On Tuesday, Washington students took a stand after being told a biologically male athlete would be competing against them in a cross-country meet.
Holly Burns and about a dozen other Camas High School runners made it clear that they would not compete on the same field as an athlete who started the season on the boys’ team. They did so by walking off the field at the start of a race in a moment that quickly went viral on social media.
Watch:
Tonight in Washington state, nearly half the Camas High School girls cross country team refused to compete against a boy on their own team.
He switched from the boys’ team just one month ago.
Now he’s placing in every meet.
Courage always wins.
@xx_xyathletics
Footage: @KnownHeretic
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) October 14, 2026
They stayed on the sidelines, but that doesn’t mean the initial decision was easy to make
According to Burns’ parents, who spoke to OutKick, she was hesitant to start “making waves” about the inclusion of a boy on the girls’ team.
“She wanted to kind of play it safe, so we, we weren’t going to push it. We just kind of let her kind of feel it out. We told her that. We supported her whichever decision she tries to make,” said her father, Kevin Burns.
Once she realized that some of her other teammates felt the same way, that’s when everyone decided to take action.
“The more I heard about her friends wanting to do something, the more I heard about her team wanting to do something, we definitely were in support of that,” Kevin explained. “We told her, do what you think is best.”
“You hear about it, but you just never think it’s going to be on your kid’s small cross-country team,” added the mother, Sarah Burns.
While Camas School District argued that it is following applicable state laws and athletic eligibility requirements, the family says that does nothing to assuage their concerns.
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 said.
The parents wanted to participate in a protest of their own, but security was quick to shut it down.
“They said that we’re not allowed to hold up signs at this event today. I questioned them if that was constitutionally legal, if we could express ourselves by just holding a sign. And we kind of went back and forth about public versus private property. And in the end, it didn’t seem like they really had a grasp on what they could tell us to do or not,” the father revealed. “So 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.”
Sarah also recalled being approached by a woman who identified herself as a psychiatric nurse.
“I had a lady that came up to me and said she was a psychiatric nurse and that I was a disgusting human for holding up this sign and that I was doing psychological damage to these children. I told her that one day I’m gonna have to stand before my Lord and Savior and I’m gonna feel good about this,” she said.
As for what will happen to the female athletes who decided to protest, the future is still uncertain.
“Well, we don’t know that yet. But there’s cost to everything when you stand up for what you believe is right, I think. If there wasn’t, then you’re not really standing up for anything,” the parents said. “Her goal this season was just to have fun and compete and do the best that she could.”
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Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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