Based on Anti-Trans Spending, Right-Wingers Could Afford to Pay Every Trans Student Athlete a Six-Figure Salary

This story is a joint investigation with The Advocate.On Tuesday, residents of four U.S. states — Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Washington — will vote on whether to ban transgender athletes from organized sports. Each state has a ballot measure backed by political action committees that spearhead advertising and outreach in its favor.Together, these committees and their supporters have spent roughly $7.5 million this year on their campaigns. Such a hefty price tag is disproportionate to the actual level of trans sports participation in the states, a new investigation from Them and The Advocate has found.No official national count exists for trans athletes. But an analysis based on state figures suggests that total ballot campaign expenses have surpassed $151,400 per actual trans athlete who would be affected, Them and The Advocate found. While approximate, this figure suggests that the political significance of trans sports participation in the United States has eclipsed the scale of actual participation.“This is not about anyone’s access to sports,” said Tyler Hack, executive director of the trans rights group the Christopher Street Project. “This is about Republicans not having solutions for the problems facing people and being the first folks to punch down at a vulnerable community.”Related: Texas Republican calls out GOP’s costly obsession with anti-trans campaigns: ‘It’s just not resonating’The big pictureRepublican groups have already spent millions of dollars combatting trans inclusion in sports. During the 2024 election cycle, according to a Wall Street Journal report, which cited data from AdImpact, conservative campaigns spent $123 million on TV ads targeting trans participation in athletics. That trend has carried over into the 2026 election cycle.According to the Associated Press, which also cited AdImpact data, Republicans have poured $183 million during the midterm elections on anti-trans attacks. This analysis did not break ou