Around half the female athletes on the Camas High School cross-country squad, based in Camas, Washington, stepped away from the starting line at a recent competition to demonstrate against a teammate's eligibility to compete. Video of around 13 competitors walking off the course arm-in-arm spread widely online, drawing renewed attention to the ongoing conversation around transgender athletes competing in youth girls' events.
At the heart of the objection stood teammate Logan Mihailoff, whose season had opened on the boys' junior varsity side — a 76th-place finish at the Ultimook Invitational on September 5th marking his early-season result — before he shifted to the girls' division partway through the schedule. Between September 5th and September 26th, Mihailoff moved from the boys' category to the girls' category partway through the season.
Racing under Washington Interscholastic Activities Association guidelines, which allow student-athletes to compete according to their gender identity, Mihailoff finished as the runner-up among 195 girls at the Nike Portland XC Invitational on September 26th, took the win in a dual meet against Union High School three days later on September 29th, and again claimed second place at the following meet held on October 8th.
Some opponents of the policy contend that transgender girls competing on female rosters push out athletes who have put in substantial work to earn their places, while district administrators say the practice aligns with the guidelines set by the state athletics governing body.
Kevin and Sarah Burns, the girl's parents, noted that their daughter had been uncertain about joining the walkout, though the collective decision of her teammates ultimately shaped her own choice, with the family having chosen not to pressure her either way. The coaching staff allowed her to work through the process at her own pace. That information had already been passed along to her.
Kevin Burns conveyed his support for whichever direction she decided to pursue, noting that learning her friends and teammates wanted to act had only strengthened that position. The school referenced its own policy documentation, which reflects WIAA eligibility guidelines permitting students to participate in athletics consistent with their gender identity. Compliance with state law and WIAA requirements remains the district's operating standard, subject to revision only if those governing rules are amended.
The institution noted an obligation to protect student privacy, adding that details about any individual student's circumstances or eligibility would not be made public. That policy may be reshaped by Washington voters through Initiative 638. Under the proposed rule, student athletes assigned female at birth would have exclusive access to girls' interschool competition, with all participants required to provide medical documentation confirming their sex before taking part. Voter approval would set a 30-day countdown before the measure takes hold — a timeline that places Washington's state cross-country championships on November 7th outside its reach.
