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Washington Girls Walk Off Cross Country Meet in Protest of Male Athlete
ReWashington Girls Walk Off Cross Country Meet in Protest of Male Athlete
About a dozen girls at a Camas High School cross country meet walked off the course rather than compete against a male athlete who had joined the girls' team, as parents describe the decision and a looming state ballot measure.
A group of high school girls in Washington state walked away from a cross country race this week rather than compete against a male athlete who had joined the girls' team, a protest that has spread widely online and drawn attention to a debate over eligibility rules in scholastic sports.
Holly Burns, a runner for Camas High School, was among about a dozen girls who stepped past the starting line and into a nearby tree line when the race began, giving up one of their competitions. The other half of the field, along with the male athlete, ran the course. The meet on Oct. 13 pitted Camas against Battle Ground and was hosted by Camas at the Underwriters Lab campus, with the girls' race scheduled for 4 p.m.
Burns' parents, Kevin and Sarah Burns, said their daughter initially wanted to avoid making waves. «She wanted to kind of play it safe, so we weren't going to push it,» Kevin Burns said. «We told her that. We supported her whichever decision she tries to make.» But as teammates began talking and sharing concerns, the girls decided to act together, and the parents backed the plan. «The more I heard about her friends wanting to do something, the more I heard about her team wanting to do something, we definitely were in support of that,» Kevin Burns said.
The family said they learned recently that the athlete had moved from boys' to girls' competition. «You hear about it, but you just never think it's going to be on your kid's small cross-country team,» Sarah Burns said. The Camas School District has said it follows Washington law and Washington Interscholastic Activities Association eligibility rules. For the Burnses, that leaves their daughter's concerns unresolved. «I don't see how it's OK to discriminate against my daughter and the daughters of everyone else that is trying to fairly compete,» Kevin Burns said.
Before the walk-off, the parents arrived with signs and said security challenged them. «They said that we're not allowed to hold up signs at this event today,» Kevin Burns said. He questioned whether the restriction was constitutionally legal and whether the campus counted as public or private property. He said he held up his sign anyway and was followed by several security guards who told him he would have to leave. «I just said, no, I'm not going to leave.»
Other parents approached them, the Burnses said. Some offered support, while others said they agreed but feared backlash for speaking publicly. Sarah Burns said one woman who identified herself as a psychiatric nurse confronted her. «I had a lady that came up to me and said she was a psychiatric nurse and that I was a disgusting human for holding up this sign and that I was doing psychological damage to these children,» Sarah Burns said. «I told her that one day I'm gonna have to stand before my Lord and Savior and I'm gonna feel good about this.»
The Burnses said they respected the girls who chose to race, believing some wanted to preserve their chances of competing in postseason meets. «I think they all have to make their own decision,» they said. As for what sitting out will mean for Holly, they said it is not yet clear. «But there's cost to everything when you stand up for what you believe is right, I think. If there wasn't, then you're not really standing up for anything,» they said. «Her goal this season was just to have fun and compete and do the best that she could.»
More races remain. Camas lists its next championship meet for Oct. 21 at Lewisville Regional Park. Washington voters will also decide on Nov. 3 on Initiative 638, which would prohibit students it defines as biologically male from competing in certain female-only interschool athletic competitions and would require students seeking to enter those competitions to provide verification of biological sex from a healthcare provider. The Burnses support the measure. Even if approved, it would take effect 30 days after the election, while Washington's state cross-country championships are scheduled for Nov. 7.
The athlete at the center of the dispute had already competed in several girls' races. On Sept. 5, the runner finished 76th in a boys' junior varsity race at the Ultimook meet in Oregon. By Sept. 15, the runner was competing in the girls' race at a Camas meet involving Skyview. The Burnses said they had not spoken with the athlete or the athlete's family, and their position is that the runner should compete with boys.
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