On February 27 the Tumwater School Board voted 3-1 in favor of resolution 09-24-25 aiming to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ sports as well as to create a league for trans/non-binary students. This resolution passed just weeks after 2 girls on the Tumwater highschool basketball team harassed and refused to play against a trans girl on Shelton team. One of the players who kneeled later went with her mom on Brandi Kruse’s podcast. Kruse, a right-wing commentator known for accompanying and filming ICE agents deporting non-citizens, repeatedly misgendered and harassed the trans player on the podcast.
The resolution was effectively an endorsement of two amendments that were recently voted on by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). Amendment No.7 attempted to limit girls’ sports to “biological females” and boys’ sports to “biological males,” while Amendment No.8 attempted to create an “open” league for trans/non-binary student athletes. Both of these amendments were relabeled as “advisory” after it was determined that discriminating and segregating students on the basis of gender identity is against the Washington State Constitution.
Board member Jill Adams cited a February 4th Executive Order, aimed at banning trans-women from competing in women’s sports, as the reasoning behind her abstention, claiming that the EO was federal law, which is incorrect.
In opposition to the passing of the resolution, Oly4Rev, a grassroots activist group composed mainly of Tumwater students, has been organizing to disrupt the bi-monthly meetings until their demands are met. Their demands read as follows:
- Repeal resolution 09-24-25.
- Repeal board members Darby Kaikkonen, Ty Khuel, Casey Taylor, and Jill Adams.
- Implement Student-Worker control of the school board.
- Pass a new resolution to prohibit exclusion from school activities on the basis of identity.
- TSD school board offers an apology to the trans students in your district, which you have failed.
The group staged a demonstration outside of the school board’s April 10th meeting. The action quickly moved inside the meeting room, where protestors chanted “Trans rights are human rights,” and others used noisemakers to further the disruption. The meeting was ultimately adjourned after hours of continued disruption. The group disbanded once all staff members had left the building, and despite the presence of 8 police cars, no arrests were made.
The school board changed the location of the 4/24 meeting just hours before it was scheduled to start. The meeting was held at Littlerock Elementary School in Tumwater, notably outside of OPD’s jurisdiction. Protestors speculated as to whether this was done intentionally, inferring that the Sheriff Department may be more likely to arrest than OPD. In conjunction with the expected police presence, organizers also received online death threats, with comments threatening to run them over.
I arrived around an hour before the meeting, about 5, wearing an obnoxiously orange press vest. Already there were two sheriffs, one inside the building and the other in their car, with an entire band playing in front of the entrance to the school. The band, there to support families and students in protest, played pop hits while attendees and protestors gathered outside in the beating sun. Two more deputies arrived, totaling four, but despite whatever repressive goals they may have held, students and community members danced to the increasingly repetitive renditions of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”
One man, assumedly a district employee, meandered around the entrance, chatting with attendees and Sheriff deputies and was accompanied by two non-police security guards. Also worth noting was the presence of right-wing neighbors directly across the street watching the protesting students while sitting under a black Gadsden flag, a flag that represents conservative libertarian values.
The district employee eventually began directing people to line up to enter the meeting, proclaiming that photo ID must be shown to enter, a contingency aimed at limiting student activist presence and potential disruption within the meeting. I was one of the last people inside, with all others in line turned away as student protestors began chanting. Making my way into the meeting room I was struck by the presence of the four deputies lining the back wall, a threat to anyone who would attempt disruption. One of the two student protestors who made their way into the meeting silently held up a sign that read “RESIGN, REPEAL, REPLACE.”
The meeting began with public comment, where parents of students and employees of the district spoke in opposition to the illegal resolution.
Collete Hudson, an alumni, grilled the board in her 2-minute slot,
“Your unwillingness to directly and respectfully face protestors speaks volumes. Avoiding dialogue with those raising valid concerns is not leadership, it’s cowardice.”
She went on to say that the board’s defense of the resolution is “deeply damaging to the integrity of the district” while distracting from the fact that the district is in a financial crisis.
Carrie Hoon, a parent of Tumwater district students, continued the trend. She emphasized that the school board is not above state law, reiterating the public opposition to the resolution expressed during public comment at the meeting on the 27th:
“Were you responding to research or data? No. Had you received written communications from Tumwater parents or students asking you for the amendments? No… You were voting based on your own limited experiences and your personal prejudices.”
Near the middle of public comment, protestors began chanting outside of the closest window.
“How do you spell transphobes? T-S-D!” echoed in the background as the meeting continued.
Sheriff deputies stood in front of the window as public comment came to an end, soon after I made my departure.
Leaving the meeting I was incensed by the effective organizing efforts carried out by the organization while in disbelief by the sheer stupidity of the school board. The resolution that has so many up in arms can be seen only as an embarrassing moral failing on the part of the board. Perhaps it is also reflective of the current time, if the executive branch is no longer beholden to federal law, why should a school board follow state law? Transphobic policy continues to sweep the country, emboldened by the new administration and its congressional cronies. There is no doubt that we are in critical times, and vocal support for the trans community is more important than ever. Oly4Rev is an inspiring example of local grassroots activism doing just this, and if anything, it gives me hope knowing that the kids are alright.
Information about future actions can be found at @Oly4rev.
