Seattle mayor backs effort to block girls' sports initiative that passed in 36 of Washington's 39 counties
The statement was 148 words. Not one of those words was "girls."
Tuesday, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson said that she was going to back the Seattle School Board's unanimous vote to pursue legal action against Initiative 638 β which would enforce separation of boys and girls in K-12 sports in Washington state.Β
Voters passed the measure by a 13-point margin last week, and it won in 36 of the Evergreen State's 39 counties. But after deliberating behind closed doors Monday, the Seattle School Board voted publicly to authorize potential legal action against the measure without hearing public testimony. And the mayor fully approves.
Here is Wilson's full statement.
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"Last night, the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors voted to authorize legal action regarding Initiative 638. The Board's decision reflects concerns shared by educators, families, community leaders, and the City of Seattle about the measure's impact on student privacy, safety, dignity, and equitable access to educational opportunities.
"For nearly two decades, Washington schools and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association have relied on policies designed to ensure all students can participate fully in school life. As those longstanding protections face new challenges, we affirm the rights of transgender youth and stand with them and their families.
"As mayor, I remain committed to building a Seattle where every person is welcomed, supported, and valued, and where all young people can thrive as their authentic selves. I support the Board's decision and its commitment to creating inclusive learning environments where every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential."
WASHINGTON STATE VOTERS APPEAR TO PASS FIRST-EVER BALLOT MEASURE SEPARATING BOYS AND GIRLS SPORTS
Remember, Seattle was one of the epicenters of the "No Kings" movement, where tens of thousands rallied against a president they accused of disregarding the will of the people. Yet when Washington voters overwhelmingly supported a measure Wilson opposes, she had no problem backing an effort to overturn it. Apparently, the will of the people is only worth defending when the people vote the right way.
Capping off Wilson's statement was a paragraph of political platitudes so empty it would make even a seasoned politician blush. She wants to build a Seattle "where all young people can thrive as their authentic selves," and "create inclusive learning environments where every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential."
This sounds great to an untrained ear, but what Wilson is really saying is this: If you're a boy who wants to identify as a girl, you should have the right to dominate females in sports. The dozen or so girls' cross-country runners from Camas, who walked off the start line to protest their male teammate competing as a female? They don't matter. Battle Ground High cross country runner Elise Bierer, who broke down in tears after sacrificing a race for the same cause? Irrelevant. Tumwater High student Frances Staudt, who is regularly cursed at by classmates for refusing to compete against a boy in a basketball game? Collateral damage.
Speaking of Staudt, she was at a political watch party in Redmond, last week with women's sports advocate Amy Sousa. Both were ecstatic about the passage of I-638 and thought this fight was over. But Monday, Sousa said she confronted the Seattle School Board, told them the vast majority of counties in Washington voted "yes" on I-638 and yelled, "King County doesn't get a veto!"
I followed up with her on that on Wednesday.
ACLU OF WASHINGTON SAYS IT WILL SUE TO BLOCK BALLOT INITIATIVE TO PROTECT GIRLS' SPORTS
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"Those girls (like Staudt) have fought so, so hard," Sousa said. "They should not have to be activists at that age. And they should not be thrown into a political issue that adults put on their doorstep. Adults did this to them, and adults need to stop it."
As for what the legal fight looks like? Well, Monday, a group of parents and education organizations, represented by attorneys from the ACLU of Washington, Legal Voice and Pacifica Law Group, filed a lawsuit seeking to block I-638 before it takes effect Dec. 3. The plaintiffs argue that the measure's sex-verification requirements violate Washington's constitutional protections for privacy and equal rights. They're seeking an emergency injunction to prevent the initiative from taking effect while the case proceeds.
That's separate from the Seattle School Board authorizing its own potential legal action, though district officials have yet to specify what form that might take.
What's certain is that Seattle's mayor will be behind those actions. She's all about inclusion.
Except when it comes to the vast majority of the state's voters. Like anyone who may have wanted to testify in front of the school board, they are summarily excluded.
