against Washington ballot measure demanding genital exams for trans girls in sports
Health professionals and unions are campaigning to defeat Washington Initiative 638, which would require girls to undergo genital examinations to verify their sex before joining school sports teams.
Washington voters will consider Initiative 638, a proposal that would bar transgender girls from school sports unless they submit proof of female anatomy through expensive genetic or hormone testing or a direct genital exam, a requirement not imposed on boys. The measure is financed by the Let’s Go Washington political action committee founded by hedge-fund manager Brian Heywood and is viewed as the most restrictive of four similar statewide initiatives.
More than 140 health-care providers, led by pediatric nurse Kelsey Gellner and family doctor Libby Loft, have signed a statement calling the bill invasive, unsafe and contrary to medical practice. Teachers’ unions, the Washington Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the No Hate in Washington State coalition, supported by Senator Patty Murray, are organizing door-knocking and phone-banking drives to defeat the initiative.
Advocates note that only about ten transgender athletes are known among over 200,000 students, and argue the policy would further marginalize an already vulnerable group. The campaign also highlights a parallel ballot measure that would limit school counselors’ ability to protect queer youth, raising concerns about broader cultural battles over LGBTQ+ rights.
Why it matters
The vote will decide whether Washington imposes invasive medical checks on trans girls seeking to play school sports, affecting their privacy and rights.
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