A WA schools chief dismisses legitimate concerns over girls' sport, saying athletes' brains are not fully developed

Washington Superintendent Chris Rickdahl dismissed fairness concerns after Camas High girls cross country athletes protested a biological male competitor.

States consider banning biological males from girls' sports on midterm election day

Washington High School basketball player Francis Ostad talks about his decision to refuse to compete against a biological male opponent and his support for Washington State's Proposition 638. The purpose of this measure is to biologically restrict male athletes from competing in female divisions.

These leaders shed another bit of dignity with every word. The latest to shrink was Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Rickdahl.

Appearing on the Seattle-based radio show "Jake and Spike," the president of the Washington public school system made points about the boys-versus-girls sports debate that seemed outlandish even by a politician's standards.

At issue was Initiative 638, a Nov. 3 ballot measure in Washington that, if passed, would keep biological males out of K-12 sports. Host Jake Schoerheim brought up a situation in Southern Washington where members of the Camas High girls cross country team walked off the starting line in protest of having to compete in the same race as a boy.

A cross country runner switched to the girls team mid-season, parents voiced their opposition at the meeting

A Camas High cross country runner who switched from the boys' to the girls' team mid-season stands at the starting line of the girls' race at the Nike Hole in the Wall XC Invitational. (Out Kick)

Let's face it, it's happening all over the country, where we've empowered young people to make important decisions," Rickdal replied. And 99% of the time, they are good friends and colleagues and respect their transgender colleagues. But some people don't agree with it and it is their right to express that."

This doesn't seem too objectionable on the surface, but the demonstrators seemed to be watching inconspicuously. Rickdahl said 99 percent of young athletes are "good friends and colleagues" and they "respect their transgender colleagues." It's almost like he's saying the 1% are disrespectful. no There are certainly some girls who compete with biological boys. The fact that the protesters have faced strong reactions from various teammates proves this. But just because other athletes don't go public with their dissent doesn't mean they like it. They just don't want the smoke of being blunt.

Washington HS girls blast male track athlete: 'Don't think it's right or fair'

Second - not choosing to be with a trans athlete is not disrespectful to the trans community. It is simply acknowledging an undeniable biological advantage and highlighting it unfairly.

"The much bigger issue here is: Can we accommodate 10, 12, 15 kids a year and make them feel included," Rickdal continued. Or do we have to go through an innovative process where every girl has to prove she's a girl in one of three ways to participate?"

The term "inclusivity" has been chosen to denigrate anyone who opposes men in women's sports. The truth is that sports are designed to be unique on most levels. Only a certain number of athletes make the team, or start, or reach the final heat, or receive a scholarship. And those "10, 12, or 15 kids" often have great success. Last year, trans high school athletes won girls' track and field championships in Washington, Oregon and California. And at Camas, a bio male went from 76th in the boys JV race to first place in a girls varsity.

“I hear what you're saying, but specifically, I want to ask about this case in Camas. They're racing against what was the 76th-ranked boys cross country team earlier in the year, which finished second here. Now, those girls had to forfeit because they had no chance to win."

Rickdal replied, "Well, I raised two kids and one of them was a girl in sports. And my take is that you have to make a choice. You compete and do your best and hug your colleagues, or go and make a statement. And that's okay too."

(L to R) Female athletes Frances Ostad, Billie Anderson, Sadie Sullivan, Kendall Kutzmacher and Alana Smith stand behind podcast host and emcee Brandi Kruse at a rally advocating for equity in girls' sports in Vancouver, Washington. (Derk Shock for OutKick)

I don't want to put words in Rickdahl's mouth, but it almost seems like he's telling these girls to simply compete. They have the best conditions and accept the conditions - regardless of whether those conditions are fair or not. But is he saying the same thing about athletes who compete with people on steroids? That they should just embrace their "colleagues". Probably not. Again, this isn't about discrimination or hate - it's about fairness.

But Rickdal's answer to the following question is much more obvious.

"If your daughter was running against a boy — an athlete who competed as a boy and was ranked 76th and then had to race against the same athlete on your team — does that seem fair to you?" Skorheim asked.

Reykda l replied, "I don't see it that way, Jake. I just don't. These are young, growing people whose brains don't fully develop until they're 25."

Sorry, guys, we don't owe you any fairness because your brain isn't fully developed. And while we're at it, we can cut out the college athletes because, unless they're at BYU, they're all under 25, too.

I've seen people try to dismiss this with an arsenal of arguments - that I-638 supporters are bigots, that trans athletes are rare, or that proving one's gender requires "invasive genital examinations" (false). But their brain is not fully developed.

Again, you don't see politicians outright saying that it's good for boys to compete with girls. This is a losing argument. So instead, you get all-around gold-worthy mental gymnastics.

Sorry, but with answers like that - you have to wonder if their brains are really underdeveloped.

Get all the stories you need to know from the most powerful names in news delivered to your inbox every morning.