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Our call — vote YES
The measure
Initiative 638 is a citizen-initiated statute (an Initiative to the Legislature) on Washington's November 3, 2026 ballot. It would require school districts and the nonprofit organizations that regulate interscholastic activities to prohibit biologically male students from competing with or against female students in sports that run separate team or individual competitions for male and female students. A student seeking to compete in a female-designated activity would submit a statement from their own healthcare provider verifying the student's biological sex, based on reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels. Current Washington policy protects participation based on gender identity and prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation including gender expression or identity; the initiative overrides that policy for sex-separated sports.
What YES does
A yes vote reserves girls' and women's school sports for biologically female students, verified by a healthcare provider's statement.
What NO does
A no vote keeps the current policy, under which students compete according to gender identity.
The math
No fiscal note for this measure was published on its Ballotpedia page.
OUR CALL
Our call: YES.
Separate girls' sports exist for one reason: male physical advantage is real, and without a protected category, girls lose roster spots, podiums, records, and scholarships to competitors they cannot fairly beat. Verification here is a provider's statement — the same kind of medical paperwork schools already require for athletic eligibility — not the intrusion opponents describe. Twenty-seven states have enacted similar protections since 2020. Fairness and safety in girls' athletics is a yes.
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Sources
- Ballotpedia — Washington Initiative 638, Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative (2026) — https://ballotpedia.org/Washington_Initiative_638,_Sex_Verification_Requirements_for_Female_School_Sports_Initiative_(2026) (accessed October 25, 2026)
- Ballotpedia — 2026 ballot measures — https://ballotpedia.org/2026_ballot_measures
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.