A Camas High School runner who began the season on the boys’ cross-country team competed in the girls’ division at a Washington invitational on Saturday, drawing objections and support from parents at the event, according to Fox News’ report from the meet.
The runner had switched teams the previous month. The report says Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rules allowed the move. Camas coaches and the runner’s mother did not comment to the reporter, and the reason for the change was not established in the source material.
The runner finished 39th among 135 competitors in the girls’ 5K, with a reported time of 18:36.8. Fox News said the runner had previously placed 76th in a junior-varsity boys’ race. Those results prompted disagreement among parents over whether eligibility should depend on sex and how participation affects female athletes.
Some parents argued that girls could lose competitive opportunities when biological males compete in girls’ events. Others said high school sports should prioritize student confidence and inclusion, or urged empathy while acknowledging the eligibility question was complicated. Several people quoted by the outlet asked not to be identified.
The report also described an earlier protest at a meet in September, when two Skyview High students walked off the starting line and wore messages supporting women’s sports. One of those students told Fox News she spoke out in hopes others would do the same.
The story connects the dispute to Washington Initiative 638, which the source says would bar biological males from competing against girls in K-12 sports and was set for the state’s Nov. 3 ballot. The article’s publication date is Oct. 12, 2026; the ballot date is therefore in the future relative to the report.
