Why this high school athlete is joining the race to get men out of women’s sports

I’m a high school athlete, and I run – for the same reasons most high school girls run: because it’s fun, because I’m fast, because I enjoy the competition, and because I know my athletic prowess opens a path to scholarships. High school track offers me great opportunities for all of that.

But I don’t run to be frustrated, to be disappointed, and to keep losing races (and scholarship opportunities) to male athletes who shouldn’t be running against me in the first place.

The state of Washington is enforcing policies that present me with all those hurdles when I step out on the track knowing I’m going to be racing against a male who should be competing against boys – a male with a man’s strength and speed, who suddenly moves into a position where he’s virtually guaranteed to win every race he enters.

Title IX is supposed to ensure that women and girls have a fair chance to compete (and win) in every sport without facing the physical and biological edge men would bring to our contests. (Alexander Pohl/NurPhoto via Getty Images | AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

As a senior who’s likely to be running against a male student in the near future, I believe Washington’s policy isn’t fair. So do a lot of our state’s high school coaches. So do a growing number of other people (in both political parties).

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In fact, those numbers are growing fast enough that President Donald Trump issued an executive order recognizing that Title IX prohibits males from competing in women’s sports.

Additionally, just recently, in the southern part of my state, the Kennewick School Board – caught between the president’s executive order and our state officials’ unwavering policies – voted 4-0 to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. The board says my state’s school superintendent, the state’s Office of Public Instruction, and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association are all in violation of the president’s order and Title IX… and the board is asking for "urgent" federal intervention.

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The board described what happened at last year’s state 400-meter championship as an example of what’s wrong. A male from Spokane, at the time a junior who had run for the high school boys’ team, now identifies as a girl and easily defeated the young women competing against him. That wasn’t much of a surprise – according to Athletic.net, he’s won every 400-meter he’s entered since he first decided to transition.

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Funny thing: The 400-meter race is one I’m competing in this semester, so I know what to expect when I run against this student, now a senior. My years of hard work, faithful practice, and personal sacrifices will come up against his anatomical advantages, and I’ll lose – every time.

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The Kennewick School Board, quoting from the president’s executive order, called that "demeaning, unfair, and dangerous." I agree and have now filed my own complaint with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights through my attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom. Another female athlete and I are asking administration officials to investigate our state’s violation of our Title IX protections, and those of all the other women student-athletes in Washington.

It’s not an unreasonable request. For 50 years, Title IX has guaranteed high school and college students an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of education (including sports) regardless of sex. The law is supposed to ensure that women and girls have a fair chance to compete (and win) in every sport without facing the physical and biological edge men would bring to our contests.

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Right now, that fairness is out the window. The state officials monitoring women’s sports seem to believe a leopard can run as fast as a cheetah – after all, they’re both cats with spots.

We keep hoping they’ll come around to seeing things differently, but for now, the clock is ticking on our request. The spring semester and track season are already half over. We’re hoping the Office for Civil Rights will jump on this and look into what’s happening as soon as possible.

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I know there’s a lot of political pressure on this issue. Helping people understand why we need to protect girls’ sports may prove to be as difficult as defeating a male out on the track. But this is about fairness – not just for me, but for all women. So, yes, we may have a fight on our hands.

But we’re not going to run.

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