‘They didn’t allow my voice to be heard’: Bainbridge Island Review subscriber cancels after paper rejects his I-638 op-ed

Brian Anderson, a longtime Bainbridge Island Review subscriber, canceled his subscription after he said the newspaper declined to publish his opinion piece supporting Initiative 638.

Anderson, a supporter of Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender, joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to discuss the rejected submission and why he supports changing Washington’s rules for participation in girls’ school sports.

He submitted his piece after the newspaper published an editorial opposing the initiative. He expected the paper to offer readers a competing perspective. Instead, Anderson recounted, the editor initially cited other opinion pieces awaiting publication, including one about driveway tickets and another about spinal care.

“Well, maybe the editor should have read the second story about how to take care of your spine if you have a spine,” KIRO host John Curley said.

Initiative 638 would require students seeking to participate in girls’ school sports to provide documentation from a health care provider verifying their biological sex, KIRO 7 reported.

Anderson wanted a competing viewpoint published

Anderson explained that he had seen newspapers elsewhere in Washington publish arguments both for and against ballot measures and believed his submission would provide balance.

“They ought to publish that for balance with the one they’ve already published against it,” Anderson said.

After the first delay, Anderson submitted the piece again the following week. He described the editor’s subsequent response as making clear that the newspaper would not publish it.

Anderson also recounted an earlier controversy involving a nationally syndicated conservative columnist’s position on transgender athletes. Some readers, he explained, had questioned why the newspaper was publishing a national voice rather than someone local.

“Well, here I am, a local voice, been a subscriber of the paper for 27 years, and they didn’t allow my voice to be heard,” Anderson said.

Curley questioned whether concern about losing subscribers had influenced the decision. The interview did not include a response from the newspaper or its editor.

A Democratic voter challenges his party’s position

Anderson described himself as someone who has voted Democratic for most of his life but disagrees with allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports.

He framed his support for I-638 as an extension of his longtime advocacy for women’s rights, rather than a departure from those values.

“I thought the Democratic Party was a champion of women’s rights over the decades, and now they are implementing policies that are taking those rights away,” Anderson said.

He also argued that the issue can be difficult to discuss publicly because people worry about the consequences within their social circles.

“For the most part, people don’t want to talk about it. It’s radioactive. People have very strong emotional reactions to this,” Anderson said.

Asked whether speaking out had cost him friendships, Anderson responded that he was not aware of any yet. He did report being blocked from Facebook groups and online forums.

Disagreement over medical verification

Curley and Anderson also challenged concerns about the initiative’s medical documentation requirement.

Anderson argued that health care providers could rely on information already contained in patients’ medical records rather than conduct additional examinations.

“So all that you need to do in a sports physical is reference that documentation, which is based on full examinations, and you’re off,” Anderson said.

That was Anderson’s interpretation of how the requirement would work. According to KIRO 7, the proposal has generated debate over sex verification requirements for students participating in girls’ sports.

Anderson maintained that the central question should be fairness in competition. He also expressed concern about teenagers feeling compelled to become public advocates over school athletics.

Curley praised students who had appeared on his show to discuss the issue and commended Anderson for publicly taking a position despite potential social consequences.

A canceled subscription

Returning to the newspaper’s decision, Anderson argued that readers should have access to competing arguments on an important ballot issue.

“It would be that you are not giving both sides of the story, and this is an important issue,” Anderson said.

Curley then asked whether Anderson had canceled his subscription.

“I actually have,” Anderson said.

MyNorthwest has reached out to The Bainbridge Island Review for comment.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The John Curley Show” weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.

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