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An initiative banning Transgender girls from playing in K-12 sports has been approved by Washington voters. Initiative 638, pushed by conservative hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, would also require every girl playing K-12 sports to verify their sex assigned at birth.
The verification would need to be done by a healthcare provider using the “student's reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels,” according to the initiative.
The Associated Press called the race Wednesday. As of Friday, nearly 60% of voters supported the measure and 43% opposed it. Just over 20% of votes have yet to be counted.
Most of the “no” votes came from King and Jefferson Counties, while traditionally Democratic strongholds, including Kitsap and Whatcom Counties, voted “yes,” according to the AP.
Heywood’s political action committee, Let’s Go Washington, was also behind the two other statewide ballot initiatives.
Responses
“To all Trans girls participating in school sports in Washington, we want you to know that you belong: on the field, on the court, on the team,” said Libby Watson, the No Hate in Washington State campaign manager, in a statement. “We stand with you and will continue to fight for a day when you can play sports without controversy.”
Watson added that the initiative is likely against the state constitution and that litigation is being considered.
Only ten K-12 athletes in Washington are Trans, according to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. There are roughly 225,000 student athletes in K-12 sports in Washington.
Supporters of the initiative say it helps keep “biological males” from cheating in girls’ sports.
“Thank you, Washington voters, for putting politics aside to stand with girls, truth, and common sense,” said conservative podcaster Brandi Kruse in a Facebook post. “This was never about hating anyone. It was about recognizing biological realities and the need to protect the sex-based rights that women fought for decades ago.”
Kruse’s advocacy for the initiative was cited by the legislature when it withheld press credentials for her.
Parental rights initiative yet to be called
Another initiative, which would change parental rights in Washington, has yet to be called by the AP. The “no” votes lead the “yes” votes by 4%, with 78% of votes counted.
If Initiative 001 is approved, it would require schools to tell parents about medical services their child receives outside of emergencies. It would make schools notify parents of medications or treatments given to students and when a medical follow-up is made by the school outside of school hours. It would also let parents opt students out of surveys about, among other things, political party affiliation, mental health, and sex.
Critics of the initiative argue it would make schools out students to their parents and harm those who are being abused by their parents.
“What it’s really about is outing young LGBTQ kids and taking away the rights of young people to make their own decisions about their mental health care and reproductive health care,” said state Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pederson, D-Seattle, in a campaign video.
Supporters of the initiative say it would put power back into parents’ hands.
“Gayest Congress” includes Bremerton’s Emily Randall
The 120th Congress is set to the be the Gayest yet in American history, according to the Congressional Equality Caucus, and will include Queer Washington Rep. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton.
Randall won reelection in Washington’s 6th Congressional district by double digits. The district encompasses the most northwestern part of the state, including Mason and Kitsap Counties.
First elected in 2024, Randall is the first openly Queer representative from Washington and the first Queer Latina elected to Congress. She is also a cochair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. In 2025, she introduced the Equality Act, which would solidify federal protections for Queer people.
Washington sends first Trans legislator to Olympia
Along with the passage of the initiative banning Trans girls from school sports, voters in South Seattle sent Trans activist Jaelynn Scott to the state legislature. Scott will be the first Trans state lawmaker in Washington history. She won with 87% of the vote.
Scott is the executive director of the Lavender Rights Project, a Black Transgender advocacy organization.
LGBTQ candidates win big in Oregon
Randall was not the only Queer person to win reelection in the Northwest. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek held on to her position by nearly double digits, despite polls showing a neck-and-neck race. Kotek won with over 52% of the vote.
Kotek is the state’s first openly Lesbian governor and its second Queer governor.
Also, Oregon State House Majority Leader Ben Bowman handily won reelection, beating Republican challenger Bob Niemeyer with 70% of the vote. Bowman is youngest openly Queer person to serve in the Oregon state legislature.
Related
November 4, 2026 A Blue Tsunami and a Rainbow Wave: How the Midterm Results Will Impact LGBTQ People
October 20, 2026 YouGov Poll: Voters Trust Democrats On Trans Rights Issues By 29 Points
October 29, 2026 Op-Ed: Protecting Girls’ Sports Starts with Protecting Girls
September 30, 2026 Washington’s I-001 & I-638: Voter Initiatives Concerning Trans People in Sports, Parental Rights Head to November Ballot
September 24, 2026 Four Elections to Follow in Washington and Oregon
September 24, 2026 A Christian Case Against Washington’s I-001 and I-638
