Battle ramps up over WA ballot measure to bar transgender students from girls' sports
SEATTLE — Opponents of conservative-backed initiatives to undo changes to the rights of parents and public school students and restrict the participation of transgender girls in sports officially launched their campaign to defeat the ballot measures this week.
The No Hate in WA State campaign argues the two Let’s Go Washington initiatives would invade children’s privacy, vilify transgender youth and leave vulnerable kids unwilling to seek help when needed. A few hundred people attended the campaign kickoff Wednesday night at Seattle club Neumos, organizers said.
“We have to balance the rights of loving parents with the additional life-saving duty to protect the safety of youth who are victims of domestic violence and child abuse,” said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay, a Democrat. “There is no easy answer here. There’s no magic bullet, but I can tell you these poorly written and reckless initiatives do not meet that balance.”
More than $1 million has already poured into the campaign against the initiatives, with large sums coming from unions and the American Civil Liberties Union.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/06/19/battle-ramps-up-over-wa-ballot-measure-to-bar-transgender-students-from-girls-sports/