Female athletes at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, Washington, are speaking out against what they describe as unfair and uncomfortable conditions after biological males joined both their wrestling team and gained access to their locker rooms.
The controversy came to light when a wrestling coach from another school contacted local advocates approximately a month ago, expressing concern that his female wrestlers were being forced to compete against a biological male on Emerald Ridge’s girls’ wrestling team.
The athlete in question competes in the 190-pound weight class, one of the larger categories in girls’ wrestling, and holds a record of eight wins and three losses.
“There’s this base level issue of really wrestling. Girls having to either forfeit or literally wrestle on a mat with a boy,” one source explained, noting the inherently physical nature of the sport. “Have you ever watched a wrestling match? You grab all sorts of places.”
The discomfort extends beyond the wrestling mat into the locker room facilities, where two biological males reportedly use the girls’ changing spaces. When several female athletes initially raised concerns with the athletic department and Principal Ed Crow in December, the administration appeared responsive.
In an email to a parent, Principal Crow wrote: “We have spoken to the two girls in question. They have agreed to utilize a different changing space for their practices. The goal is for this change to take place starting tomorrow, but it is possible it could take an extra day as we work through the details on our end.”
However, according to sources, this arrangement lasted only one day before the biological males returned to the girls’ locker room, leaving the female athletes feeling deceived and unheard.
EXCLUSIVE: The boys in girls’ sports debate is about to blow up at Emerald Ridge HS in Puyallup (WA) over two boys on the girls’ wrestling team. More than a dozen brave girls confronted school leaders about having to share a locker room with males, sources tell us. pic.twitter.com/6kGxMGiIC9
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) January 23, 2026
The situation escalated when 13 girls requested a meeting with the principal and vice principal, hoping to have their concerns addressed.
Instead of solutions, they received packets containing the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s gender-inclusive policies and educational materials explaining gender identity concepts. 
The female athletes say they left the meeting without meaningful resolution, as school officials indicated their options were limited under current state policies.
The girls report feeling frustrated that their safety and privacy concerns are being dismissed in favor of administrative compliance with state guidelines.
Attempts to reach higher-level officials have reportedly been unsuccessful. Governor Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and State Superintendent Chris Reykdal have declined to meet with the affected female athletes, according to advocates working with the students.
For the female wrestlers and athletes at Emerald Ridge High School, the question remains whether their voices will be heard in a policy environment that they feel prioritizes other considerations over their own comfort and competitive fairness.
The school district has not provided additional comment beyond the principal’s initial email correspondence.
