Event Proceeds Despite Cancellation

Should Boys Be Allowed to Compete in Girls' Sports?

The following article was submitted to my local newspaper the Edmonds Beacon.

TITLE IX EDMONDS, a local sports booster organization promoting fairness, safety and dignity in female athletics, booked a room at the Edmonds Waterfront Center for a roundtable discussion on women’s issues. The event, titled “Should Boys Be Allowed to Compete in Girls’ Sports?”, was scheduled to be held March 14 during International Women’s Month.

The event features four diverse female speakers – a psychologist, a teen athlete, a school board director and a citizen journalist – and was all set to go. We had a signed contract, the fee was paid, press releases went out, and we began selling tickets on Eventbrite. What could go wrong?

On February 11, I was given an audio-visual orientation by staff. They knew the event was a political roundtable but hadn’t yet asked about the topic. I gave them the flyer and the Events Manager approved, saying it was so interesting she might attend. I promised to put her on the guest list. Whatever concerns I may have had were allayed; it looked like clear sailing.

On February 16 I received an email from Daniel Johnson, the Center’s CEO, cancelling our event. When I asked why, this was his response.

“The safety and security of our members and guests of the EWC is our top priority. When you made the booking, you did not share the nature of the event or that you intended to hire security. This was sufficient evidence that you anticipated conflict…we determined that because of the potential disruption, the EWC was not the appropriate venue for your event.”

This is wrong on so many levels. They knew the format was a political “roundtable discussion,” it was right there at the top of the contract. He didn’t balk until he learned the topic under discussion, suggesting he discriminated against us based on our political views.

We hired security to ensure “the safety and security of members and guests,” yet he turned that around and used it against us. This is common practice for any political event, not just feminist gatherings. The Edmonds police would have been notified, and I trusted they would be capable of keeping order. In effect, Johnson granted the protesters a “heckler’s veto.”

Context matters. Washington state will be voting on the Protect Girls’ Sports Initiative this fall, and voters deserve a chance to hear from well-informed women on this important policy question. Recent polls show that 79% of Americans support females’ right to single-sex sports leagues (including 67% of Democrats). Ours is not a fringe opinion, nor is it “right-wing.”

The cancellation also violates Edmonds’ Equitable Engagement Framework, adopted by the city in 2022. The framework’s goal is “to encourage new voices, enable more accurate representation, and uncover city practices that create a barrier for some to participate in public processes,” and is intended to “build trust and engage communities.”

Fortunately, the show must and will go on. We will be meeting instead at the Lynnwood Event Center on March 14 at 7p.m., taking our event dollars out of Edmonds and spending them next door. Thank you to Lynnwood for supporting women’s rights and free speech. If you’re interested in attending, you can reserve your seats here:

https://TITLEIXEDMONDS.eventbrite.com