At a recent cross-country race in Washington state, female athletes from Camas High School and rival Battle Ground High School staged a protest by walking off the course in response to competing against a transgender male athlete. The demonstration has intensified a broader debate over state policies that allow participation in school sports based on gender identity rather than biological sex.
The athlete in question, Logan Mihailoff, began the season running on Camas’s boys’ junior-varsity team, where he placed 76th in an early September race. Within weeks, he transitioned to competing in the girls’ division. His rankings improved markedly against female competitors: he placed second in a late September invitational event among nearly 200 girls and later won a varsity girls’ race, outperforming all 45 biological female runners. More recently, Mihailoff finished 39th in an elite girls’ race and secured second place in a varsity 5,000-meter event.
While supporters of inclusive policies emphasize the relatively small number of transgender athletes participating in girls’ sports, opponents counter that the presence of even one such competitor can affect the opportunities of many female athletes. At least two runners from Skyview High School, Charlie Garrett and Sierra Retzlaff, have actively protested, publicly voicing concerns about fairness and opting out of races in response.
Washington schools assert that they are following existing state law and regulations set by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which base sports participation eligibility on gender identity. This has created tensions and difficult choices for female athletes who feel disadvantaged. For example, Frances Staudt, a basketball player at Tumwater High School, declined to compete against a transgender male athlete and subsequently faced an investigation into alleged harassment. Similarly, wrestler Kallie Keeler reported being unaware she would face a biological male opponent and has accused him of sexual assault during a girls’ tournament, though prosecutors decided not to file charges due to insufficient evidence. Keeler and her family are advocating for changes including advance notification and the option to forgo certain matches without penalty.
Another notable incident involved Eastmont High School runner Ahnaleigh Wilson. After expressing frustration about losing to a male competitor, Wilson participated in a demonstration supporting WNBA player Sophie Cunningham, who has publicly opposed the inclusion of biological males in girls’ sports. During a July game at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, Wilson and another teen held a sign endorsing Cunningham’s stance, leading to a confrontation with one of the Seattle Storm team’s co-owners. This encounter drew national attention when the co-owner was fined and suspended, and the team issued a public apology.
The issue is now heading to Washington state voters on November 3, when they will decide on Initiative IL26-638. The measure seeks to restrict participation in girls’ school sports to biological females, requiring verification of biological sex by a healthcare provider as part of standard pre-competition physicals. Advocates for the initiative argue that its passage in a predominantly Democratic state like Washington could influence similar debates across the country. Opponents maintain that policies allowing transgender students to compete in alignment with their gender identity support inclusivity and affirm students’ rights.
As the conversation continues, female athletes, their families, schools, and policymakers are grappling with competing interests involving fairness, inclusion, and the evolving understanding of gender identity in athletics.