Pediatrics association tells transphobes not to use its name to push for school sports genital exams

This story originally appeared on Them.

This medical group would like transphobes to keep its name out of their mouth.

A right-wing anti-trans campaign seeking to ban trans athletes from playing on teams that match their gender identity has decided not to comply with a request from the American Academy of Pediatrics to remove mention of the medical group in a voters’ pamphlet sent to 3.6 million people in Washington State, per a report in the Seattle Times. The language included in the paragraph seems to have used the group’s expertise as a boon to its desire to justify the requirement of genital exams in order for children to play sports.

Let’s Go Washington, which is a sponsor of Initiative IL26-638, cited the American Academy of Pediatrics in a paragraph about the potential law that AAP says lacks context and will confuse voters. The initiative, per LGW’s own website, is meant to “protect fairness in women’s sports” — a phrase that is often used as a dog whistle to ban trans athletes from playing on teams that match their gender identity. On the group’s site, it claims the law is necessary because “biological men are competing in girls’ sports in Washington State, and it’s destroying fairness in girls’ sports.”

Despite the harsh language on its website, the LGW used very different language in appealing to Washington State voters. The passage that drew the ire of the AAP, which was written by LGW and included in the pamphlet, makes mention of an annual recommended exam for children that is unrelated to any of the initiative’s underlying anti-trans aims. It reads:

“Students would compete in the category that aligns with their sex, verified during routine, medically necessary primary care recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. During a private, consented visit, a licensed medical professional would verify sex based on the student’s birth records, medical history and/or a standard, non-invasive physical examination.”

The secretary of state’s office, which distributes the pamphlet, does not fact-check or edit the statements provided to voters and simply “oversees the process” of putting the document together, Helen Smith, a spokesperson for the office, told the Seattle Times.

Smith said that AAP’s Washington chapter did reach out and request that mention of the group be removed from the description, saying that it didn’t want to be referenced. The office put the AAP in touch with LGW. However, LGW decided not to make the change, LGW spokesperson Hallie Helzberg told the Seattle Times.

“There’s nothing actually inaccurate with what we said,” Herzberg said. “So ultimately, we just decided to leave it.”

On Thursday, LGW issued a press release doubling down on its initial mention of the AAP.

“The statement highlights what the AAP says in their Bright Futures Guidelines. It doesn’t assert an endorsement or requirement of exams in sports physicals, it simply states what the AAP recommends in their own wellness guidelines,” the press release reads. “LGW was contacted by the Executive Director of the Washington Chapter of the AAP. In the conversation, the ED confirmed that genital exams are standard for all boys and for girls before they hit puberty. The opposition has lied about this and attempted to twist reality.”

The press release included alleged screenshots of a conversation between the AAP and LGW in which the executive director of the AAP appears to assert that “genital exams are standard for annual well checks in all boys and in all pre-pubertal girls,” which LGW cited in its press release. Though it included the passage in its press release, the LGW did not highlight or mention the fact that the AAP’s executive director also said that there is “no indication for sex verification to obtain medical clearance to participate safely in sports.”

Barring a court order, Smith said, “there’s not anything we can do at this point,” she told the Seattle Times.

The AAP’s Washington Chapter declined to comment to the Seattle Times. Them has contacted the AAP’s Washington Chapter and will update if we hear back.

IL26-638, which has drawn major criticism from women’s soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe, is one of three ballot initiatives brought to Washington Voters by LGW. Another, I-001, is touted as a “parental rights bill” that would effectively force schools and teachers to out trans students to their parents. The second, I-645, would repeal Washington State’s recently-passed 9.9% tax on income over $1 million.

While LGW cited the AAP on an anti-trans ballot initiative against its objections, the organization has in fact made it abundantly clear that it does not believe that trans kids should be assigned to teams solely based on gender assigned at birth. The AAP has joined efforts with other medical groups and the American Civil Liberties Union to file amicus briefs challenging a number of state laws that ban trans athletes from playing on sports teams that matched their gender identity.

In 2021, AAP president Lee Savio Beers issued a statement addressing the growing number of laws limiting access to gender-affirming care and trans athletes’ sports participation.

“These bills are dangerous,” Beers said. “If left unchallenged, there will be transgender teens in certain zip codes who will be unable to access basic medical care, and pediatricians in certain zip codes who would be criminalized for providing medical care. And, transgender youth would be denied the ability to participate in sports according to their gender identity.” Washington is currently one of 21 states, alongside the District of Columbia, that does not ban trans students from playing in sports leagues or on teams that are consistent with their gender identity, per the Movement Advancement Project.

Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s newsletters.