Last night, the Seattle School Board voted unanimously to try to override Initiative 638. Washington voters passed it. After the vote, I stood up and spoke.
I almost didn’t go. I was overtired, and part of me wanted to stay home. So I put on Beth Stelzer‘s Save Women’s Sports sweatshirt. I wore it for strength, and to remind me of the legacy of this fight, the women who stood before me, and the women I’ve stood behind.
Beth is a mom and a powerlifter. She started Save Women’s Sports after JayCee Cooper, a man, tried to compete in the women’s division at her state championship. I stood with Beth when she testified in Texas against James Talarico, and at the NCAAs when Lia Thomas was there.
Along this fight I have met so many mothers who stand up for their daughters. I’m not a mom, but I care deeply about these girls. Without kids at home, I can go wherever I’m needed at a moment’s notice. So even tired, I knew I could show up when many moms couldn’t.
To every person who has given me hotel points or airline miles or have given me a spare bedroom: thank you. You keep me independent, and you make this possible. To everyone who has chipped in to support this work, big or small: you’re the reason I can keep saying yes when the call comes.
I do this for the girls. Always for the girls.
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