Watch: Female Cross Country Runners Engage in Coordinated Protest Against Trans Teammate as Soon as Race Begins

In Washington state, where males can often decide to compete against females in their sports leagues, a collection of high school students decided not to play this losing game.

On Tuesday, about a dozen students from the Camas High School cross country team walked away in protest after learning one runner was a male, according to a report from OutKick.

The protest was led by student Holly Burns, whose parents said she initially did not want to make waves, but as teammates shared her anger, the protest came together.

“She wanted to kind of play it safe, so we, we weren’t going to push it. We just kind of let her kind of feel it out. We told her that. We supported her whichever decision she tries to make,” Kevin Burns, her father, said.

Brave girls walked off of the field at a track meet against a boy!! https://t.co/J72nYUOtKD

— Amy E. Sousa, MA Depth Psychology (@KnownHeretic) October 14, 2026

“The more I heard about her friends wanting to do something, the more I heard about her team wanting to do something, we definitely were in support of that,” Kevin Burns said. “We told her, do what you think is best.”

“You hear about it, but you just never think it’s going to be on your kid’s small cross-country team,” Sarah Burns, her mother, added.

As news of the incident spread, support followed, with Jennifer Sey posting on X, “Courage always wins.”

Camas School District has said it follows Washington state rules, which are in opposition to an executive order from President Donald Trump that says males cannot compete against females in high school sports.

Tonight in Washington state, nearly half the Camas High School girls cross country team refused to compete against a boy on their own team.

He switched from the boys’ team just one month ago.

Now he’s placing in every meet.

Courage always wins.

@xx_xyathletics

Footage: @KnownHeretic

— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) October 14, 2026

“I don’t see how it’s okay to discriminate against my daughter and the daughters of everyone else that is trying to fairly compete,” Kevin Burns said.

Security at the race muzzled their attempt to join their daughter in a protest, he noted.

“They said that we’re not allowed to hold up signs at this event today,” he said. “I questioned them if that was constitutionally legal, if we could express ourselves by just holding a sign. And we kind of went back and forth about public versus private property. And in the end, it didn’t seem like they really had a grasp on what they could tell us to do or not,” he said.

Over a dozen Washington state girls walked off a cross country meet in protest of a male competitor who started the season on the boys team. Holly Burns was one of those girls, and her parents, Kevin and Sarah, told me last night how it took unity from the girls involved to make the protest happen.

The parents also told me they were pestered by security and other spectators for bringing protest signs to the meet, if future protests should be expected, and if they’re ready to be at the center of the country’s next big ‘Save Girls’ Sports’ drama.

— Jackson Thompson (@JackThompsonFOX) October 14, 2026

“So I just went ahead and held up my sign, and they had several security guards following me and pestering me and telling me that I would have to leave. And I just said, no, I’m not going to leave.”

Sarah Burns noted that there was pushback.

“I had a lady that came up to me and said she was a psychiatric nurse and that I was a disgusting human for holding up this sign and that I was doing psychological damage to these children,” Sarah said.

“I told her that one day I’m gonna have to stand before my Lord and Savior and I’m gonna feel good about this.”

The incident comes weeks before Washington state voters will decide on Initiative 638, which would bar male students from playing against females.

However, even if the measure passes, it would not take effect in time to bar the boy — who was 76th in a junior varsity race in September — from the state finals.

Whatever happens, the Burns family plans to keep supporting their daughter.

“So we made a few contacts and we might go forward with that and have a more organized protest the next time,” Kevin Burns said.

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