COMMISSION
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Item No.
10a
ACTION ITEM
Date of Meeting
October 13, 2026
DATE: October 13, 2026
TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director
FROM: Aaron Pritchard, Commission Chief of Staff
Francis Choe, Strategic Advisor, Commission Office
SUBJECT: Port of Seattle Commission Resolution Opposing Initiative IL26-638
ACTION REQUESTED
Request Commission adoption of Resolution No. 3855, a resolution to Initiative Measure No.
IL26-638, Concerning Sex Verification Requirements for Participation in Girls’ School Sports,
Appearing on the November 3, 2026, General Election Ballot; and Reaffirming the Commission’s
Commitment, First Expressed in Order No. 2022-08, to Protect the Privacy of Personal Health
Information and Health Care Decisions.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
During the general election on November 3, 2026, Washington voters will act on two statewide
ballot measures sponsored by the political committee Let’s Go Washington. Both were filed as
initiatives to the Legislature; when the Legislature declined to act on them during the 2026
session, they advanced to the general election ballot for a vote of the people. Initiative Measure
No. IL26-638 would prohibit students it defines as “biologically male” from competing in certain
school athletic activities intended for female students only. It would require verification of
biological sex by students’ healthcare providers.
The measure implicates Port interests on three fronts. First, it rests on the premise the
Commission rejected in Order No. 2022-08 following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health
Organization decision, a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, in which the court ruled that the
government may compel the disclosure of private health information as a condition of
participation in public life. Second, the Port’s aviation, cruise, and tourism lines of business
depend on this region’s reputation as a welcoming destination, reflected in SEA’s record-setting
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Meeting Date: October 13, 2026
passenger traffic during the FIFA World Cup in June and July 2026. Third, the students the
measure would subject to verification and exclusion are the same young people the Port recruits
into its Career Connected Learning programs, high school internships, and the Youth Maritime
Career Launch program.
This resolution is brought forward alongside a companion resolution opposing Initiative Measure
No. IL26-001 to establish the Port of Seattle Commission’s opposition to IL26-638 on the
November 2026 ballot, consistent with the Commission’s record: its 2016 opposition to Initiative
1515 (Motion 2016-04), its gender-inclusive facilities direction (Motion 2018-08), its June 2023
Pride proclamation, its equity principle “Prioritizing the Most Vulnerable,” and Order No. 2022-
08 (aligning Port policy with Washington’s Directive 22-21 cooperation or assistance with out-of-
state abortion and other reproductive health care investigations, prosecutions or other legal
actions).
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND
Statewide
Let’s Go Washington filed the measure in June 2025 and submitted 445,187 signatures on
January 2, 2026. The Secretary of State completed signature verification on January 22, 2026, and
the Legislature declined to act on the measure before the end of the 2026 session, certifying it
to the November 3, 2026, general election ballot. Verification under the measure may be based
on reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone
levels, and applies to every girl seeking to play girls’ sports regardless of gender identity.
Opposition has been announced by the Washington State PTA, the ACLU of Washington, the
Washington Education Association, and the No Hate in WA State coalition. On July 28, 2026, the
Tacoma City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 41972 expressing opposition to both
of Let’s Go Washington’s initiatives. On September 22, 2026, King County Council also formally
adopted resolutions opposing Initiatives IL26-638 and IL26-001.
Port of Seattle
The Port’s exposure is reputational and economic as well as values based. SEA serves more than
50 million travelers each year; the record 2025 cruise season carried nearly two million revenue
passengers and generated an estimated $1.2 billion in regional economic activity, with a record
2.1 million cruise passengers expected in 2026.
The Port also invests millions of dollars each year in young people now enrolled in Washington’s
public schools — through Career Connected Learning, high school internships at SEA, the $4.1
million Youth Maritime Career Launch program developed with the Urban League of
Metropolitan Seattle and Washington Maritime Blue, and Duwamish Valley youth programs.
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Meeting Date: October 13, 2026
Measures that push young people out of school activities, or make schools less safe, directly
undermine those investments in the Port’s future workforce.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST
(1) Draft Resolution
