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This Washington initiative risks exposing children who report abuse

TRI-CITY HERALD For over a century, the nonprofit League of Women Voters has stood for and promoted informed and active participation in government and defended the rights of all to make their voice heard in our democracy. As an advocacy group, we do and have done, much more. After extensive study and consensus of our more than 3,000-strong membership, we weigh in on policy matters and issues concerning the greater good.

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GOVERNOR FERGUSON WARNS INITIATIVE 001 WEAKENS PARENTAL RIGHTS

PRESS RELEASE “I'm speaking partly as a governor, of course, but also as a father of two teenagers, who cares deeply about protecting parents' rights. And this initiative, no matter how hard the other side tries to spin it, actually weakens existing laws by removing parents' rights to be immediately notified when their child is a victim of a crime at school. This is an initiative that is taking away parents' that is something that's extremely important to communicate to the public.”

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Gov. Ferguson warns against parental ‘bill of rights’ Initiative 001

SEATTLE TIMES Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson joined Democratic Party lawmakers and other allies Thursday in warning voters against an initiative on the November ballot that would modify parents’ and students’ rights in public schools.  Supporters of state Initiative 001, including conservative millionaire Brian Heywood’s Let’s Go Washington political action committee, say the measure would strengthen parents’ involvement by addressing their ability to access student records and receive notifications about school activities.

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Southwest Washington groups join effort to defeat measures…

THE COLUMBIAN These initiatives were designed to divide our community and distract us from the challenges folks are facing,” said Terah Ebie, president of the Vancouver-based nonprofit Queer Community Network. “But Washingtonians are smarter than that, and we care too deeply about our kids to be manipulated into voting to remove protections that are already in place to keep them safe.”

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Lovick: Why this former Sheriff is voting no on I-001

HERALD NET As a retired Washington State Patrol officer, and as a former Snohomish County Sheriff, I feel a responsibility to help voters understand the dangers posed by a ballot initiative cloaked in the guise of “parents rights.” School counselors, domestic violence prevention advocates, and….

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Seattle Times recommends ‘No’ on I-638, ban on trans girls in sports

SEATTLE TIMES Voters should reject the initiative on the November ballot that would ban roughly 10-12 transgender Washington girls from competing in school-sponsored sports. If this were a “Washington problem“ it would be worth studying as a pressing issue to be resolved by the electorate, informed with science. But it is not. 

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'For all,' not 'for some': Shoreline Council rejects anti-transgender…

SHORELINE AREA NEWS The Shoreline City Council on Monday unanimously passed a resolution to oppose a pair of state ballot initiatives targeting children — especially transgender children — in Washington public schools. In doing so, Shoreline became one of the first cities in Washington to publicly oppose the ballot initiatives, titled IL26-001 and IL26-638.

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638 threatens girls, distracts voters from real problems

HERALD NET As a former school nurse and the parent of girls who were both very active in school sports teams, I am appalled that MAGA interests are playing politics with girls’ bodies and lives. Initiative 638 on our November ballot would require that girls in elementary, middle, and high school undergo sex verification, including…

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Guest Rant: School Counselors Saved Me from Abuse

THE STRANGER‍ ‍While most parents provide loving, supportive, safe environments for their children, the sad reality is there were 117,000 reports of child abuse or neglect in Washington in 2024 alone. Voters need to be aware that I-001 on November’s ballot, an initiative backed by MAGA mega-donor Brian Heywood…

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Oppose harmful initiatives

THE NEWS TRIBUNE Recently, the Tacoma City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing two harmful initiatives (I-001, I-638) on the November ballot. As a school counselor in the Tacoma area, I’m so proud city leaders are taking action against…

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Initiative 26-001 would be harmful to children

SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD Imagine that you are a transgender child or youth right now. The target is on your back. In November, there will be an initiative on the ballot that seeks to strip these kids from the one resource that they have. Initiative 26-001 would require…

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Trans sports ban with genital inspections is now being…

THE MARY SUE Girls’ sports are in the spotlight up in Washington. And people are upset about a possible school rule that could deem students eligible to play. Some Washington State citizens are taking issue with IL26-638, a ballot initiative to ban…

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Washington ballot measure could force all girls to have genital…

ADVOCATE If passed, IL26-638 would impose special eligibility requirements on athletes from kindergarten through high school, requiring them to certify their sex assigned at birth through genetic screening, a testosterone levels test, or even an examination of their reproductive…

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The Campaign to Force Genital Exams on Girl Athletes

THE CUT “I haven’t met a single person who has thought this was a good initiative, and I think for good reason because it just has no place in school sports. [...] This measure is rooted in such hate. It is villainizing children. It is controlling both girls’ autonomy and anatomy.”

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Tacoma City Council Unanimously Opposes I-001, I-638

PRESS RELEASE At tonight’s regular council meeting, Tacoma City Councilmembers voted unanimously to approve a resolution opposing two MAGA-backed ballot measures before Washington’s voters on this November’s ballot.

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How WA state’s sports ballot measure will impact all girls

THE 19TH It’s the most extreme measure of its kind,” said Libby Watson, campaign manager for No Hate in WA State, the primary coalition fighting the initiative. “People are often appalled when they hear that and when they see it in writing on the initiative.”

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The View: Rapinoe on I-638

THE VIEW There's a bill in Washington happening right now that's gonna require all girls just, like, full stop to go through a sex test, an invasive examining [of] their genitals to see if they're a 'woman.' We know what that means…

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