Overview
- The initiative IL26-638, filed for the Washington ballot in early August 2026, would ban transgender girls from girls’ teams by requiring health providers to certify sex assigned at birth using genetic tests, testosterone measurements, or reproductive‑anatomy exams.
- Campaign finance filings show the measure is backed by roughly $3.3 million from the PAC Let's Go Washington tied to Brian Heywood while the leading opposition, No Hate in WA State, has raised about $1.3 million.
- Doctors and child‑health advocates say the tests are medically unnecessary, impractical in routine school physicals, and pose genetic privacy and abuse risks because the measure does not say who will perform or pay for the exams.
- Legal experts warn the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2026 decision in West Virginia v. B.P.J. strengthens the legal path for such bans and could make courtroom reversals slow and costly, meaning students might face testing or exclusion during litigation.
- State sports data show the rule would affect only about ten transgender middle‑ and high‑school athletes out of roughly 200,000 students, and opponents say the measure could chill participation, be used to reshape Title IX protections, and serve as a partisan turnout tool.