West
Washington state proposes high school sports division for transgenders, separating them from female athletes
The state of Washington could be one of the first in the nation to introduce a third gender category for high school sports in order to prevent biological males from competing against girls.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced a proposal to create a separate open division for transgender athletes to compete in. One of the amendments proposes the creation of a girl’s division and an open division in which athletes could participate, regardless of whether their gender identity matches their assigned sex at birth.
“In order to maintain fair and equitable competition, participation in girls’ sports and girls’ divisions of sports is restricted to students who were assigned female at birth. The purpose of this policy is to offer clarity with respect to the participation of trans and gender-diverse student-athletes. Additionally, this policy encourages a culture in which student-athletes can compete in a safe and supportive environment, free of discrimination,” the proposal reads.
The state’s high school athletes are currently allowed to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex. The WIAA policy states that each athlete will participate in programs “consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed,” and there are not even any medical or legal requirements. Bills that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls’ and women’s sports have been introduced but not passed.
Washington is one of 25 states in the U.S. to have laws in place to protect trans inclusion in girls’ and women’s sports.
The proposal comes weeks after a school board in the state voted to send a letter to the WIAA pleading for it to reconsider its current rules that allow trans athletes to compete against females.
The Central Valley School Board, which oversees schools in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake, Washington, voted to send a message to the WIAA over the issues after much debate at a school board meeting.
The resolution, titled “Supporting Equity and Safety in Female Sports,” claims that the entire board is comprised of female members who have either competed in athletics themselves or have daughters who competed in athletics.
One of the women, an unidentified current cross-country runner, shared her experience during the hearing.
“When I ran cross-country for Greenacres Middle School, a boy who was biologically male but identified as female competed on the girls’ team,” she said. “While I respect everyone’s right to participate in sports, the situation made me question the fairness of competing of someone who had the physical advantage associated with male biology.”
In May, a trans athlete competed in a girls’ cross-country championship and won.
Veronica Garcia, who was previously known as Devina Brown and Donovan Brown, won the 400m heat race in the girl’s division with a time of 55.59 seconds. The second-place runner finished at 58.83 seconds. In the finals, Garcia won with a time of 55.75 seconds, a full second ahead of the second-place runner who finished with 56.75.
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The victory prompted outrage by women’s rights activists, including former NCAA swimmer and OutKick contributor Riley Gaines.
The idea of a third gender category in high school and college sports to accommodate trans athletes has been floated as opposition to trans inclusion has stirred outrage across the country over the last year. Deep-blue states like Washington, as well as Oregon and California, which also have laws in place to protect trans inclusion, have been considered the places where a third category makes the most sense due to the influx of trans athletes competing against females in those states.
Steve Garvey, the former California Senate candidate and Los Angeles Dodgers World Series champion, previously told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that he would support President-elect Trump’s ban on trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports, and that he believes trans athletes should compete against each other.
In Riverside, California, Martin Luther King High School is facing a student uprising over the issue after two cross-country runners wore T-shirts that read “Save Girls’ Sports,” in response to a trans athlete taking a varsity roster spot from a female athlete.
The two female athletes filed a lawsuit against the school, and another teammate gave an impassioned plea during a board meeting, which went viral on social media, to remove the trans athlete from the team. Now, hundreds of the school’s students have committed to wearing the T-shirts every week.
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The Denver Broncos’ 2026 schedule has arrived, with nine games on the road and eight games set for Empower Field at Mile High this season.
The Broncos are set to travel 19,129 miles this year, which ranks 15th in the NFL, according to Bill Speros of Bookies.com. Denver does not have an international game this year, which helped them rank near the middle of the pack in travel. Last season, the Broncos played in London and logged 23,267 travel miles, seventh-most in the league.
Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers will travel 24,816 miles (seventh-most), the Las Vegas Raiders will trek 21,099 miles (13th-most) and the Kansas City Chiefs will log 18,401 miles (17th-most) in 2026.
The San Francisco 49ers (38,105) and Los Angeles Rams (34,847) are set to face off in Australia, giving them by far the most travel miles in the league. The Carolina Panthers (8,740) will have the easiest travel schedule this season.
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SEATTLE – After making one turn through a six-man rotation following the return of Bryce Miller, the Seattle Mariners are making a tweak for the next time through.
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Manager Dan Wilson said Friday the plan is for the club to piggyback Miller and fellow right-hander Luis Castillo during the next turn. The M’s have yet to decide which of the two will start.
“That’s the approach we’re going to take and we’re ready to roll,” Wilson said. “I think our guys are in a good spot in terms of getting an extra day here, and I think that’s gonna come up huge for some of these guys.”
Miller, who started the season on the injured list with a left oblique strain, made his season debut Wednesday night in Houston, tossing 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball on 81 pitches. Castillo pitched Thursday’s series finale against the Astros, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings.
The pair is lined up to pitch Tuesday’s home game against the Chicago White Sox. Miller will have had five days of rest, while Castillo will have had the typical four.
Wilson said both players have been accepting of the decision.
“I think they were definitely in a good spot with it and understand it,” Wilson said. “And I think these guys, as we’ve talked about, these guys in this clubhouse, all of them want to do what’s best for the team. And these guys have really taken to that and they’re ready to go.”
Wilson acknowledged that a piggyback situation could get complicated by game flow and situations, but pointed to the potential benefit it could have in giving the bullpen a night off. Either way, it’s a situation that will be evolving for the club as they go.
“This is something that we haven’t done before, so it’s going to be a lot of waiting and seeing and understanding and assessing and making our adjustments as we go,” he said. “But in theory, you can lay it out, and you just don’t know how it’s actually going to play out. So we have to be open to different ways to proceeding, but we’ll take a look at it when we get there.”
The Mariners’ decision to go to a six-man rotation then a piggyback situation with Castillo and Miller come after widespread speculation about what the club’s plans would be when Miller returned from the IL.
When the season started, the assumption was right-hander Emerson Hancock would once again find himself as the odd man out when Miller returned. However, Hancock, a first-round pick at No. 6 overall in the 2020 draft, has earned himself a spot in the rotation during a breakout start to his season. In nine starts this year, he has a 3-2 record, 3.02 ERA and 56 strikeouts to 10 walks over 53 2/3 innings.
Castillo’s spot in the rotation started to come into question after the veteran started to struggle following a strong first start of the season. In seven starts from April 5-May 9, Castillo posted a 7.79 ERA over 32 1/3 innings and batters hit .329 against him. But his most recent start against Houston marked a step forward for the three-time All-Star and highest-paid pitcher on the Mariners’ roster.
Seattle Mariners coverage
• Seattle Mariners trade DFA’d reliever to AL West rival
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• Why Jeff Passan likes Seattle Mariners’ plan with six-man rotation
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