Oppose Initiatives 26-638, 26-001
While costs are skyrocketing and our country is divided, a mega-millionaire from California wants to distract you from real problems by attacking vulnerable kids, especially immigrant, neurodivergent, homeless and LGBTQ+ students. He is using out-of-state paid signature gatherers to promote poorly written initiatives that will threaten the safety of every Washington student, putting some students at greater risk of abuse at home and at school through possible invasive genital exams, forced outing, and restricted access to help when they need it most.
Most parents are loving and supportive, but the sad reality is not all kids are safe at home. The safety of every Washington student would be put at greater risk by these dangerous initiatives.
Threatening Safety of All Students (IL26-001)
We all believe parents should be involved in their children’s lives at school, but this poorly written initiative (IL26-001) increases the risk of abuse for many students. While most parents are loving and supportive, the sad reality is not all kids are safe at home, and need to turn to a trusted teacher or counselor for help. This one-size-fits-all initiative would take away that lifeline at a time when youth mental illness is at record highs.
FORCED OUTING: Puts vulnerable kids at a greater risk of physical and emotional abuse at home, and even homelessness, by forcing teachers and school counselors to “out” LGBTQ+ students to unsupportive families. LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness.
RESTRICT ACCESS TO HELP: Students would have a harder time getting help from trusted teachers and school counselors for domestic violence, sexual abuse or related mental health issues. Washington youth are facing a mental health crisis and this is not the time to make it harder for young people to get help. One in ten Washington state students say they have no one to turn to when feeling depressed and more than half (58%) of Washington adolescents experience anxiety or depression.
DISRUPTING CLASSROOMS: Gives veto power to extremist parents, letting them interfere with classrooms by disrupting what teachers can teach and jeopardizing all Washington students’ freedom to learn. We can ensure parents are fully informed and involved in their kids’ education without allowing a few parents with a political agenda to dominate our schools, and exposing our schools to costly lawsuits.
Invasive Genital Exams On Girls To Play Sports (IL26-638)
It’s true that some people have a difficult time understanding what it means to be transgender, and we all want fairness and safety in sports. But this poorly designed initiative ultimately could put some girls at greater risk by subjecting them to invasive genital exams just to play on an after-school team. We should not impose a blanket ban that eliminates case-by-case solutions and distracts from affordability, housing, and other real problems facing Washingtonians.
INVASIVE GENITAL EXAMS FOR GIRLS: Girls as young as 11 could be forced into physical exams of their “reproductive organs” if they want to play on an after-school team. Boys are exempt. Invasive physical exams not only invade girls’ privacy and increase chances of abuse, they discourage girls from the benefits of being on a team. Black and brown girls and women face challenges to their sex and/or gender much more frequently than white girls and women. Black, brown, immigrant, low income and rural families often face barriers to individual sports physicals, and they are more likely to rely on group settings for free sports physicals where girls may be exposed to abuse.
ROLL BACK SUCCESSFUL POLICY WITH BLANKET BAN: It’s understandable to feel unsure about how schools can best include all of their students. This is a complex issue that requires case-by-case solutions, as allowed by Washington's successful policy in place since 2007, not a blanket ban. We should allow local districts and leagues to keep setting policies that are fair for their students. We shouldn’t outlaw the possibility of making decisions case-by-case with a blanket ban.