They’re still lying. Here’s the Washington Post’s version of the lie:
Genital exams for children! Panels of strangers, making kindergartners strip so they can sign up for youth soccer. Here’s the evidence that the newspaper offers: “Washington’s ballot question, Initiative 638, is particularly troubling to opponents because they say it would require all girls participating in sports to undergo a genital exam to verify their biological sex.” They say the measure requires genital exams.
At the risk of being obvious: When the evidence about a written ballot measure, with text you can go read for yourself, is what people say, rather than what the measure actually says, you’re being lied to. You go read the full text of Initiative 638 here, on the website of the Washington Secretary of State. Go look for language that says genital exams are required, and guess what the outcome of your search will be.
The group that put Initiative 638 on the ballot, Let’s Go Washington, publishes a FAQ page on their website. Here’s their obvious and unremarkable answer to the fake “genital exams” question: “No, the initiative language does not require, mandate, or authorize genital exams. A doctor will simply check a box on a physical form that already exists to confirm a child’s sex. They can use existing medical history knowledge, the existing medical history form, or any other method the doctor and patient deem is best to check the box on the sports physical form.”
By torturing an obvious box-checking requirement into strangers making little children show off their genitals, opponents of the anti-trans bills on the ballot this year are changing the subject. They’re lying to shift the discussion on an 80/20 topic. They’re deliberately throwing out fake objections instead of addressing what the bills will actually do. Don’t fall for this pathetic maneuver.
We can test the “genital inspection” claim against real-life evidence, because Nebraska already requires that minors play on sports teams that reflect their biological sex.
Legislative Bill 89 went into effect more than a year ago. In debate over the bill in legislative hearings, you can find witnesses like Cassondra Opal saying this, on pg. 95 of the transcript:
More than a year after the Nebraska law went into effect, there is no evidence of any kind that strangers are forcing children to show them their genitals so they can play youth sports. They made it up. It was never real.
In Colorado this year, Proposition 134 would require boys to play on teams for boys, and girls to play on teams for girls. The “genital inspections” lie has shown up there, too. Erin Lee, who leads the Prop 134 sponsor Protect Kids Colorado, told The Federalist that opponents of the measure have “spent millions attempting to manipulate and confuse voters.”
“When your strongest argument is a fabricated scenario designed to frighten parents, rather than an honest discussion of what the measures actually say, you’ve already conceded the substance of the debate,” Lee told The Federalist. “When you can’t win on the merits, you resort to fear, confusion, and outright misinformation.”
That’s exactly what’s happening, and it’s easy to see through. Protect children, and ignore the noise.
