Voters in Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska approved ballot measures this week to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls' and women's sports.
In Washington, Initiative 638 passed with 56.6% of the vote, overturning a policy that had allowed transgender students to compete on K-12 teams matching their gender identity since 2007. The new measure requires students assigned male at birth to be barred from girls' teams and mandates a signed statement from a healthcare provider verifying biological sex for girls seeking to participate. The measure is slated to take effect on December 3, though legal challenges are possible.
Arizona's Proposition 318 also passed with 58.9% of the vote. This measure, referred by the state Legislature, requires public and private schools and athletic associations to designate teams as male, female, or coed based on the sex recorded on a student's original birth certificate. It also prohibits transgender students from using locker rooms and restrooms that do not align with their sex at birth, reviving a 2022 law that had been blocked by a federal appeals court.
Colorado's Proposition 134 was narrowly leading with 52.7% of the vote as ballots continued to be counted. This proposition would require athletic teams from elementary school through college to be designated as male, female, or coed, with eligibility determined by biological reproductive systems. Girls would still be permitted to join boys' teams if no girls' team is available. This proposition is accompanied by Proposition 135, which also leads and aims to ban gender-transition surgeries for minors.
Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved the Fairness for Girls constitutional amendment with 68% support. This amendment enshrines the state's existing ban on transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports from kindergarten through college into the state constitution, making it more difficult for future legislatures to repeal.
Supporters of these measures argued that they are necessary to ensure a level playing field for cisgender girls in sports. "Every girl who trains before dawn, gives up weekends and sacrifices to compete deserves a level playing field," stated Sophia Lorey from the California Family Council, highlighting the sentiment shared by proponents.
Efforts in California to place a similar measure on the ballot fell short, with organizers failing to collect enough signatures to qualify for the 2024 ballot. A Republican assemblywoman's legislative attempt to bar transgender girls from girls' sports also stalled in the Democrat-controlled state Legislature. However, advocates for such bans in California have vowed to continue their efforts.
Opponents, such as Nadine Bridges, executive director of LGBTQ advocacy group One Colorado, expressed concerns that Proposition 134 in Colorado could lead to undue scrutiny of girls based on their appearance or perceived strength.