Initiative IL26-638 (also referred to as the “Protecting Girls’ Sports” or “Fairness in Girls’ Athletics” measure) is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that will appear on Washington’s November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
What the Initiative Would Do
The official ballot title and summary state:
- It concerns participation in athletics at K-12 schools.
- It would prohibit students defined as “biologically male” from competing with or against female students in certain interschool athletic activities intended for female students only.
- Students who want to participate in those female-designated activities must provide a statement from their healthcare provider verifying biological sex. Verification must rely on one or more of: reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels.
- The requirements apply to both team and individual competitions.
It would apply to public K-12 schools and to private schools that participate in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) or similar organizations. It builds on the existing requirement for a routine sports physical by adding a sex-verification component signed by a healthcare provider.
The measure was filed by Let’s Go Washington (associated with Brian Heywood). Supporters gathered far more than the required signatures (over 444,000 submitted). The Legislature took no action, so it advanced to the ballot.
Current Law and Policy in Washington
Since 2007, the WIAA has generally allowed transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. Washington has been one of the more inclusive states on this issue. The initiative would reverse that approach for girls’/women’s categories by defining eligibility according to biological sex.
Arguments in Support
Supporters argue that biological sex differences—particularly those that develop with male puberty (greater muscle mass, bone density, lung capacity, strength, and speed on average)—create inherent advantages in most competitive sports. They contend that allowing males who identify as female to compete in girls’ categories undermines fairness, safety, and equal opportunity for biological females, including access to playing time, titles, records, and scholarships. They view the verification requirement as a practical enforcement mechanism that uses the already-required sports physical process. Proponents frame the measure as protecting Title IX-style opportunities for girls.
Arguments in Opposition
Opponents argue that the measure is overly broad and invasive. Because verification would be required of every student seeking to compete in girls’ sports (not just those whose eligibility is challenged), they say it would subject tens of thousands of girls annually to additional medical scrutiny—potentially including examination of reproductive anatomy, genetic testing, or hormone testing. Critics raise privacy concerns, the risk of “forced outing,” cost and insurance coverage questions, and the psychological impact of such exams. They note that the number of transgender girls participating in Washington interscholastic sports is very small (commonly cited in the low double digits) and argue that a statewide ban and universal verification process is a disproportionate response. Groups such as the Washington State PTA and “No Hate in WA State” oppose it, calling it extreme compared with policies in other states.
Broader Context
This is one of several 2026 state-level ballot measures addressing transgender athletes in female sports categories. Washington’s version stands out because of the universal healthcare-provider verification requirement rather than a challenge-based or self-identification system. Nationally, debates continue over the tension between inclusion, fairness, and biological sex-based categories in sex-segregated sports. Scientific literature generally recognizes average performance differences between males and females after puberty in strength- and speed-based sports, while individual variation and the effects of hormone suppression remain points of discussion.
The measure is highly polarized. Public polling (depending on wording) has shown majority support for restricting girls’ sports to biological females in some surveys, while organized opposition focuses on the verification mechanism and privacy impacts.
