Residents across the state of Washington breathed a sigh of relief this week after the passage of Initiative 638 guaranteed girls are finally safe now that they’re required to show an adult their vagina in order to play school sports.
“Thanks to I-638, all my 12-year-old daughter has to do now to be spared the trauma of losing 5th place to a trans girl in track is show her vagina to an adult,” said local father Hank Hanson. “I love that under this new law, not even a birth certificate is enough for a girl to prove her gender because that deprives children of the opportunity to proudly show their reproductive organs to an adult while I stand in the room and watch to add that extra feeling of comfort and safety.”
Girls who play sports from middle school on up thanked the 1.5 million adults who went so out of their way to make minors living in a country run by a pedophile feel that much more seen.
“Nothing makes me feel safer and more excited to play sports quite like being forced to spread my legs for an adult who’s in at least their 30s,” said 13-year-old soccer player Brittney Rigby. “I don’t know why anyone thought passage of this law might deter girls from playing sports at all. What kind of 7th grader isn’t excited to let an adult they don’t know get a good look at her privates? Pretty routine middle school physical stuff, I’ve heard.”
At press time, boys who play school sports were still sadly completely unsafe due to not being forced to show an adult their penises.
Like most transphobic things, it’s designed to hurt women as much as trans women. Misogyny is at the core of it.
They probably think its genius. 2 birds 1 stone.
What about intersex people?
Fuck 'em.
–Republicans, probably.
…you mean this isn’t the onion?
The Needling is Seattle’s version of The Onion :)
When I was a kid, we had to get our penises touched by an adult to play sports, and that was just the physical we were required to have. I think I had to have another just to go to school in the first place, iirc. “Turn your head and cough” and whatnot. I’m surprised kids don’t have to have a physical anymore, tbh.
- Those were to check for hernias, not sex. 2. They don’t check all boys for hernias anymore, just when there’s symptoms or risk. 3. Examining girls to determine sex is incredibly more invasive. It requires penetration or DNA swab.
You cannot feel ovaries from the vagina. You can “see” ovaries through the vagina wall if you get a transvaginal ultrasound, but you cannot feel them by hand or with any tool. Ultrasound is the only way to confirm an ovary is present/where the ovary is. As to what any given doctor will consider “good enough” to determine their sex is up for debate, medical paperwork, visual inspection, physical inspection of the vulva… who knows the initiative was incredibly vague on this point because they wanted plausible deniability. That said I can promise you, no doctor anywhere is feeling anyone’s ovaries through their vaginal wall, it’s physically not possible.
It’s clearly a bill to harm the trans community outright and disenfranchise and traumatize little girls trying to play sports as a “bonus” it’s an outrageous and disgusting thing that will only and explicitly hurt kids and I’m ashamed of my state for passing it.
Hm I’m probably wrong, I’ll amend my comment. I’ve certainly had doctors press my lower abdomen from the exterior while feeling from inside and tell me they were checking my ovaries, etc.
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Sure, but surely it does both, if they had even thought of making it a requirement back then, so surely it would do both now.
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TIL, been a long time since I was a kid. Cool I guess, so at what age are kids required to drop trou at the doctor these days, never unless there’s a specific issue? Can they conceivably get all the way to ogbyn-age (idk what that would be) or 45 for a prostate exam?
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Surely it doesn’t “require” that, there has to be another way. (I’m assuming you mean they require it here, but I mean there’s gotta be another way in existence).
Not that they should, I’m just surprised to learn they don’t already do it (even if for other reasons) anymore.
- Sports physicals have never had determining sex as a goal. Hernia checks are not sex checks.
- Having male presenting genitalia is not a 100% accurate way of determining sex.
- Expensive DNA tests
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Re-read that, because evidentially you mistook it.
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What does that have to do with getting naked at the doctor for regular tests? I’m wondering what the current age for that is, since you seem to be aware, and I’m only aware of my childhood era’s practices.
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Well digital ovary manipulation and expensive tests doesn’t seem like an exhaustive list, but to be fair everything at the doctor is expensive, depending on country.
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This was stupid AF on so many levels, including anyone who voted for it. The wording on the initiative was intentionally confusing, as was the millionaire tax initiative. Upon reading the voter guide, it became immediately clear what’s up.
I was surprised it even got far enough for a vote, much less that it passed.
Initiatives in Washington State are created by constituents. This is most likely be challenged and the courts will determine if the initiative can stand.
In 1912, Washington became one of the first states to adopt the initiative and referenda process, thus securing the rights of citizens to make and remake their laws, and to provide a check over the decisions of their Legislature.
Today, if Washingtonians are dissatisfied with certain laws or feel new laws are needed, they can petition to place proposed legislation on the ballot. The process is termed “Initiative” because the electorate can initiate legislation. The electorate can either place a proposition directly on the ballot or it can submit the proposed law to the Legislature at the regular legislative session allowing the elected representatives an opportunity to enact the proposed legislation themselves instead of placing the measure on the ballot.
A Referenda allows citizens, through the petition process, to refer acts of the Legislature to the ballot before they become law. The Referenda also permits the Legislature itself to refer proposed legislation to the electorate for approval or rejection.
The Initiative and Referenda processes guarantee Washington’s electorate the right to legislate. Sponsors of Initiative or Referenda measures must obtain a substantial number of petition signatures from registered voters in order to certify their measures to the ballot or to the Legislature.
Washington’s history has shown the Initiative and Referenda processes to be effective in protecting the people’s interests. In fact, many of our most significant laws, such as our public disclosure laws, were enacted by this process.
Thanks for this, I didn’t know that’s what they meant by “initiative”.
No worries! Each state is a little different and it can get real confusing real quick lol
I also appreciate your detailed response. I was just naturalized in 2025 so this is only my third time voting (municipal, midterms, and now federal), and I had never taken the time to look up what an initiative actually was or why it was on the ballot.
Direct link to the quoted article: https://theneedling.com/2026/11/05/girls-finally-safe-now-that-they-have-to-show-adult-their-vagina-to-play-school-sports/
Oh shit, I grabbed the wrong link. Thanks!! I’ll update the post.
I had wondered why the original link was to a Reddit post, haha. Thanks for fixing!
My morbid curiousity is always pulling me to see what the local Redditors are chatting about on these topics lol
Needed another cup of coffee before I started posting though!!
gross
I would have voted yes but I didn’t want to leave the boys out of the fun.
Honestly, I’m kind of hoping that the state supreme court rules it is a violation of title IX because it introduces unfair access restrictions to girls’ sports.
Boys already have to put their penis in a doctor’s face and turn the head and cough. So many hernia deaths avoided each year.
They only do those checks if there are symptoms or risk these days.
Look, I voted no on this, but I do find it a little confusing that basically everyone seems to have forgotten that boys already have to have a doctor touch their balls for a sports physical before they’re allowed to play sports. To be fair, it’s not for gender verification, but it’s still happening.
I’m not gonna pretend I have a good answer or alternate solution here but pretending like this isn’t already happening in youth sports doesn’t help anyone.
Those checks are for hernias, not determining sex, and they no longer perform those hernia checks on all boys. They only do it if there’s a risk or symptoms.
