Washington
Amendments aimed at altering transgender athlete policy fail in Washington
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association representative assembly passed seven amendments, including one sanctioning girls flag football.
Two amendments aimed at changing how transgender students in Washington participate in high school and middle school sports failed to garner enough support during a recent vote by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s representative assembly.
The assembly, which is comprised of 35 high school administrators and 18 middle school administrators, passed seven of 16 amendments in total, including one that will make girls flag football an officially-sanctioned sport and another that will change transfer eligibility rules in high school. Amendments to the WIAA handbook require 60% approval in order to pass.
The failure of two amendments involving transgender athletes stood out considering current WIAA policy allows students to compete in the division of gender they most consistently express.
One amendment aimed to restrict participation in girls’ sports (such as fastpitch and volleyball) and girls’ divisions of sports (such as soccer, wrestling, basketball, and track and field) to students who are assigned female at birth. That measure barely failed, with 31 votes of support and 22 votes against. Support from 32 votes was needed to achieve the 60% threshold.
A second amendment called for athletic programs to be offered for boys and girls, while a separate open division would be created for “athletes wishing to compete according to their gender identity, if differing from their assigned sex.” That measure only generated 13 votes of support, while 40 were against it.
Those two failed amendments, which drew local criticism in January during the representative assembly winter coalition, remained on the ballot as “advisory vote only” items after recently being declared in violation of state law “by the Attorney General’s office, the Office of Civil Rights, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction,” WIAA director of communications Sean Bessette recently stated in a story in the Seattle Times.
Despite the failure of (these amendments), the Association’s message remains clear: The WIAA remains committed to following Washington state law and will continue to do so moving forward,” the WIAA said in a release Monday. “If state law changes in the future, the WIAA Executive Board holds the authority to revise policies accordingly — and now has input from the membership on how to proceed in that event, while remaining in compliance with state law.”
Flag football now an official sport, transfer limit set
Girls flag football generated enough support to become the first new sport to be officially-sanctioned by the WIAA since 1999: 22 assembly voters supported the amendment, while 13 opposed it.
In Kitsap County, girls flag football’s popularity increased significantly last winter. Two years ago, only South Kitsap and North Kitsap offered the sport. Last season, Bainbridge, Bremerton and Kingston fielded teams, while Olympic formed a team comprised of athletes from all across Central Kitsap School District.
Regarding high school athlete transfer rules, the assembly voted 29-6 in favor of an amendment that would allow students to transfer schools one time during their four-year career, but only during designated transfer periods. The transferring student would be ineligible for 40% of the maximum amount of allowable games played.
Other amendments that passed included one that would end soccer games at any point after 60 minutes once an eight-goal margin is achieved. Amendments that failed included one that would have increased the number of regular season baseball and fastpitch games allowed from 20 to 22, and another that would have increased the number of regular season soccer games from 16 to 18.
DE Dawuane Smoot, LB Foyesade Oluokun, TE Brenton Strange, S Eric Murray, and S Antonio Johnson speak with the media after practice on Thursday ahead of the Wild Card Matchup vs. Bills.
0:00 – 2:28 – DE Dawuane Smoot
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DUBAI, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Iran warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any U.S. attack would lead to Tehran striking back against Israel and regional U.S. military bases as “legitimate targets”, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told parliament.
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Washington
Washington National Opera cuts ties with the Kennedy Center after longstanding partnership | CNN Politics
The Washington National Opera on Friday announced it is parting ways with the Kennedy Center after more than a decade with the arts institution.
“Today, the Washington National Opera announced its decision to seek an amicable early termination of its affiliation agreement with the Kennedy Center and resume operations as a fully independent nonprofit entity,” the opera said in a statement.
The decoupling marks another high-profile withdrawal since President Donald Trump and his newly installed board of trustees instituted broad thematic and cosmetic changes to the building, including renaming the facility “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
The opera said it plans to “reduce its spring season and relocate performances to new venues.”
A source familiar with the dynamic told CNN the decision to part ways was made by the opera’s board and its leadership, and that the decision was not mutual.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center said in a statement, “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to part ways with the WNO due to a financially challenging relationship. We believe this represents the best path forward for both organizations and enables us to make responsible choices that support the financial stability and long-term future of the Trump Kennedy Center.”
Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell, who was appointed by Trump’s hand-picked board, said on X, “Having an exclusive relationship has been extremely expensive and limiting in choice and variety.”
Grenell added, “Having an exclusive Opera was just not financially smart. And our patrons clearly wanted a refresh.”
Since taking the reins at the center, Grenell has cut existing staff, hired political allies and mandated a “break-even policy” for every performance.
The opera said the new policy was a factor in its decision to leave the center.
“The Center’s new business model requires productions to be fully funded in advance—a requirement incompatible with opera operations,” the opera said.
Francesca Zambello, the opera’s artistic director, said she is “deeply saddened to leave The Kennedy Center.”
“In the coming years, as we explore new venues and new ways of performing, WNO remains committed to its mission and artistic vision,” she said.
The New York Times first reported the opera’s departure.
Founded in 1956 as the “Opera Society of Washington,” the group has performed across the district, taking permanent residency in the Kennedy Center in 2011.
The performing arts center has been hit with a string of abrupt cancellations from artists in recent weeks including the jazz group The Cookers and New York City-based dance company Doug Varone and Dancers who canceled their performances after Trump’s name was added to the center – a living memorial for assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
The American College Theater Festival voted to suspend its relationship with the Kennedy Center, calling the affiliation “no longer viable” and citing concerns over a misalignment of the group’s values.
American banjo player Béla Fleck withdrew his upcoming performance with the National Symphony Orchestra, saying that performing at the center has become “charged and political.”
The Brentano String Quartet, who canceled their February 1 performance at the Kennedy Center, said they will “regretfully forego performing there.”
CNN has reached out to the Kennedy Center on the additional cancellations.
The opera said, “The Board and management of the company wish the Center well in its own future endeavors.”
CNN’s Betsy Klein and Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.
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