Colorado ballot measure could leave schools to verify students’ sex, raising fears of forced genital exams

Two propositions going to the ballot on November 3 in Colorado could threaten the lives and basic rights of transgender kids. Opponents warn that the measure could affect many other young people in the state, CBS News reports.There are about 56,000 transgender and nonbinary people in Colorado, according to a recent memorandum from the state’s Legislative Council staff. These young people would be most affected if Propositions 134 and 135 pass.Proposition 134 would restrict transgender students’ participation in school sports, from elementary school through college, by requiring them to join teams based on the measure’s definitions of biological sex rather than their gender identity. Opponents warn that it could expose both cisgender and transgender students to invasive scrutiny. The measure does not explicitly require physical exams but leaves schools and districts to determine how to verify students’ sex.Related: Washington ballot measure could force all girls to have genital inspections to play sportsConservative supporters of Propositions 134 and 135 say some of the state’s trans-inclusive laws have become too lenient and are potentially harmful to children. Proposition 135 specifically would ban surgeries for people under 18 that “alter biological sex characteristics if the surgeries are in response to their gender identity,” according to the CBS report, but would not prohibit counseling, hormone treatment, or other forms of care.Lori Gimelshteyn, founder of the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network and a board director of Protect Kids Colorado, recently told Colorado Public Radio that the measure aims to prevent what she considers “irreversible harm to children.”“We are preventing harm,” Gimelshteyn added. “We are preserving a child’s future, their reproductive future.”Historically, Colorado has had a reputation for being trans-friendly, with laws in place prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and allowing people to change t