Why Vote NO on IL26-638 (I-638)?
The most extreme MAGA measure of its kind in the U.S., I-638 would require tens of thousands of elementary, middle and high school girls to undergo intrusive, potentially harmful medical sex inspections every year as a new part of sports physicals. It takes decision-making power away from parents, schools and athletic associations with a statewide ban excluding trans girls from participating on any teams at any level.
I-638 is opposed by the WA State Nurses Association, League of Women Voters, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, the Seattle Times, and hundreds more.
Vote NO On I-638 Is Endorsed By
Seattle Times Recommends: No on I-638
“IL 26-638 would unfairly target a few students to appease those who want to dictate to schools just who is worthy of participating in competitive sports and who isn’t. The Times editorial board recommends voters say “no” to fearmongering.”
What does IL26-638 do?
We all want to protect girls, but I-638 does the opposite by discriminating against girls and putting them at risk of harm. More than 100 doctors agree I-638 will subject girls to invasive, medically unnecessary, and potentially harmful genital exams to verify their sex for sports’ physicals.
1. I-638 could force invasive genital exams on girls just to participate in elementary, middle or high school sports
I-638 changes the law to require medical sex certification as part of sports physicals for all girls, and bans parents from using birth certificates instead.
It could force tens of thousands of Washington girls each year to undergo invasive, embarrassing, and potentially harmful genital exams just to play sports.
Free student sports physicals often occur in group settings in gyms, so this invasive exam requirement could subject girls to greater embarrassment and harm. Right now students stay fully clothed during sports physicals, but this could change for girls.
2. I-638 is the most extreme MAGA measure of its kind in the country and discriminates against girls
This is the most extreme MAGA measure of its kind in the country because it targets girls with invasive genital exams to medically certify their sex.
Boys are completely exempt from this requirement – only girls will be subjected to the medical sex certification and genital exams - putting another barrier between girls and sports. And lawyers say it discriminates against girls, making it unconstitutional in Washington.
All girls will be discouraged from playing sports under I-638 because they will be subjected to invasive, embarrassing genital exams. Girls will miss out on the many benefits of playing sports, as well as learning about teamwork and cooperation.
3. I-638 takes decision making power away from parents, schools, and athletic associations and excludes a tiny group of vulnerable children from sports.
I-638 polices who get to participate in elementary, middle, and high school sports, taking decisions away from sports associations, schools, and parents.
This MAGA-backed initiative cruelly singles out trans girls - a tiny, vulnerable minority of students - for exclusion based on misinformation and fear about what it means to be transgender, encouraging harassment, violence, and discrimination.
Every child needs to feel supported in becoming who they are. When we exclude children from something as healthy as playing team sports, we increase the risks of isolation, depression, inactivity, and other physical and mental health threats.
Banning trans girls from sports is the first step on a slippery discrimination slope against girls who are taller, stronger, less feminine or just unexpectedly better than their peers.
“Imagine you’re 13 years old and worrying: Am I the "wrong" kind of girl to play sports? Am I too tall, too boyish, or so fast that politicians will question whether I am girl enough to play on a team with my friends? I was that girl at 13. I didn't fit the stereotypes of how some people think a girl should look, act, and compete. If today’s state laws policing girls who play sports had been in place then, I might have never joined a soccer team and never went on to win two FIFA World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal—all because I wasn’t the right kind of girl in the eyes of some politicians.”
Learn more about the impacts of I-638 on Washingtonians:
Frequently Asked Questions About IL26-638
IL26-638 (also known as I-638) is a measure on Washingtonians’ November 2026 ballots. It would institute a strict requirement that all girls be sex inspected, directing doctors to inspect each girls’ “reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels” as part of their sports physicals. (Sec3(2))
Does I-638 apply to boys?
No. This initiative specifically exempts boys from these new onerous and humiliating requirements. I-638’s invasive exam requirement will drive even more girls, and their parents, away from school sports by imposing new burdens, costs, humiliation, and possible harm. It likely violates Washington State Constitution’s Equal Rights Amendment, which forbids sex discrimination.
Are girls already genitally inspected during sports physicals ?
No. Today in Washington sports physical forms and sports eligibility forms do not require children to be genitally inspected or sex certified. Family physicians and pediatricians confirm all girls and boys keep their pants on during sports physicals.
“All major organizations, including the AAFP, the AAP and the USPSTF, do not recommend genital exams for girls as a part of sports physicals. Many encourage a focus specifically on cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and neurologic health. From a medical, safety and developmental perspective, I-638 is unnecessary, not backed by clinical guidelines, and would create unwarranted stress and harm for young girls.” - Dr. Maddie Gore
If I-638 passes, at least every two years all girls who want to participate in sports will have to be sex certified by a doctor as a new part of their sports physicals using “reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels.”
