‘My most uncomfortable vote’: Gee explains his support for WA’s school sports initiative as Ursula questions its requirements

Washington’s Initiative 638, restricting transgender girls’ participation in girls’ school sports, has passed after receiving about 57% support. However, Initiative 645, which seeks to repeal the state’s income tax, is falling behind with only 42.07% in support. Initiative 001, which would restore the original 2024 parents’ bill of rights, is also trailing, with only 47.39% in favor.

For Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin, co-hosts of “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, the results prompted a discussion of their differing views.

“This one, I got to tell you, was my most uncomfortable vote that I’ve had in a long time,” Gee said. “I was very uncomfortable with this, and the truth of the matter is, I was on the yes side of this.”

Gee supports sports measure despite reservations

Initiative 638 prohibits students it defines as biologically male from competing in designated female school athletic activities. It also requires verification of biological sex by students’ health care providers.

Gee described his objections to that verification requirement alongside his position on participation.

“I don’t like some of the things that’s in it, where the doctors are checking and all that. I didn’t like that,” Gee said. “That doesn’t mean that I have any type of hate towards the transgender community. I think I’m very clear with that. But at the same time, I believe that girls’ sports should remain girls’ sports.”

Ursula voted against the initiative despite sharing Gee’s opposition to transgender girls competing in girls-only sports.

“I voted no because I do believe that this initiative goes too far in requiring girls to prove their biological sex just to play,” Ursula said.

Income tax repeal trails in early returns

Initiative 645 seeks to repeal Washington’s 9.9% tax on income above $1 million. The tax is scheduled to apply beginning in 2028, with the first payments collected in 2029.

Ursula supported repeal, citing concerns about the law’s constitutionality and possible future changes.

“I voted yes to repeal the new state income tax on millionaires,” Ursula said. “I do have serious constitutional questions about this tax.”

She also discussed Gov. Bob Ferguson’s pledge to veto legislation lowering the threshold.

“I appreciate that. But the governor is not going to be in power all the time,” Ursula said. “I have told you all that I think we do have a spending problem.”

Gee sees mixed results as issue-by-issue voting

Initiative 001 would reverse amendments to the parental rights law originally enacted through Initiative 2081. The three measures concerned different policies rather than a single legislative package.

Gee interpreted the mixed results as evidence that voters need not follow one political position across every issue.

“We are able to have an opinion issue by issue and not follow some type of agenda, or, ‘Well, I’m a conservative, or I’m a Republican, or I’m a Democrat, so I need to vote this way on this topic,’” Gee said. “In Washington, with these initiatives, it clearly showed you that here in this state, people are able to have different opinions on different issues. I think that’s a beautiful thing.”

He rejected ballot confusion as the explanation for the outcomes.

“This whole confusion thing, I don’t buy that; that people were confused,” Gee said. “It’s OK to have a differing opinion about that. We can still move on and talk about these things issue by issue.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio.