Washington
Proposal to limit transgender athletes' participation in sports blocked in Washington state
Washington state’s governing body for middle and high school athletics has determined that its proposed rule changes for transgender student athletes would violate state law.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has been considering two proposed rule amendments: One that would prohibit trans girls from competing in girls sports, and another that would create a third open division for trans students to compete in instead.
The WIAA Representative Assembly is expected to vote on these proposals — and 14 others — April 9-18. If passed, rule changes typically go into effect in August.
RELATED: Trans students could be banned from competing in girls’ sports in Washington state
But now, the amendments related to trans student athletes will be an “advisory vote only,” according to the WIAA website.
Sean Bessette, director of communications for WIAA, said Monday that a “legal review” has found the proposed rule changes conflict with state law — and unless the law changes, they can’t be implemented.
“The WIAA remains committed to following state law,” Bessette wrote in an email.
Since 2007, WIAA’s policy has allowed trans students to participate in sports programs consistent with their gender identity. At that time, it was one of the first policies of its kind in the nation.
But the issue has become increasingly controversial — and deeply political — in recent years, especially in light of President Donald Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” It bans transgender girls and women from participating in girls sports, and directs the federal government to withhold funding from educational institutions that don’t comply.
RELATED: How will Trump’s ban on trans athletes in girls’ sports impact Washington state?
In response, WIAA said it would wait to make any changes until it received further legal guidance.
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal called the order a federal overreach that “directly contradicts” state laws banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity. He advised districts to continue to follow existing guidance from his office, which says “schools are required to allow all students, including transgender and nonbinary students, the opportunity to participate on the interscholastic sports team that most closely aligns with their gender identity.”
RELATED: Transgender sports policies at heart of federal complaint from Washington school district
In a letter to WIAA executive director Mick Hoffman March 19 that was later forwarded to all superintendents, Reykdal reiterated that stance, writing that OSPI is “concerned” the proposed amendments would violate state laws.
“We have confidence that WIAA would not implement these amendments if they were to pass in their current form,” he wrote.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.
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Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.
“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”
Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.
Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.
The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.
The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.
The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.
Both of Utah’s power play units scored in the win. Sergachev scored his 10th goal of the season on the power play 13 and a half minutes into the first period. Peterka scored his 21st of the season, on the man-advantage, in the final two minutes of the middle frame.
Peterka has three power play goals in the 2025-26 campaign while Sergachev has matched a career-high with five power play goals this season. Overall, Utah’s power play has scored six goals in the last six games. That output matches the Mammoth’s total from their previous 18 games (per Mammoth PR). Tourigny discussed what’s changed with the team’s performance in recent games.
“(The) puck gets in,” Tourigny laughed. “But, no, I think there’s a number of things. The most important thing is we’re aggressive. We’re attacking.
“…If you look at our goal, the first one, it’s a direct play to the net and then on the loose puck recovery we take a shot with traffic and we score,” Tourigny continued. “On the second one, it’s a slot pass, a great shot by (Peterka). I think we had that attack mindset.”
Guenther, who is on the Mammoth’s top power play unit, agreed with Tourigny’s assessment of attacking more.
“I think just attacking, less predictable,” Guenther explained. “Shooting it more, I think (it is) just work really. Trying to play like a 5-on-5 mindset but on the (power play).”
The Mammoth made several line changes for tonight’s game and the new lines started to find chemistry, despite it being the first game with these changes.
“I like them,” Tourigny said of the changes. “Obviously (Guenther) got a goal, but Cooley’s line was really good. I was looking at the expected goals at the end, I think they were above 90%. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome. Then I think (Barrett Hayton’s) line worked really hard. They’re heavy on pucks and they play well defensively. I did like (Michael Carcone’s) line in (the) previous three games, and I did like them again tonight.”
When Washington pushed back with a power play goal and multiple close chances in the third period, Utah fought hard against the momentum swing to secure the win.
“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Keller explained. “Weathering the storm as much as we could. They’re a great veteran team. They made it hard on us. They pressured us all over the ice, but I was proud of the way we fought there towards the end.”
Utah’s bench was positive and calm throughout the game, especially late in the third. This helped the Mammoth through the momentum swings. Keller, who had two assists in the win, was one of the key voices for the Mammoth.
“He’s one of the guys who was really positive on the bench,” Tourigny explained. “(All the players) were but (Keller) was really vocal. He was really good energy on the bench. So that was really good.”
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Guenther had two points in the win (1G, 1A) and the forward has earned a team-high nine points (5G, 4A) through six road games in 2026. He has become the third Mammoth skater to reach the 50-point mark this season (28G, 23A) and established a new career-high in goals.
- Sergachev has 18 power play points this season (5G, 13A) and is tied with Keller for the team lead this season.
- Keller has recorded multiple primary assists in a game for the seventh time this season and the 27th time in his NHL career. He has now tallied multiple points in four of his last six contests (2G, 8A), with three multi-assist outings over that span.
The Mammoth continue their five-game road trip in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Game time is 5 p.m. MT and available to watch on Mammoth+ and Utah16.
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