Kevin and Sarah Burns appeared on "The Ingraham Angle" to discuss a protest by their daughter Holly and her teammates at a Washington high school cross-country meet. Roughly a dozen Camas High School girls walked off the course during an Oct. 13 dual meet against Battle Ground, refusing to compete after a male athlete joined the girls' varsity roster midseason.
The dispute centers on an athlete who finished 76th in an Oregon boys' junior varsity race on Sept. 5. Ten days later, the runner was competing in the girls' division, according to Matt Calkins of OutKick. Fox News Digital's Jackson Thompson reported that the Camas High School team forfeited the race in response to this change.
Kevin Burns explained that his daughter and her teammates decided to act because they did not view the competition as fair. "Well, we told her that they should do what they feel is best and that they feel is right," Burns said. He noted that several team captains had already quit before the meet, meaning more than the dozen visible in video were involved in the protest.
School officials stated their hands were tied by state regulations. The Camas School District cited Washington law and high school athletic rules, which require schools to allow athletes to compete in divisions matching their gender identity. Burns read a letter from the school stating that it prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and expression. When host Laura Ingraham summarized the letter as telling families they were out of luck, Burns agreed, saying, "I guess it's okay to discriminate against actual gender."
Sarah Burns described the emotional burden placed on young competitors. "They're children, they're, you know, they're 16 to 17-year-old girls that shouldn't have to deal with this at all," she said. She argued that the athletes should simply be able to race without dealing with what she called an adult issue.
Tensions escalated on the sidelines when the Burns arrived with signs to support the runners. Security attempted to remove them, claiming signs were not allowed. Kevin Burns recalled that his wife refused to leave, stating they had no legal reason to be pushed out. "We ended up actually staying there and holding our signs, and it gave the girls a boost of self-esteem," he said. He added that other parents approached them to express support for their decision to stand their ground.
Kevin Burns urged political leaders to address the issue, arguing it bridges partisan divides. "This is a big issue that most Americans on both sides of the political aisle agree with," he said. He noted that friends on both sides of the political spectrum agree that girls should not have to compete against boys.