The starting gun sounded, and the athletes competing in the Class 4A District 4 girls cross country championship race Wednesday afternoon took off, looking for glory.
All but one.
A Battle Ground athlete did not take one step forward, instead turning to her left and walking off the course to share a moment with her family.
It was a quiet protest.
Her move came one hour after the start of a rally held just across the street from the grounds of the championship course in Camas, a rally and press conference to support girls’ sports and fair play.
Camas is at the epicenter of a debate in the state of Washington over transgender athletes in girls sports. The Camas girls cross country team has an athlete on its team that started this season on the boys team.
In September, two members of the Skyview High School girls cross country team protested against having to compete under unfair conditions.
Last week, many members of the Camas team also refused to race, walking off the course at the beginning of a dual meet. Some quit in frustration before that protest, while others have quit since then. Other Battle Ground athletes also shared their concerns.
The protests have attracted media attention from around the country just as ballots have been delivered to state residents for the Nov. 3 election. Initiative 638, the Defending Equity in Interscholastic Sports Act, is on that ballot. The initiative would prohibit biologically male athletes from participating in girls-designated sports in Washington K-12 schools.
Supporters of the initiative organized a rally on Wednesday, just before the district cross country meet.
Among the speakers was investigative journalist Brandi Kruse. She praised those athletes who have been standing up for their beliefs.
“They have shown more bravery … than the vast majority of the elected leaders in the state of Washington,” Kruse said.
Another speaker was Tumwater High School senior Frances Staudt, who has been in this fight for more than two years when a boy was allowed to be on her basketball team. Staudt appreciated the Camas girls who walked off the course last week as well as the other athletes who have protested.
“What they did … took courage. Trust me, I know,” Staudt said. “More girls across our state need to do the same, and they need to stop competing. Lock arms in solidarity and say enough is enough. Two years ago, I stood up for something I truly believe in. I stood up for fairness. I stood up for privacy. And I stood up for the rights of girls to compete in sports that were created for us.
“Back then, I was one girl,’’ Staudt added. “One girl they thought they could intimidate. One girl they thought they could shame into silence. Look around now. Not one girl. A whole group of girls is standing up saying enough is enough. That truly tells me we are not alone anymore.”
Staudt also said she is tired of being labeled, just because she is making a stand.
“For years they’ve tried to make girls believe that standing for ourselves is hateful. That wanting a level playing field makes us bigots. That asking for privacy in our own locker rooms makes us bad people,” she said. “We are not bigots. We are not hateful.”
They are, however, disappointed in adult leaders who made decisions that allow girls sports, girls spaces, to be invaded.
“We shouldn’t have to walk away from the starting line just to make our voices heard. And we certainly shouldn’t be publicly shamed for speaking up and speaking the truth,” Staudt said. “These girls in Camas did something powerful. They showed the rest of us what happens when girls stand together.”
Holly Burns, a student at Camas, was one who walked off the starting line last week. She then quit the team. She was at the rally and was interviewed by the Washington Post as well as other organizations with national platforms. She admitted she was a little nervous, though, to talk to so many people at once during the rally.
Still, her brief words were quite compelling as she retold what happened last week. She was also proud of her teammates.
“I stand with those girls. I’m very proud of them,” Holly said.
Holly’s mother, Sarah, also spoke at the rally.
“Our girls shouldn’t have to fight this battle alone. I believe as parents we are called to be bold and protect our children,” she said.
Peggy Retzlaff would have to agree. She is a parent of one of the Skyview athletes who protested in September. She told the rally that her family did not even know what Initiative 638 was before this season. She had no idea there was a way to change state law.
“We just knew it was not OK for a biological boy, who was running (boys) JV to take a girls spot on the varsity team,” Retzlaff said.
She and her family got more involved and learned about the initiative.
“I’m so grateful we are not stuck,’’ Retzlaff said. “We can make a change for our girls. We have the power to protect their locker rooms, to protect their hotel rooms, to protect every starting line and court, by stepping up and voting for this for future seasons and competitions.”
Sarah Babb is a parent of a Camas cross country runner.
“Boys and girls are different, and that’s a wonderful thing. But it’s also the reason boys should not be on a girls sports team,” Babb said.
“Title IX was established to provide equal opportunities for women in sports. Having a boy on a girls sports team no longer provides that equal opportunity if the girls have to compete against a boy. This is common sense and completely logical. Girls should compete against girls, and boys should compete against boys,” she added.
Kruse also took some of her time to discuss the campaign, noting that those against the initiative only have lies and fear mongering. The other side, she said, talks about invasive genital examinations. She noted that the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association already requires physicals for all athletes.
“You will notice that the No on 638 campaign has not ever made the arguments that it’s OK for boys to compete against girls. … They don’t say that because they know it’s a losing argument and that it makes no sense,” Kruse said.
Amy Sousa, a women’s advocate and organizer of this event, also pointed out the number of Democrats and Independents who were part of the rally.
“This is always portrayed as an ‘extreme MAGA issue,’ but there are a lot of progressives who believe in this,” Sousa said. “Polling shows this is an 80-20 issue.”
The rally ended a few minutes before the start of the girls varsity race. Many at the rally walked across the street to watch the race. The transgender athlete from Camas High School finished in second place. At the awards ceremony about an hour later, there were still many from the rally who remained on site. No booing could be heard from a Clark County Today audio recording when that athlete was introduced as the second-place finisher.
Jasmin Faulk, executive director of the Women’s Liberation Front, noted that no one from her organization was there to jeer anyone. This was about protesting a policy made by adults, not to target any teenage athlete.
“I do want to make it very clear: We are not anti-anyone. We are not anti-individuals. We certainly are not anti-minors,” Faulk said. “We are pro-women and pro-girls, and we’re here to protect and preserve all the policies that protect women and girls.”
That message was loud and clear Wednesday, with Staudt putting an emphasis on having strength in numbers.
“It’s easy to point the finger at one girl. It’s easy to call one girl names. And it’s easy to silence one voice. But what happens when that voice becomes 10? What happens when that voice becomes 100? And what happens when girls all across Washington say enough is enough?
“I’ll tell you what happens: They can’t ignore us anymore,” Staudt said.
That number grew by one a few minutes later when the Battle Ground athlete stepped off the course.
“This has never been about hate,” Staudt said. “It’s about fairness. It’s about safety. And it’s about privacy.”
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