Full Breakdown
Colorado Ballot Measures Aim to Restrict Trans Youth Rights
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Colorado voters will decide two citizen-initiated measures this November. Proposition 134 would bar transgender students from participating on K-12 and college sports teams that do not match their sex assigned at birth. Proposition 135 would prohibit gender-affirming medical procedures for minors, including surgeries that alter biological sex characteristics.
Background & Context
The proposals arrive amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives across the United States. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump incorporated anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric into his reelection campaign and, after returning to office in 2025, signed executive orders limiting federal recognition of gender to two “unchangeable” sexes, banning transgender people from the military, restricting gender-affirming care for those under 19, and prohibiting trans women and girls from female sports. Colorado’s legislature has previously moved in the opposite direction, passing laws that classify intentional misgendering or deadnaming as discriminatory, require insurers to cover gender-affirming care, and protect minors’ name-change records. The two propositions, however, are citizen initiatives filed by anti-trans activists Erin Lee and political strategist Michele Austin, bypassing legislative approval.
Provisions and Potential Impact
Proposition 134’s language would place schools and athletic programs under state mandates to verify a student’s gender, prompting concerns from physicians that the same wording could restrict minors’ access to essential medical treatments such as IUDs, genital tumor surgery, and fertility preservation before cancer therapy. Proposition 135’s blanket ban on gender-affirming surgery could affect a range of procedures beyond those intended for transgender youth.
Opposition Voices and Concerns
Parents and advocates have rallied against the measures, warning of broad unintended consequences. Chris Cook, who moved his family to Colorado seeking a safe environment for his 11-year-old transgender daughter, said, “My daughter should not be a political talking point. She is a child.” Christine Ferris of Denver argued that “These measures would put government in the middle of decisions that families, schools, coaches and medical professionals should have the power to navigate for themselves.”
Official Statements & Outlook
State officials have highlighted Colorado’s recent pro-LGBTQ+ legislation as a counterbalance to the ballot initiatives. Nonetheless, the measures remain on the ballot, and advocates stress the need for voters to consider the wide-ranging medical and social implications before casting their ballots.