This newsletter touches on mental health, the state of queer and specifically trans healthcare in the nation currently, and mentions death/suicide. Please read only if you are comfortable to. There is a TL;DR at the bottom for the event itself. Please stay safe, and stay vigilant.
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND PRIDE |||
This is a crazy (and scary) time we are currently experiencing. So much is happening in the world, and I’m sure many of you are feeling the repercussions and the ripples – even here on our island. The Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases ( Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.) regarding trans women and trans girls in women’s/girl’s sports just this Wednesday. This coming election, the same issue is on the ballot in Washington state.
All around the nation, states and lawmakers are beating down on our trans brethren, removing life saving access to gender affirming care for both adults and children – especially children. The national average for suicide in queer children is four times that of other kids. In the studies that are performed, it has been shown time and time again that it is not the gender or sexual identity of these kids, but instead how they are ostracized by their community (see here for more info).
The knowledge of what is happening state-wide, and even nation-wide, can be hard to grasp here on the islands. The calm and relaxation that many come here to enjoy can lull one into a sense of isolation, where the world’s problems become invisible. Due to this, we at Orcas Pride invite you to a screening of Heightened Scrutiny and urge you to stay vigilant and aware of the world around you. It will be held on Sunday, February 1st, from 1–3 PM at the Seaview Theatre.
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| Directed by Sam Feder, Heightened Scrutiny follows attorney Chase Strangio as he advocates for transgender adolescents’ access to gender-affirming healthcare at the Supreme Court, while navigating a media landscape that often fuels fear and misinformation. The film is both deeply personal and profoundly urgent.
Following the screening, we are honored to host a live conversation and Q&A with director Sam Feder. |
| This event is designed to be welcoming, thoughtful, and accessible. Whether you come to learn, to listen, or to stand in solidarity, you are invited. This showing is in collaboration with San Juan Island and Lopez Island. We hope you’ll join us for an afternoon of shared learning, reflection, and connection.
Suggested donation: $10 . All proceeds support the cost of the screening. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. |
| Additional donations are deeply appreciated and help ensure future educational and affirming events remain accessible to all.
Hosting Heightened Scrutiny with director Sam Feder is a meaningful opportunity for our community, and it comes with real costs. If you’re able to give beyond the suggested donation, your support helps cover licensing, travel, and venue expenses, and allows Orcas Pride to continue offering inclusive, educational programming. Every contribution, large or small, helps make this event possible. Thank you for being part of a community that shows up.
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**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
“The law has always understood that equal opportunity sometimes requires clear, sex-based distinctions. Title IX did not guarantee women the right to compete against just anyone. It guaranteed women the right to compete against other women specifically. That distinction is the foundation of women’s sports. When courts are asked to redefine sex in ways that erase that line, they undermine the very protections Title IX was designed to provide. I remain optimistic that the Supreme Court will ultimately reaffirm that protecting female sports and spaces is both lawful and essential to women’s equality.” — Beth Parlato, senior legal counsel for Independent Women’s Law Center
Title IX was a huge win for fairness for women and girls in education and sport when it passed in 1972. I am so disappointed to see that Orcas Pride supports this misogynistic assault on the rights of women and girls. Let’s hope Washingtonians vote to support fairness for women and girls in sport and education, for reality, and for the right to safety, privacy, and dignity for all women and girls when this issue is on the ballot in our state.
I fully, absolutely support equal legal protection and strong positive community support for trans people! However, as stated by Beth Parlato and Elisabeth Robson above, these legal rights simply can’t include participation in women’s sports for biological males. Sex-based performance advantages for males can begin to appear even pre-puberty, according to sports medicine doctors in one of the briefs linked to above by Orcas Island Pride.
As just one example of the common-sense nature of this issue, among many: last year a fantastic female runner, Jane Hedengren, set a new US high school girls’ mile record of 4:23, a time I could only dream of on my high school boys’ team many years ago. It was even faster than the current NCAA women’s record, which she is sure to break this year as a college freshman. And yet, according to a quick internet search, at least 500 American high school boys met this standard last year, which wouldn’t get them more than a passing glance by coaches offering track scholarships at most Division I schools. This competitive disparity has already impacted high school and college competitions and record books. One might argue that this doesn’t happen very often; but is that really a justification? What does this say to women athletes? How discouraging, to say the least.
The safety issues are also documented extensively–and are also common sense. Size, weight, bone density, strength, speed, connective tissue–they all add up to a clear risk of injury to women competing against biological males. And this has been borne out in increasing numbers in a variety of sports.
Regarding the other major issue in the newsletter, gender-affirming care: it worries me on behalf of children whose brains are still developing, and who are in an extremely exploratory, malleable, and changeable phase of life, to conduct chemical or surgical interventions that are often irreversible. As Orcas Pride says above: “it is not the gender or sexual identity of these kids, but instead how they are ostracized by their community.” Yes, let’s provide abundant love and support for all children and teens, giving them time to really develop and stabilize their sexual identities.