OLYMPIA—Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Washington state Capitol on Tuesday to rally in support of two citizen initiatives aimed at restoring parental rights in schools and barring biological males from competing in female sports, voicing frustration that Democratic leaders in the Legislature have refused to hold hearings on the measures despite constitutional requirements.
“We say this every time we gather, highly likely that you have some people who want to try to disrupt the event,” Brandi Kruse said after disruptors shouted at attendees. “We have some wonderful members of law enforcement who are here to make sure things go smoothly. As you know, we don’t cause problems on our side. So, ignore it.”
The event, organized by the conservative group Let’s Go Washington, drew parents, lawmakers and student athletes who argued the initiatives represent common-sense protections eroded by identity politics. Speakers accused state officials of breaking promises and prioritizing other bills over the will of more than 400,000 voters who signed petitions to advance the proposals. If lawmakers take no action by the end of the session on March 12, both initiatives will appear on the November 2026 ballot.
Brian Heywood, the hedge fund manager who funded the signature drive through Let’s Go Washington, opened the rally by criticizing what he called “pie crust promises”—easily made and easily broken—by legislators. He pointed to a 2024 law affirming parents’ rights to know about their children’s school activities, which lawmakers later undermined.
“The Legislature overwhelmingly with bipartisan support passed a law that allowed parents to at least be allowed to know what goes on with their kids in school,” Heywood said. “And the very next year they said that was a pie crust promise.”
A term originating from the Mary Poppins books as a way to describe insincerity, a “pie crust promise” is a commitment that is “easily made and easily broken.”
The rally focused on Initiative IL26-001, which seeks to reinstate and expand parental rights in public schools by requiring notifications about health care decisions and access to student records, reversing changes from a previous bill. Organizers submitted 418,666 signatures for this measure last month, surpassing the required 308,911.
The other measure, IL26-638, would prohibit students identified as biologically male from participating in female athletic activities in K-12 schools, with sex verified through routine sports physicals based on anatomy, genetics or testosterone levels.
Signature gatherers faced harassment, including theft and destruction of petitions, leading to arrests in incidents across the state. Attorney General Nick Brown and Gov. Bob Ferguson condemned the violence, with Brown calling it “unacceptable” and pledging to protect the democratic process.
Brandi Kruse, a conservative commentator, played an old clip of U.S. Sen. Patti Murray praising Title IX for opening opportunities to biological females in sports, contrasting it with current Democrat policies allowing transgender participation in female sports.
“Why are we bigots now? Why are we hateful now?” Kruse asked, suggesting Murray’s past support aligns with the initiative but that politics has silenced her.
Adding, “This is a 90/10 issue. And the reason the other side gets so damn mad at us is they’re very lonely. Because there ain’t very many of them left.”
State Rep. Travis Couture (R-Allyn) led chants of “Save girls’ sports!” and decried the “devolution of society” in allowing biological males to compete against females, referencing Title IX’s original intent.
“And then we had the chief superintendent of our K-12 schools, Chris Raykdal, say that, ‘hey, sex and gender, that’s just a spectrum. I don’t really know what boys and girls are.’ Do you?” Couture asked the crowd who overwhelmingly replied with a loud “yes!”
Couture argued that recognizing biological differences between boys and girls requires no scientific expertise—mocking Sen. Jamie Pederson (D—Capital Hill) comments that he couldn’t tell the difference between a boy and a girl because he was not a scientist.
“It’s not an evolution in our society to allow biological males to compete with girls in their sports, to steal their opportunities, to steal their scholastic and other academic achievements,” Couture said. “That is a devolution of society.”
Senate Minority Leader John Braun (R-Centralia) called for respecting voters’ voices, saying the initiatives ensure parents lead in education and keep sports fair and safe.
State Republican Party Chair Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen) urged the crowd to fight for the initiative process, quoting the state constitution that political power resides in the people.
“We are dealing with a legislative majority and a governor in this state who want to kill the initiative process,” Walsh said. “When the legislature fails you, when the legislature makes a pie-crust-cock promise, it’s not just your job, it’s your duty to remind the legislature that when they lie to you, they break all covenants of their delegated authority.”
Two teenage athletes shared their personal stories that drew applause from rallygoers.
Ahnaleigh Wilson, a 16-year-old sophomore at Eastmont High School in Wenatchee, recounted finishing second in a 2024 track race behind a transgender competitor, sparking her advocacy.
“It was the moment that I understood that fairness, safety, and respect were being taken away from girls and that it could happen to any girl,” Wilson said. “This fight is not about hate, it’s about the truth. It’s about the reality that boys and girls’ bodies are different, that bodies compete in sports and not identities.”
She has attended Supreme Court hearings on similar issues, arguing for protections under Title IX
and joined a federal complaint against state education officials.
Frances Staudt, a 16-year-old junior at Tumwater High School, described sitting out her final basketball game rather than compete against a biological male. She faced an investigation by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and her school district for alleged bullying after speaking out, prompted by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal.
“Biological men and boys do not belong in my bathrooms or locker rooms,” Staudt said, calling on Ferguson, Brown and Reykdal to meet with her. “I’m exposing the lies that you tell over and over and I refuse to share my locker room with boys and men or be kicked out or punished for doing so. I will not be stopped.”
Tish Hyman, a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles who gained national attention after a viral confrontation with a biological male, who alleged he was transwoman, in a women’s locker room at Gold’s Gym, traveled to Olympia to lend her voice.
“I’m naked, I’m putting on oil and I turn around to a man,” Hyman said. “And I’m like, ‘what’s going on?’ And he’s like, ‘B-word, I’m a woman.’ And I’m like, huh? Not with that meat. I’ve never seen a woman with meat like that.”
🚨Exclusive: Both Tish Hyman and Alexis Black — the trans woman involved in the now-viral Gold’s Gym incident — explain to TMZ what led up to this heated rant about “grown men with big d***s in the women’s locker room.” FULL STORY IN BIO!
Hyman, who is a lesbian and announced her run for LA mayor last month, described multiple encounters with a man in the facility, leading to her membership revocation after she raised alarms.
“There’s no feeling like you’re a woman unless you’re a woman,” she told the crowd, framing the issue as right versus wrong, and not partisan.
Hyman, who voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, said the experiences awakened her to broader threats to sanctity of women only spaces.
As Democrats have stated they will not consider the initiatives, Let’s Go Washington held an indoor listening session Tuesday evening hosted by Republican lawmakers in the John A. Cherberg Building, on both initiatives. Republicans are holding public forums (Senate Session and House Session) on February 4. For details, click here.
Below is the rally in its entirety
Author: Mario Lotmore
