Opinion: Lead by example and vote

Leslie Lewallen
for Clark County Today

Leslie Lewallen

Clark County and Camas High School have been in the national news for weeks because a biological male who began the cross-country season on the boys’ team switched mid-season to the girls’ team. Girls have walked off the starting line and spoken out. Their courage is real. Many parents are applauding them. Many others are asking a harder question: where are the adults?

Some parents have said they fear their house could be burned down or they could lose their job if they speak publicly. Others worry that simply arguing for obvious biological fairness will get them called a racist, a bigot, a homophobe, or a transphobe. Those fears are understandable. They do not remove the responsibility that falls on every parent who cares about fairness, safety, and the future of girls’ sports.

This issue has nothing to do with support for the transgender community. It is about the fairness of sports and protecting Title IX so that girls have the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.

You do not need to appear at a rally. You do not need to be quoted in the newspaper or appear on national television. Here’s what you can do if you want to protect our girls, our children, and common sense:

• 1. Vote.
• 2. Vote for Initiative 645.
• 3. Vote for John Braun for Congress in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.
• 4. Vote for Representative David Stuebe in Legislative District 17.

Sit down with your daughters and sons, pull out the ballot, and show them why these choices matter. Initiative 645 restores the original purpose of Title IX by keeping biological males out of girls’ sports. John Braun has made clear that allowing boys in girls’ sports is unfair and wrong. David Stuebe’s opponent, Diana Perez, has publicly stated she does not support Initiative 645 and will not protect girls’ sports.

This is the simplest, most private way every parent can lead by example. Show your children that you will vote for the policies and the candidates who treat fairness in girls’ sports as non-negotiable. Do not sit this election out. Protect our daughters’ opportunities, their safety, and the principle that girls’ sports are for girls — now and for the next generation.

Leslie Lewallen is a Camas resident, mother of four, supporter of I-645 and Title IX.