Members of the Camas High School girls' cross-country team in Camas, Washington, forfeited a race on October 13, 2026, rather than compete against a male teammate. Video recorded by Amy Sousa and posted by commentator Brandi Kruse shows a group of girls in team uniforms leaving together; Kruse described them as nearly half of the girls' team.
The athlete's season
According to OutKick, the student began the 2026 season on the boys' team and finished 76th in a boys' junior varsity race on September 5. He then moved to the girls' team. He finished second among 195 girls at a September 26 race in Portland and won a girls' varsity dual meet against Union High School on September 29. At the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational on October 10, he placed 39th of 135 in the girls' elite 5K (18:36.8).
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) allows students to participate consistent with their gender identity, so the change is permitted under current rules. Camas coaches declined to comment to OutKick.
Earlier protest
On September 15, at a meet hosted by Camas, Skyview High runners Charlie Garrett and Sierra Retzlaff walked off the course at the start of their race to protest competing against a male athlete. The Camas School District later issued Retzlaff's father a one-year criminal trespass notice after a sign protest at the same meet; the superintendent said the notice was a safety decision because he drove through a closed-off area.
Initiative 638
Washington voters will consider Fairness in Girls' Athletics (I-638) on the November 3, 2026 ballot. It would require school districts and nonprofit sports organizations to prohibit male students from competing in sex-separated K–12 girls' sports. Read our explainer on I-638.
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