OLYMPIA, Wash – Either the legislature or Washington voters will now have a say in whether kids playing sports in the state have to play in divisions based on their gender assigned at birth.
The Washington Secretary of State notified the legislature Thursday that signatures have been verified for Initiative Measure IL26-638.
It specifically prohibits students who are biologically male from competing in sports intended for girls.
The initiative says the gender would be medically verified.
Right now, Washington allows students to participate in sports based on the gender with which they identify, which has put some districts in the crosshairs of the federal government.
Now that the signatures have been certified, it’s up to the legislature to decide what’s next.
The legislature can approve the initiative or send it to voters to decide.
If the legislature takes no action by the end of the session in March, it will be up for a vote in November.
Let’s Go Washington is behind the initiative and says it submitted 445,187 signatures to the state for certification.
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