Washington female high school athlete needs police escort to speak out against men in women's sports at protest

High school student Frances Staudt was escorted by law enforcement as to her address of a crowd of protesters Saturday at an event organized by Let’s Go Washington, a group advocating to protect girls' sports.

Staudt has become a focal point in Washington’s debate over transgender athletes in high school sports. Earlier this year, she declined to play in a game for her girls’ basketball team at Tumwater High School when the opposing team included a biological male athlete. She requested that the player be removed, but the request was denied amid concerns over discrimination against boys who say they are girls.

Following her withdrawal from the game, Staudt was accused by the school district of “harassing” the male athlete. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) found she had violated its ethics code by misgendering the opponent. In response, a civil rights complaint was filed on her behalf with the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging discrimination and unfair treatment by the Tumwater School District

Footage posted on X Saturday by Brandi Kruse showed how police had to escort Staudt to the center of the protesters as counter-protesters were nearby. Staudt was then seen standing at the center of a ring formed by male supporters so she could speak despite counterprotesters attempting to drown out her remarks with sirens.

“We are being told that affirming gender care and dysphoria is helping our children, and those who listen to their gut feeling, which is telling them that it is wrong, are abusive,” Staudt said. “We are being told that 18-year-old men are not present in the locker rooms and bathrooms of 15-year-old girls, seeking to silence their voices, eradicating the fundamental female rights that the left claims to care about protecting so passionately.”

Staudt also criticized Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, and Attorney General Nick Brown, accusing them of promoting radical gender ideology within schools and silencing dissent through “frivolous allegations and lawsuits.” She noted how she has personally been investigated and labeled a “liar” and a “bigot.”

“Biological men should not be participating in women’s sport,” she declared. “Biological men and boys should not be in my locker room or my bathroom.”