Nancy Churchill says common sense is under attack in Washington state
Nancy Churchill
Dangerous Rhetoric
In a recent interview, NBA legend Charles Barkley recently said what most Americans are thinking: “Men shouldn’t play in women’s sports. That’s not controversial.”
He’s right.
Common sense is under attack in Washington state. You wouldn’t think that standing up for fairness in girls sports would be controversial — but in our state, it is.
Let me be clear: I do not harbor hatred toward anyone — regardless of their identity or background. I also reject discrimination in all forms. However, I firmly believe there are only two sexes: male and female. This belief is grounded both in science and in my faith. Yet in Washington state today, stating this simple truth is increasingly treated as if it were an act of hate.
It’s time to stand up for common sense and fair play in Washington.
Washington’s education bureaucracy is breaking the law
Washington’s education leadership — specifically the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) — has gone all-in on radical gender ideology. That ideological commitment has triggered not just controversy, but federal investigations.
The U.S. Department of Education is now investigating OSPI for violating Title IX, the federal law designed to protect girls from discrimination in sports and education. According to a letter issued in April, “Multiple Washington state school districts have reported that OSPI is requiring school boards to adopt policies that allow males to participate in female sports and occupy female-only intimate facilities, thereby raising substantial Title IX concerns.”
Let that sink in. Washington’s top education officials are pushing policies that may violate federal civil rights law, all in the name of “inclusion” — at the expense of fairness, privacy, and safety for girls.
They’re not just targeting girls sports — they’re targeting parents
The problem extends far beyond locker rooms and athletic fields.
Another federal law — the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) — is also reportedly being ignored by OSPI. According to a formal complaint filed by the Washington Parents Network, the Superintendent’s office has mandated that all 295 public school districts adopt procedures that withhold critical information from parents.
This includes whether their children are undergoing a gender transition, dealing with drug addiction, or struggling with serious mental health issues. These facts are intentionally concealed from parents — even those who specifically request access to educational records.
The complaint states that “teachers and administrators [are] forced to keep secrets from parents who request important educational records… in violation of FERPA.”
A fundamental betrayal
What we’re seeing isn’t just a bad policy — it’s a betrayal of the basic principles that have guided Western civilization for centuries.
Under English Common Law, as explained by Sir William Blackstone, it was understood that parents had the natural right and responsibility to direct the education and upbringing of their children. Schools only had authority because parents allowed it. Blackstone made it clear that this right existed because parents, by nature, are wired to act in their children’s best interest.
Philosopher John Locke took it a step further. In his “Second Treatise of Government,” he said parental rights are God-given — rooted in reason and natural law. According to Locke, parents have a duty, by design, to protect and guide their kids.
Our Founders understood that. They built a system that respected the family as the cornerstone of a free society.
But today in Washington, those ideas are being flipped on their head. Parents are being sidelined, treated like obstacles instead of what they are — guardians appointed by God and nature to look out for their children.
Meanwhile, lawmakers claim a “Parental Rights Overhaul”
In the recent legislative session, state lawmakers recently passed what they are calling a “parental rights overhaul.” HB 1296, approved in April, codifies a range of rights for parents—but it does so with some glaring omissions. While it affirms a parent’s right to be able to review curriculum and opt out of certain surveys, it fails to rein in OSPI’s gender identity policies or restore transparency in school communications.
Progressives say it’s a win for students. But the legislation does little to address the reality on the ground, where districts are still enforcing secrecy around student transitions and allowing males into female-only sports and facilities.
Washington’s progressive lawmakers may be celebrating, but parents should be asking: What good are “parental rights” on paper if schools are still allowed to ignore them?
Goal: Substitute the state for family
Progressive politicians like to dress these policies up as “compassionate,” “empowering” or “inclusive.” But there’s nothing compassionate about stealing opportunities from young women athletes. There’s nothing empowering about allowing young men to compete unfairly and endanger the safety of female athletes. There’s nothing inclusive about driving a wedge of secrecy between parents and their children.
This is government overreach, plain and simple. This is profoundly anti-woman. It robs girls of fair competition, and it strips parents of their God-given right to protect, guide, and raise their own kids. The progressive goal is always the destruction of social norms in order to gather and maintain political power. Our children are the pawns in their game.
What parents can do
Now is the time to act. Parents across Washington need to show up — at school board meetings, in conversations with coaches, and most importantly, with their daughters. These won’t always be easy talks, but they’re necessary. Girls need to know their parents have their back, especially when they’re forced to compete against biological males.
It’s time to support organizations, candidates, school board members, school administrators and coaches who stand for truth — those who believe in biology, fairness, and the rights guaranteed by our Constitution.
Most of all, we can’t stay silent. We didn’t choose this fight, but we’re in it — and silence will cost our kids far more than discomfort ever will.
Charles Barkley said it right: “There’s a lot of stuff we can argue over. That ain’t one of them.” In Washington, defending girls’ sports and standing up for parental rights must be the baseline — it’s not a debate, but a duty.
Nancy Churchill is a writer and educator in rural eastern Washington State, and the Nancy Churchill is the chair of the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on Substack, thinkspot, and Rumble.
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