SEATTLE — Opponents of a Washington ballot initiative that would ban transgender girls from competing in girls K-12 school sports have conceded defeat, marking a major disappointment for trans rights advocates in a state known for its LGBTQ+ protections and blue politics. Backers of Initiative 638, led by conservative Redmond hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, say their victory shows voters ...

Protesters for and against transgender athletes competing in women's sports gather outside the Supreme Court on Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington, D.C..

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SEATTLE — Opponents of a Washington ballot initiative that would ban transgender girls from competing in girls K-12 school sports have conceded defeat, marking a major disappointment for trans rights advocates in a state known for its LGBTQ+ protections and blue politics.

Backers of Initiative 638, led by conservative Redmond hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, say their victory shows voters believe “Washington’s girls are worth protecting and fighting for.”

As of Wednesday, about 56% of ballots favored Initiative 638. Tens of thousands of ballots have yet to be counted, but opponents of the initiative have conceded the gap is likely too great to overcome. The Associated Press called the result Wednesday.

Organizers with the coalition opposed to Initiative 638 say the results stand in stark contrast to the nationwide rebuke of Republicans and President Donald Trump on Tuesday, when Democrats won control of the U.S. House and Senate.

Initiative 638, which applies only to girls interscholastic sports, partially walks back a longstanding statewide policy that allows transgender students to participate on the sports teams that align with their gender identity. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which oversees middle and high school sports, established this policy in 2007, the first of its kind in the nation.

WIAA says it is aware of no more than 10 transgender athletes competing each year out of approximately 225,000 student athletes overall statewide.

Under the initiative’s language, all students wanting to participate in girls athletics must submit medical documentation verifying their “biological sex.” This documentation must come from an examination or provider’s confirmation of the student’s “reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels.”

Opponents said the initiative makes trans students even more vulnerable to bullying, stigma or worse at a time of pervasive anti-trans rhetoric and legislation in the U.S. They argued thousands of young girls in Washington would be subjected to invasive exam requirements under the new policy. Health providers have said the language used in the initiative is imprecise and vague.

Libby Watson, campaign manager of No Hate in Washington State, which opposed I-638, said in a statement Wednesday that while the results are disappointing, voters in Washington and across the country “rejected candidates up and down the ballot who made trans sports bans the centerpiece of their campaigns.”

“To all trans girls participating in school sports in Washington, we want you to know that you belong: on the field, on the court, on the team,” Watson said in a statement Wednesday. “We stand with you and will continue to fight for a day when you can play sports without controversy.”

Proponents of Initiative 638 argued that transgender girls competing in girls athletics is unfair to cisgender girls, and said it would not require any new, additional medical exams.

I-638 is the only one of the three initiatives backed by Heywood’s conservative political committee, Let’s Go Washington, that appears poised to succeed this election.

Let’s Go Washington conceded defeat Tuesday on Initiative 645, which sought to repeal the state’s “millionaires tax,” a new 9.9% tax on household incomes of more than $1 million that would start in 2028.

Initiative 001, which would alter parents’ access to certain student records and modify schools’ obligations to notify parents about certain activities, was trailing as of Wednesday, with about 53% of voters saying “no.” Opponents of the parental rights initiative argued it could out LGBTQ+ youth and put them at risk at home.

In a statement Thursday, Heywood framed the campaign surrounding I-638 in stark terms.

“We saw the ugliest side of the opposition during this campaign: grown adults bullying young girls, spreading lies about the initiative,” Heywood said. “This vote is a testament that that evil will not win in our state.”

Questions remain about how I-638 will be enacted and enforced in practice. It will also likely face a legal challenge, as civil rights groups warn the policy could run afoul of both the state constitution’s Equal Rights Amendment and the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

In a statement Thursday, Michele Storms of ACLU of Washington said the initiative “cements discrimination into law and denies an entire group of students opportunities shared by their peers simply because of who they are.”

“This is a devastating blow to our state’s history of inclusivity and belonging, and our collective goal of making Washington a place where all children can thrive,” Storms said in a statement.

Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad said in a statement Thursday the fight over I-638 “is just beginning.”

“We believe this initiative is unconstitutional on its face and support organizations planning to challenge it in court,” Conrad said.

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