Thursday, October 1, 2026
A reasonable and responsible county party should rely on data to drive decisions — not on the loudest voices in the room or one person’s bad experience at a school board meeting. That’s especially true when the issue is as sensitive as whether biological boys should be allowed to compete in girls high school sports.
We’ve heard a lot of opinions on this topic lately — at meetings, online and in the news. But we wanted to get past the noise. So, the Thurston County Republican Party sent out a simple, one-question poll by text to registered voters in the Olympia and Tumwater school districts.
It asked:
“Should biological boys play in girl’s high school sports? YES or NO.
Pd by TCRP. STOP to END.”
That’s it. No spin, no complicated language — just a straightforward question.
We didn’t send it to just Republicans or Democrats. Our focus was on independent voters — the people in the middle — because the loudest debates often come from the extremes, and we wanted to find out where most people stand.
Here’s what we found: In Olympia, 81% of respondents said no. In Tumwater, 88% said no. Across nearly 28,000 people, with a 12% response rate, 84% of independents oppose biological boys competing in girls high school sports. That’s not a close call. That’s a landslide.
Still, some in the media didn’t report the result — they reported the reaction. A handful of people were upset we even asked the question. The JOLT News ran a story suggesting we tried to impersonate the school districts (we didn’t — we clearly identified ourselves). Others were mad we texted them at all (we used publicly available voter data, just like every campaign does). And some claimed the question was hateful, which is a pretty aggressive take on a yes-or-no poll.
Even The Olympian covered the pushback — but left out the actual results. If 84% of independents agreed on anything else, it would be front-page news.
Look, we get that this is a tough issue for some people. But asking voters where they stand isn’t bullying — it’s basic civic engagement. And in this case, the message came through loud and clear: People want fairness for girls in sports. That’s not controversial. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.
We also heard concerns about “kids getting texts.” To be clear, the poll only went to registered voters. In Washington, that includes 17-year-olds who are preregistered and will be 18 by Election Day. If you’re old enough to vote, you’re old enough to be asked a question that affects local policy.
At the end of the day, the data speaks for itself. People care about this issue, and they want their school boards to take their concerns seriously.
There are 68 nonpartisan races on Thurston County ballots this year. If this issue is important to you, make it count — by speaking up and voting. Let’s keep the focus on policy, not panic. On data, not drama. And above all, let’s remember that good governance starts with asking good questions.
Corey Gauny is chair of the Thurston County Republican Party.
5 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Quadlok
And in 1925 a similar number would have said the same thing about interracial marriage. Just because most people are ok with bigotry doesn't make bigotry ok.
Monday, August 18, 2025 Report this
Mugwump
I had an idea. And no, I'm not trying to be funny If the sticking point around allowing boys and girls, biological or otherwise, to participate in sports is that some participants may be physically larger or stronger than the other participants why don't we create size/weight classes such that all participants are roughly the same size? Like they do with wrestling? And if that works, why not allow cis boys to participate with cis girls in traditionally "female" sports and vice versa? Co-ed teams playing football, baseball, soccer. Co-ed teams playing field hockey, softball, volleyball. Why not eliminate the gender boundaries for everyone?
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 Report this
JasonS
The question, as written, is objectively imprecise. "Biological boys" doesn't just include those born male who identify as female or nonbinary; it ALSO includes those born male who continue to identify as male. Yes, most folks reading the question here in 2025 are able to piece together the intended meaning but they shouldn't be required to do that. The folks forming these questions need to do better.
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 Report this
LindaD
We should wait for more public acceptance before we push legislation. To do otherwise only creates backlash. Most people supported same gender weddings before legislation made it possible.
Thursday, August 21, 2025 Report this
ViaLocal
has anyone tried asking the students what they would like to do? If they're ok with trying to play sports this way, why not try it for one season, or even just two months?
Thursday, August 28, 2025 Report this