Washington swim league finds workaround to keep boys competing in girls’ events

In a November email obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Chad Winkle, general chair of Pacific Northwest Swimming (PNS), warned parents, athletes, coaches, and officials about “issues” affecting PNS’s ability to host meets in Washington, including in King County and at the King County Aquatic Center. Winkle explained that after Executive Order 14201 was signed in February 2025, requiring federal definitions of sex to be based on male and female, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee adopted corresponding policies. Under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, he said, USA Swimming was required to align with those standards, and as a local swimming committee, PNS is bound by USA Swimming rules.

But Winkle said those federal standards conflict with Washington State law and King County ordinances that prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. He told members PNS had been working with USA Swimming, King County, and legal counsel to find a path forward that would allow meets to continue at the local level, though it might not apply to higher-level competitions. PNS also urged families not to contact outside organizations, warning that public pressure could disrupt negotiations.

On Dec. 2, Winkle announced in a follow-up email that PNS had reached “common ground” with King County and USA Swimming. The solution, he wrote, was to shift all PNS competitions to “Approved” meet status. That would keep USA Swimming technical rules intact, so times for athletes in good standing could still be entered into the SWIMS database and meets could remain properly insured, while changing the administrative side to satisfy Washington law.

The new approach “allows athletes to compete as they self-identify,” which continues to allow male athletes to compete in girls’ sports. Winkle said the PNS board voted to run meets this way through the end of January, when the policy will be reviewed again. He emphasized that PNS “is not the decider on this topic,” describing the organization as a facilitator operating within the demands of state law, county law, and USA Swimming regulations.

Winkle added that families uncomfortable with the change could withdraw from upcoming meets and seek refunds through their teams and meet hosts, and he urged anyone with strong views to take them to state lawmakers rather than PNS.

In February, 15-year-old Frances Staudt told Fox News that she refused to play in a girls’ basketball game after she noticed a “quite obvious” biological male on the opposing team. Washington policies allow participation based on gender identity, and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association found Staudt violated its code of ethics by refusing to compete, despite her stated safety concerns. A civil rights complaint was later filed with the US Department of Education after the school district reportedly investigated her, including claims related to “misgendering” an opponent.

In the spring, 15-year-old Ahnaleigh Wilson finished second in the 1,600-meter race at the Cashmere Junior Olympics regional track meet, losing to a transgender athlete. Wilson’s mother, Elizabeth, told The Center Square the family faced backlash, lost friends, and heard accusations that Ahnaleigh simply needed to “train harder.” The Wilsons are among the parties tied to an Office for Civil Rights complaint filed by Washington Parents Network against the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Gov. Bob Ferguson, along with districts resisting state guidance.

Many female athletes in Washington have lost placements, awards, and opportunities in categories created for female athletes because they were won by biological males.

Advocacy group Let’s Go WA is collecting signatures for Initiative IL26-638, “Protecting Fairness in Girls’ Sports,” which would end self-ID participation in female categories by restricting girls’ sports to biological females. The group is also gathering signatures for a separate parental-rights initiative. Organizers have set a January deadline to submit enough signatures to qualify.