To comply with I-638, many girls seeking a sports physical will have to be genitally inspected by a stranger because an estimated 150,000 school age girls in Washington do not have access to a regular family doctor. Still others may rely on group settings for sports physicals offered by their schools, where they will have to be sex inspected in public.
Why can’t parents use birth certificates to avoid putting their daughters through these intrusive inspections?
Nothing in I-638 allows parents to use birth certificates. While backers of this initiative claim parents can use hospital birth records, there is nothing in the initiative saying this. Most parents do not have access or time to hunt down old hospital documents, especially if they’ve moved. As a result an estimated 150,000 school age girls who do not have a regular family doctor or pediatrician, so they will have to be inspected by a stranger if they want to participate in sports.
What are doctors looking for during I-638’s sex inspections?
I-638 is poorly written and vague, directing doctors to inspect “reproductive anatomy” but doctors say this could require pelvic exams for some children.
“All major organizations (ACOG, AAFP, USPSTF, AMSSM) advise against routine pelvic exams for asymptomatic adolescent females. The USPSTF goes as far as to say that harms caused by these unnecessary exams include “the psychological harms, pain and discomfort from the examination, and the potential for these to serve as a barrier for women to receive medical care.” - Dr. Kevin Glover
The initiative also directs doctors to conduct genetic or testosterone tests to determine a child’s sex, but doesn’t say what they are looking for. Children naturally have a wide range of genetic variations other than XX and XY genes. Girls may have many reasons for varying testosterone levels, including:
“The initiative allows verification through hormone testing or genetic analysis — evaluations that typically require lab work and, in some cases, specialist interpretation. It does not set testosterone thresholds, define documentation standards or explain how cases involving intersex traits, delayed puberty or natural hormonal variation would be handled.” - Dr. Glenna Martin
How many transgender girls play sports now in Washington schools?
Out of 1.2 million students, an estimated 5 - 10 transgender children play school sports in our state, according to statements from Superintendent for Public Instruction Chris Reykdal and from Justin Kesterson, assistant executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). To exclude a tiny handful of trans girls, I-638 requires tens of thousands of girls to be invasively inspected to play sports.
I-638’s sponsors claim that “biological boys” are pretending to be transgender girls just to play elementary, middle or high school girls sports. In this highly unlikely hypothetical situation, the school can and should deny that student’s eligibility.
Shouldn’t we protect girls’ sports?
Trans girls are not a threat, but I-638 is. I-638’s invasive requirements will drive even more girls, and their parents, away from sports by imposing new burdens, costs, humiliation, and possible harm. Because Black, brown, and immigrant girls also face more historical barriers to health care and access to regular family doctors, I-638’s sex inspection requirements and expenses will further limit their access to sports.
If we are truly concerned about protecting girls who play sports, then we must address the real physical threats facing girls who play sports - including sexual harassment and abuse.
“If anyone is actually afraid about biological males in the locker room, they should be worried about the coaches, not a trans girl just trying to fit in and be a part of a team.” - Kate Starbird, former WNBA Storm player and Naismeth College Player of the Year.
Who opposes or supports IL26-638 and more
Who opposes I-638?
WA State PTA: I-638 is opposed by the WA State Parent Teacher Association, which says “WSPTA opposes IL26-638 because of what it would require. The initiative permits three verification methods — genetic testing, testosterone measurement, or an examination of reproductive anatomy — and because the first two are expensive and unlikely to be covered by insurance for this purpose, an examination of reproductive anatomy is the most accessible pathway for most families. Nothing like this happens today, none of it is medically necessary to play a sport, and it would be asked only of girls. Read the full analysis in WSPTA’s position statement on IL26-638.”
Seattle Times: The Seattle Times Editorial Board opposes I-638, writing “The initiative, backed by the conservative PAC Let’s Go Washington, is part of a national movement to disenfranchise and dehumanize the transgender community. What better way to solicit broad support for their cause than to insert it in the world of sports, an activity that supposedly brings people together? But in this case, it’s tearing people apart and all based on fear.”
Doctors: More than 100 family doctors and other medical professionals oppose I-638, saying Efforts that mandate elements of patient care and counseling, like IL26-001 and IL26-638, can impact the trust between a patient and their provider. Under IL26-638, all girls who want to play on a team at the K-12 level will need a medical certification of her sex defined as a physical “reproductive organ exam,” or costly genetic or hormone testing.”
I-638 is also opposed by the WA State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, League of Women Voters of WA, Washington State Nurses Association, Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, Washington Education Association, League of Education Voters, Mom’s Rising, and hundreds of others.
Who is behind IL26-638?
This measure is bankrolled by a MAGA mega-donor, Brian Heywood, and his PAC Let’s Go Washington. It is part of a national MAGA agenda to distract voters from real issues facing voters.