Washington state officials are facing criticism over their handling of a protest related to a biological male trying to run on the girls' cross-country team.
About a dozen girls on the Camas High School cross-country team walked away when their race began at a district-level cross-country event on Tuesday.
'Students do not need to provide medical or legal documentation to participate in athletics matching their gender identity.'
They are opposed to the inclusion of a biological boy who decided to switch to the girls' team mid-season after initially joining the boys' team.
Protests and counter-protests have erupted over the issue, and sometimes they got physical.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association oversees high school sports and said only that students can compete in a sport consistent with their gender identity.
"School personnel responsible for student eligibility work collaboratively with the student athlete to determine eligibility under those rules," reads the policy from WIAA.
The WIAA handbook adds: "Students do not need to provide medical or legal documentation to participate in athletics matching their gender identity."
One student athlete spoke to KING-TV about her fellow students' decision to protest. She did not want to be publicly identified.
"A lot of the girls on my team decided that they felt it was unfair to their sport, like it could affect their times and their places," the girl said. "Besides that, it's not my issue. Live your life how you want. I am completely fine with trans kids."
A protester with a sign that read, "Let our trans kids play" offered the counter-opinion.
"They deserve to be included as representatives of their own identity. They are trans girls. They are girls," she claimed.
The biological male finished second out of 26 runners on Wednesday and displaced a biological girl from competing in the regional race. He had placed 76th among boys just a few weeks prior.
Camas is a city of about 26,000 people in the southwest corner of the state.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!