SPOKANE, Wash. — The Central Valley School District Board of Directors held a meeting Tuesday night that spotlighted the issue of transgender student-athletes and their participation in school sports. The Board discussed a proposed letter to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) requesting more explicit guidance on the rules surrounding transgender athletes.
The draft letter outlined concerns about the current WIAA policy on transgender athletes and advocated for more dialogue around the topic. Among the suggestions was creating an “open” category for competitions not strictly tied to traditional gender classifications, which would potentially allow transgender students to participate without controversy over gender identity.
The topic drew several passionate responses from community members, including parents and local officials. Many argued that transgender athletes should not compete in sports aligned with their gender identity, asserting that the letter should address this issue more directly. Spokane City Councilman Jonathan Bingle voiced his concerns during the public comment period suggesting that language referring to "biological male and female" shouldn’t validate the idea of gender beyond male and female. “Just by saying biological male and female, it accepts the premise that there is anything other than male and female, and there just isn’t anything other than male or female,” Bingle said.
After listening to public input, board members agreed that if they were to send a letter to the WIAA, its language would need adjustments.
Board member Cindy McMullen highlighted the complexities of the issue and the potential for exclusion or unfairness toward transgender athletes, saying, “What about the transgender athlete who wants to participate and can’t participate in any other part of sports, and be true to their gender identification,” McMullen said.
Ultimately, the Board voted unanimously against sending the current draft of the letter. There was no announcement on when, or if, another draft would be put forward.
The meeting followed recent actions by the Mead School District, which passed a resolution last month aimed at preventing transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports.