SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — The Central Valley School Board has passed a resolution urging the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) to reconsider its policy that allows transgender athletes to compete in sports that align with their gender identity.
In a nearly two-and-a-half-hour special board meeting on Monday night, parents, student-athletes and others spoke both in favor and in opposition of the board’s resolution.
“It was two years ago to the date when i addressed this board, but than it was an anti-trans policy about bathrooms, and I shared at that time don’t know how many of you were here at that time. My Katie died by suicide that fall. This is a real issue. It is hurting real people every single time it is debated,” said Dr. Pam Kohlmeier, a speaker in opposition of the resolution.
Dr. Kohlmeier also cited suicide rates in transgender youth, saying the resolution was anti transgender and the community needed to do better.
While a few others agreed with her, majority of today’s speakers were in favor of the resolution—some wanting the district to be even more clear in its stance banning those born biologically male from participating in female sports.
A few current female student athletes from Ridgeline High School also took the podium.
“When I ran cross country for Greenacres Middle School a boy who was biologically male but identified as female competed on the girls team he performed exceptionally well, beating over half of the competition while I respect everyone’s right to participate in sports the situation made me question of the fairness of competing of someone who had the physical advantage associated with male biology,” Sydney M, a student-athlete from Ridgeline High School said.
Some also raised safety concerns regarding transgender athletes in women’s sports.
After a few amendments, the Central Valley School Board passed both its resolution and letter to the WIAA and state legislators. The letter reads in part: “Students born male, including transgender girls or nonbinary boys, have a biological advantage over students born female. Therefore, unless a sport category is deemed co-ed, those born male should continue to be welcome to enjoy fair play within male sport categories.”
The letter ends with, “As our legislators, we respectfully urge you to address current inequalities and safety concerns effecting girls’ and women’s sports before further injury or loss of opportunities occur.”
The Central Valley School District now joins other districts, such as Mead, in sending letters to the WIAA on this issue.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
