High school girls cross-country runners forfeit race after boy pretending to be girl allowed to compete

The starting line for a girls high school cross country race in Washington state.

About a dozen high school girls cross country runners in Washington state walked off the course at the beginning of a race in protest of the fact that a biological male runner who identifies as a transgender girl was being allowed to compete in the race. Footage of the protest has subsequently gone viral on social media. 

The race took place on Tuesday and when the starting gun fired the biological male runner and several girl runners took off running. But a pack of girls  from Camas High School who were protesting walked off the starting line instead, making for a powerful visual. The girls were applauded by many on social media who said they were "heroes" for having the bravery to stage such a protest.

According to reporter Brandi Kruse, one of the opposing teams simply didn't show up for the race in protest.

The protest was prompted by a runner who began the season competing for the boys cross country team at Camas High School, where he was a below-average runner at the JV level. Within the last month, he announced he identified as transgender and has been allowed to compete for the girls cross country team, Outkick reported. He's won at least one race at the varsity level competing against biological girls, and took second place in a major invitational since the switcheroo was allowed. 

The school district has said it has acted in accordance with Washington state law as well as the state's interscholastic athletics eligibility requirements. But parents of biological girls on the team have been unhappy about the decision. Sarah Burns said she and her husband were blindsided by the decision, which impacted their daughter, who is on the team. 

"You hear about it, but you just never think it’s going to be on your kid’s small cross-country team," Sarah Burns told Outkick. 

"I don’t see how it’s OK to discriminate against my daughter and the daughters of everyone else that is trying to fairly compete," Kevin Burns said, adding that parents were barred from holding up protest signs. "I just went ahead and held up my sign, and they had several security guards following me and pestering me and telling me that I would have to leave. And I just said, 'No, I’m not going to leave.'"

The controversial episode has put a spotlight on a measure facing voters in Washington on November 3. The proposed Initiative 638 more clearly defines the biological sexes and requires sex verification from health care providers for children being enrolled in sports. 

Below, watch video of the protest at Tuesday's cross country race.