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US Politics

Voters in Arizona, Nebraska and Washington approve bans on trans athletes in girls' sports

ABC News reports Colorado voters also approved a ban with 52%, and Washington's Democratic Party chair says she plans a court challenge.

11 news outlets reported this
Liberal4 outletsA setback for LGBTQ+ rights in blue statesCenter2 outletsFour states move to restrict trans athletesConservative5 outletsVoters back girls' sports despite a blue wave
Published 4 min readMoney and daily life
Overview

Voters in Arizona, Nebraska and Washington approved restricting transgender athletes in school sports in the election held Tuesday, Nov. 3. In Washington, Initiative 638 won 56.6% of the vote. It bars students assigned male at birth from girls' school teams, and girls who want to play need a statement from a health care provider verifying their sex.

The New York Post says the measure is set to take effect Dec. 3 and that opponents could sue to block it. Arizona's Proposition 318 also passed, and Nebraska's amendment writes its existing ban into the state constitution. In Colorado, Proposition 134 drew about 52% support.

ABC News reports it was approved, while the New York Post and the Washington Examiner described it as leading while ballots were still being counted. The Post Millennial reports that Washington Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad is planning a court challenge to the Washington measure. Washington's school athletics association has said it knew of only about 10 transgender middle and high school athletes in the state.

Key figures
  • 56.6% yes vote for Washington's Initiative 638, per the secretary of state's office — New York Post
  • 58.9% yes vote for Arizona's Proposition 318 — New York Post
  • 68% support for Nebraska's constitutional amendment — New York Post
  • 52% voters supporting Colorado's Proposition 134, per ABC News — ABC News
  • about 10 trans middle and high school athletes in Washington, per its athletics association — The Guardian (US)

Three sides of the story

Liberal4 outlets

A setback for LGBTQ+ rights in blue states

ABC News leads with the bans passing in "left-leaning" Washington and Colorado and reports that Colorado voters approved Proposition 134 with 52%. It says an issue conservatives once used as a wedge now draws bipartisan support.

It quotes Duke Law professor Doriane Lambelet Coleman and GLAAD's Sarah Kate Ellis, who calls fearmongering about trans people "a losing strategy." The Guardian opens by calling Washington's result "a major loss for LGBTQ+ rights" in a solidly Democratic state. It relays opponents' warnings about genital exams, the athletics association's count of about 10 trans athletes, and a statement from more than 140 healthcare providers against the measure.

It says the initiative is due to take effect in December and could face legal challenges. The New York Times reports that voters in Arizona, Nebraska and Washington approved the limits, and that organizers said similar ballot efforts elsewhere were likely. A Boston Globe opinion letter by P. Miller Franklin argues the story has "largely been ignored."

Center2 outlets

Four states move to restrict trans athletes

Stateline opens with voters in Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska and Washington being "on track to pass or have passed" limits on transgender athletes, which it calls a key policy focus of the Trump administration. It notes that Democrats won big in Republican strongholds that Tuesday, yet some Republican-backed proposals also found support. Stateline then goes state by state: Arizona at approximately 59% late Wednesday, Colorado's Proposition 134 passing with 52%, Nebraska's constitutional amendment, and Washington's requirement of healthcare documentation of sex.

It cites the Washington athletics association's figure of about 10 transgender athletes each year and Ballotpedia's count of 29 states with laws, regulations or rules. The Hill, citing Decision Desk HQ, says Washington voters are projected to have approved the ban, overturning a longtime policy that let transgender girls join girls' and women's school teams. It says a healthcare provider must verify a student's sex before she plays on a girls' team.

Conservative5 outlets

Voters back girls' sports despite a blue wave

The Washington Examiner frames the results as a win for conservatives amid a blue wave and credits the plain wording on the ballots. It quotes activist Amanda Kovattana and Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project, who says "the culture war is working." The New York Post lists each state's result and quotes Sophia Lorey of the California Family Council calling it "a historic week for girls and common sense."

The Post Millennial gives Washington's tally of 1,252,863 yes votes to 961,810 no and quotes Let's Go Washington founder Brian Heywood. It also reports Democratic chair Shasti Conrad's planned court challenge. Just the News calls the vote "a rebuke to the Democratic establishment" and quotes former Penn swimmer Paula Scanlan: "The voters have left the 'culture war' behind."

Money and daily life

According to the New York Post, Washington's measure is set to take effect Dec. 3. A girl who wants to play on a girls' school team would need a written statement from her health care provider about her sex, which the Post says can rest on reproductive anatomy, genetics or natural testosterone levels. The Post says opponents could sue to block the measure, and the Guardian says it could face legal challenges.

All sources: 11 articles from 11 outlets

Liberal (4)

Center (2)

Conservative (5)

Related
Ballot measure

A law or constitutional change that voters approve or reject directly at the polls, alongside the candidates. Names vary by state: proposition, initiative, referendum, amendment.

All terms →