Battle Ground runner Elise Bierer quits district race alone over trans competitor

Elise Bierer, a sophomore at Battle Ground High in Washington state, walked off the starting line of the women's varsity cross country race at the Greater St. Helens League District Meet on Wednesday, ending her season in protest. She was the only runner from her team to leave the line, moving toward her mother, Sheona Bierer, who embraced her. The decision came after a Camas High runner, who identifies as a girl but began the year competing on the boys' team, lined up in the same race. This was not the first time Bierer had refused to compete; two weeks prior, she and teammates sat out a dual meet against Camas. However, that earlier race carried no advancement stakes. Wednesday's district meet determined which teams and individuals would qualify for regionals. Bierer had been the second-fastest female on her team and was positioned to advance had she run. Her mother stated that Bierer had been prepared for this outcome since before high school began, agreeing to stand on principle if forced to race against a male. Initially, other Battle Ground runners planned to join her in walking off. Those plans were abandoned before the gun went off, leaving Bierer to act alone. Sheona Bierer said her daughter did not inform coach Patricia Tester of the plan to avoid being moved to the junior varsity race. Only five Battle Ground runners appeared in the varsity event, compared to seven from each of the other three teams. After the race, Tester declined to comment. Another Battle Ground coach told reporters to leave the kids alone. The Camas competitor finished second among 26 runners in the varsity race. Only 21 runners advance to regionals, meaning his placement displaced a biological girl from qualifying. He also helped lead his team to first place in the team results. Earlier in the season, he finished first in a varsity dual meet despite placing 76th in a boys' race two weeks earlier. This incident followed a protest eight days prior when about a dozen Camas female teammates walked off a starting line. One of them, Holly Burns, spoke at a pre-meet rally for Initiative 638, a November 3 ballot measure in Washington state that would require K-12 athletes to compete according to their sex at birth. Burns said she did not expect the action to create such a large reaction but noted it seemed to make a wave. According to one parent, Burns is one of 18 girls from Camas who have quit the team entirely. Washington state law currently allows high school males to compete against high school females if they identify as female.