Carleen Johnson
The Center Square Washington
Washington is one of four states Tuesday where voters are considering what to do about boys and men competing in girls and women’s sports.
Initiative 638, on the Washington ballot, would prohibit biological male athletes from competing on K-12 athletic teams designated for girls or women.
Supporters say it’s about protecting fairness in girls' athletics, while opponents argue it would discriminate against transgender students.
The cross-country team in Camas, in southwest Washington, has been ground zero for the fight leading up to the election.
A junior cross-country runner at Camas High School who started the season on the boys' team switched to the girls' team midseason.
Last weekend, he qualified for the Washington state cross-country championship, finishing 7th overall at the qualifier, with a time of 18:49.5 at the Westside Classic 4A regional meet at Chambers Bay Golf Course.
The Camas High School girls' team placed 4th overall as a team, earning a trip to the state championship meet on Saturday, November 7 in Pasco.
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) gender-identity participation rules currently allow students to participate on the team matching the gender with which they identify.
Two female cross-country athletes from Skyview High School have spoken out against having to compete against the male athlete from Camas.
Sierra Retzlaff and Charlie Garrett walked off the racecourse during a September meet to protest having to compete against the boy from Camas High School.
Garrett, a junior captain of the Skyview team, and Retzlaff, a sophomore, are two of the top runners on their cross-country team, and both girls have earned a trip to state this next weekend.
As reported by The Center Square, Sierra’s dad, Joel Retzlaff was issued a criminal no-trespass order in September after he showed up with signs urging the protection of girls’ sports and drove through a bus zone as he left the meet after being told he could not remain on school property with his signs.
“The more of these girls that stand up, the more power it will have, and the more eyes will see it and the more votes we’ll get for (the initiative)," said Retzlaff during an Oct 21 rally dubbed “Camas Courage” to show support for the girls who don’t want to compete against a boy.
When the male athlete’s name was announced at the podium last weekend at Chambers Bay, Retzlaff told The Center Square he shouted, “that’s a man.”
“That is nothing but speaking facts and if anybody wants to challenge me on whether or not those facts are true, I would be happy to have a conversation with them,” said Retzlaff in a Monday interview with The Center Square.
The male athlete from Camas, who finished 7th overall was one of 49 individuals to earn a position at state at the 4A competition.
A female athlete from Puyallup was bumped from that 49th position and will not get to compete at state. Finishing out of the qualifiers meant the Puyallup team did not earn enough points to make it to state as only the top seven teams qualify, and they were in position eight for teams.
Puyallup would have advanced to state if not for the male athlete competing.
The Center Square reached out to the Puyallup School District for comment but did not receive a response.
Retzlaff said Monday he doesn’t regret hollering out at the young man as he stood at the podium.
“If no one else is going to tell this boy what the facts are, I will do it from my spot in the field," he said.
Retzlaff said he blames adults in the boy’s life for supporting his decision to run as a girl.
“It’s like giving an anorexic girl liposuction," he added. "No one does that. The way to love this kid is to tell him the truth and teach him to embrace who he is and how God made him, not try and turn him into what he wants to be.”
The Center Square reached out to opponents of the Washington initiative with No Hate in WA State for comment on this article but received no response.
In addition to Washington’s I-638, voters in Colorado, Nebraska and Arizona are voting on similar measures in those states to keep biological males out of girls and women’s sports and private spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms.
This report was first published by The Center Square Washington.
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