I’m aware that it is/was for checking for hernias, which is why I specifically stated that it is not for determination of sex, although I will admit I used gender incorrectly there.

But, just to fairly counter this, while it is technically not required here in the state anymore it is still common practice for sports physicals and is usually still done unless specifically requested otherwise.

I’ve already replied in another comment with my other points so I won’t reiterate them here, but I will point out again that I’m not advocating for this, I’m in opposition of it and voted as such. However, pretending other viewpoints on this issue don’t exist or are entirely invalid is why people are failing to understand why a state like Washington would vote rather overwhelmingly for this at all

No, this is not in any way a ‘happened to me so it’s ok to happen to you’ thing. Just to reiterate, I am a WA resident, I have a daughter, and I voted against this because I think it’s dumb at the best and at the very least poorly implemented.

But, just to keep things fair, genital examination is genital examination, regardless of purpose. The point here is that there is precedent for this in sports, which is how our entire system works. Anyone claiming it no longer occurs here is wrong, it’s still common practice and usually is only skipped if specifically requested. I don’t think this measure is a good idea but it’s not like it’s something that we’ve never done before.

Look, I voted no on this, but I do find it a little confusing that basically everyone seems to have forgotten that boys already have to have a doctor touch their balls for a sports physical before they’re allowed to play sports. To be fair, it’s not for gender verification, but it’s still happening.

I’m not gonna pretend I have a good answer or alternate solution here but pretending like this isn’t already happening in youth sports doesn’t help anyone.