Teen speaker Frances Stout says locker-room incidents and privacy risks show need for I-638

Frances Stout, who introduced herself at the podium, told the audience she had never undergone a genital exam for sports physicals and said she personally experienced an adult male using a girls' locker room while she was competing in high school. "I have never, and I repeat, never been subjected to a genital exam to play any sport I have ever participated in," Stout said, and later added that she once had "an 18 year old male in my locker room when I was 15 years old." She presented those experiences as the core reason to back initiative 6-38 to "protect girls' sports."

Stout named elected officials and administrators she said dismissed concerns—citing Bob Ferguson, Nick Brown and Chris Reykdal—and alleged that opponents have used claims about invasive exams to intimidate girls from speaking up. She also told the audience organizers collected "more than 500,000 Washingtonians" in support of the initiative and asked attendees to help get the measure to the ballot and to voters in November.