Like many high school-age athletes, Peter Wallace had dreams of competing on the collegiate level. But that dream was shattered this time last year with a stroke of President Donald Trump’s pen. That’s because Wallace is transgender — a person who, according to some people on both ends of the political spectrum, shouldn’t be able to participate in competitive sports.
Wallace, 18, a senior at Franklin High School, spent years as a competitive rower with the Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center. She started the summer before eighth grade at the urging of her mother, a former rower. Wallace was on a Mount Baker team that won the regional girls under-17 title in 2023 and placed 19th out of 35 in the national competition that year.
In late 2024, her talent drew the interest of women’s rowing teams at colleges including the University of Massachusetts, Syracuse University and the University of Miami. But while she and her mom were visiting the Hurricanes campus last year, the news dropped: The Trump administration had banned transgender women and girls from participating in female sports at all federally funded educational institutions. With that, Wallace — who has kept her birth name out of respect for the two uncles she was named for — lost her chance to compete in college.
“We were talking about that with one of the (Miami) coaches, and we were talking about playing it by ear because Trump can write as many executive orders that he wants, but if the NCAA doesn’t follow suit, then that doesn’t involve me. A few weeks later, NCAA followed suit,” Wallace recalled.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement at the time, “President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard. The NCAA Board of Governors is reviewing the executive order and will take necessary steps to align NCAA policy in the coming days.”
With that, Wallace’s dream of using her rowing skills to pay for college was dashed.
Wallace, like many athletes, parents and schools, is anxiously awaiting the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on two cases: Hecox v. Little challenges Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which prohibits transgender women and girls, intersex and nonbinary people from participating in girls’ and women’s sports at public schools. West Virginia v. B.P. J., which challenges the state’s Save Women’s Sports Act, mandates that “for an official or unofficial school-sanctioned athletic or sporting event, that each athlete’s participation in the event be based on the athlete’s biological sex” as indicated on the athlete’s original birth certificate.
Washington officials, too, are watching.
“One of the things we’re concerned about is, would the decisions apply to every state — if it’s a nationwide decision or if it gets sent back to the states like (the) Roe versus Wade case, where it’s up to each state,” said Justin Kesterson, assistant executive director for eligibility and technology for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which governs sports in 119 Washington high schools. “Depending on how those cases are settled would affect how we move forward.”
Washington is one of 23 states that allow transgender high school students to compete in sports that align with their gender. That’s the essence of the West Virginia case. But that doesn’t affect Wallace now, because Franklin doesn’t have a rowing team. She is more focused on her future and earning a degree in political science. For her, rowing was the ticket to that goal.
Peter’s journey
Peter Wallace’s interest in rowing was planted by her mother, Erin, who rowed at Green Lake as a teen. A first responder for AMR, Erin’s been supportive of Peter’s athletic, academic and life goals.
She’s helped her daughter navigate bullying and the process of growing up with a transition in her future.
“She was the one that gave me the push that I needed to feel secure,” Peter Wallace said. “I was so worried what people would think and how I would be viewed. I’m glad she gave me motivation and made it clear I can be whoever I want.”
As in most mom-teen relationships, Peter respectfully chimes in to correct dates and races and titles when Erin speaks of Peter’s rowing career. But the mother wins out when it comes to detailing the years of gender-affirming medical care for Peter, such as hormone therapy that aligned with the NCAA’s previous restrictions; and being there for the simple things, like making sure Peter’s hair is just right for a Seattle Times photo.
“I want her to feel successful,” her mother told me. “I want her to feel loved and accepted. And I want her to be seen as her true self, always.”
It’s complicated
When it comes to politics and the trans athlete issue, Peter Wallace’s views are refreshing. She understands both sides of the debate and thinks that there should be nuance in whatever the court decides. She agrees that in some cases, competition involving transgender athletes can be unfair.
“I think just straight-up banning trans athletes is a complex issue,” she said. “I feel like my sport is a perfect example. In rowing, it’s not how big you are or how strong you are. You can put someone 250 pounds and strong as hell into a rowing boat, but they’re not going to know how to row. It’s more complex than just strength. It’s about your technique.
“Things that get a lot of media attention are like track and field, and it’s much more simplistic and easier to pass judgment. There are so many different sports that have so many different elements that add up to the actual performance of the sport itself.”
Transgender athletes have been a sticky topic for years. It’s one that goes beyond just who can compete against whom. Wallace, mature beyond her years, sees through the clutter clouding the discussion. She knows the issue is bigger than her and even finds it difficult to defend all transgender athletes.
“I can say as a trans person, it’s possible for it to be unfair.”
Wallace hopes to attend the University of Washington, University of Oregon or Western Washington University, and someday become an elected official, possibly in Congress. Since competitive collegiate rowing is out of the picture, she hopes to get a job on campus assisting rowing coaches at the school she attends.
Wallace also has advice for other young people who are transitioning.
“Look at the big picture. I focused too much on what was happening currently in my life, and that dug me deeper in a hole. But then I realized this is just one small chapter in my life. Then I began thinking, when I go to college and onward, I’ll have such a beautiful life.”
