Washington Initiative 638: Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative endorsements, 2026 | Sway

Initiative 638: Sex Verification Requirements for Female School Sports Initiative

Washington Initiative 638 is on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

What it does

Require school and voluntary nonprofit athletics to prohibit biologically male students from competing with and against biologically female students

On your ballot

This measure would prohibit students it defines as “biologically male” from competing in certain school athletic activities intended for female students only. It would require verification of biological sex by students’ healthcare providers.

Should this measure be enacted into law?

Research the full Washington ballot

See your full ballot

No

What a no vote means

A "no" vote opposes the initiative, thereby keeping the current state law requiring that recreational and athletic activities "be offered to all students without regard for sex" and prohibiting public schools from discriminating based on sexual orientation including gender expression or identity.

Groups recommending "No"

Add a group to see its recommendations on your ballot.

Fuse Washington 2026 Progressive Voters Guide

Posted by Sway

Initiative 638 is another project of Brian Heywood and the ultra-conservative group Let's Go Washington, this time directly targeting and attacking school-aged girls under the guise of fairness and protection. We all want fairness and safety in sports, for all students, but this poorly written measure will subject tens of thousands of girls to invasive and costly medical exams to verify their sex for sports participation, just to exclude 5-10 trans girls statewide. Boys will not be required to undergo the same exam. If passed, this initiative would create the most extreme sports ban in the country. As it is written, the initiative changes the law around sports physicals to ban the use of birth certificates and instead require medical sex certification for all girls, forcing them to endure invasive sex inspections just to participate in sports - including non-physical activities like esports. While the authors of the measure claim the intent is to protect the safety and fairness of girls' sports, it instead creates many inequities, including for girls who rely on free sports physicals at school and for girls who don't have regular access to a doctor. Rather than fund efforts to create more opportunities for youth athletes, Brian Heywood is creepily spending millions to unfairly target and isolate a handful of transgender girls who just want to play on a team with their friends. Nurses, doctors, mental health professionals, and teachers are strongly opposing this initiative, noting it creates more harm than it prevents. Vote NO on I-638 to actually protect safety and fairness for girls in sports.

Washington Education Association 2026 Endorsements

Posted by Sway

Recommends to vote "No"

DSA National Endorsements 2026

Posted by Sway

Whatcom County Progressive Guide

Led by Chuck McKnight · 2 voters

This is a conservative measure funded by Republican mega-donor Brian Heywood. It is anti-trans, and it would be a massive invasion of privacy for all children, not just trans kids.

Sweet T’s Picks

Led by Tove Tupper · 1 voter

This initiative would ban transgender girls from girls sports teams and require invasive sex verification procedures for

ALL girls who want to play. Sports should be about belonging, friendship and teamwork.

No child

Tri-City Progressives

Led by Annalisa Ely · 1 voter

Trans women don't make women's sports unfair. They do not, on average, do any better than cis women. If we want to take away biological advantage, we have to ban cis women who are too tall, or have too much testosterone, etc., and when we do that as sometimes happens in the Olympics, Black women are unfairly targeted. There is more variation among cis women than between cis women and cis men, let alone trans women.

Washington Supreme Court & Initiatives

Led by Mallory McClure · 1 voter

This initiative is bankrolled by the conservative Let's Go Washington PAC and would require all girls (and only girls) in state-run sports (e.g. middle and high school sports) to undergo testing to prove they were "born female".

This initiative is just a ban on trans girls in sports and an attack on all girls sports generally. As written, this ban would require girls (again, just girls) to undergo invasive sex inspections to "prove" they are girls. This is disgusting and ridiculous. All children deserve safe access to sports and physical activity, and this will just make that harder for tens of thousands of girls in Washington. Nurses, doctors, mental health professionals, and teachers are strongly opposing this initiative, as should everyone. This only harms children and protects no one.