Washington high school girl walks off starting line alone in protest of trans runner, ending her season

There was no group to stand with her in solidarity. No teammate to lean on.

We’ve seen other girls cross country runners in Washington state walk off the start line in protest of having to compete against a boy, but Elise Bierer was the first to do it all by herself.

It happened Wednesday during the Greater St. Helens League District Meet, where a runner for Camas High was competing as a girl after starting the year racing against the boys. And when the gun went off for the women’s varsity race, Bierer walked off the line toward her mother, Sheona, who embraced her tearful daughter.

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This was certainly not how Elise, a sophomore at Battle Ground High, pictured her season ending when the school year began. She was the second-fastest female cross country runner on her team, and almost certainly would have advanced to regionals had she participated Wednesday.

But as her mom explained, Bierer had been anticipating a moment like this for a couple of years, and was prepared to stand — or more precisely, walk — on principle.

“Before she entered high school — she’s a sophomore — I told her that it’s a real possibility that this could come into play, that she might be forced to race against a male. When we talked about that, she said if that were to happen, she would stand up for what was right and just not compete,” said Sheona Bierer, speaking for a daughter who didn’t feel comfortable being interviewed.

So two Tuesdays ago, when Battle Ground met Camas in a dual meet, Bierer and other teammates decided that they were simply not going to compete. But there really wasn’t a whole lot on the line in that race. This time, though, it was districts. This time, a protest meant saying sayonara to her season.

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Sheona said Elise and other Battle Ground girls who didn’t want to compete against the biological boy were pressured into running in the JV race Wednesday. This would maximize Battle Ground’s chances of finishing in the top three of four teams to advance to regionals.

Two things, though. 1) Because of all this controversy, only five Battle Ground racers even showed up for Wednesday’s women’s varsity race (the other three teams had seven apiece). And 2) Elise felt it was her rightful place to line up with the varsity. She’d earned that position.

Sheona said that the initial plan was for other Battle Ground girls to walk off the start line with Elise. But those plans changed before the race, leaving Elise to make a statement all by herself.

What was that like to watch as a mom? I asked.

“I’m super proud. I’m still overwhelmed,” said Sheona, adding that Elise has been running since sixth grade but would not return to the team next year if she had to run against the Camas boy. “I know this is really hard, but I love her, and I’m so glad that she’s going to stand up for what’s right, even when everybody else is walking away from what’s right and chose to buckle under pressure.”

Sheona said Elise didn’t inform Battle Ground coach Patricia Tester of her plan for fear of being relegated to JV. I attempted to ask Tester about Bierer after the race — and about the exodus of female runners from her team — but she wouldn’t even offer a no comment.

Then, another Battle Ground coach stepped in.

“Go away, please. That’s my comment,” he said.

I told him I was just trying to get answers about an athlete who protested.

“Leave the kids alone,” he said.

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I can’t speak for other writers — and there were quite a few of them out there Wednesday — but I’d love to leave the kids alone. Unfortunately, Washington state law allows high school males to compete against high school females if they identify as the latter — leaving myriad girls distressed.

The Camas boy finished second out of 26 runners Wednesday, officially displacing a biological girl from competing in regionals — as only 21 can advance. He also helped lead his Papermakers to first place in the women’s varsity team results. Earlier this season, he finished first in a varsity dual meet despite placing 76th among boys a couple weeks prior.

People are tired of this — and not just those on opposing teams. Eight days ago, about a dozen of the runner’s own female teammates walked off the starting line for Camas.

One of them was Holly Burns, who spoke at a pre-meet rally attended by scores of supporters of Initiative 638, a Nov. 3 ballot measure in Washington state that would require K-12 athletes to compete according to their sex at birth. She had no idea her walking off the start line would spark the reaction it has — but it helped turn Wednesday’s meet into the kind of media spectacle rarely seen in high school cross country.

“When I was talking about it with the girls, we were kind of like ‘what’s the point of even doing this?’ It’s not like it was going to change anything,” said Burns, who, according to one parent, is one of 18 girls from Camas to have quit the team entirely. “But it seems like it definitely made a wave.”

This won’t be the only OutKick column from Wednesday’s meet. There is much more to be written about the adults who are finally showing the courage that’s been almost exclusive to the high schoolers so far.

But this one is dedicated to Elise Bierer, who showed what real integrity looks like. Her coach wants us to leave her alone. No. Not when she had the guts to stand alone.