Colorado votes to restrict sports participation for transgender students

Colorado voters have passed a proposition that bars transgender students from playing on teams that align with their gender identity.Proposition 134 was approved on Thursday, according to Associated Press, with 47.7 percent of voters opposing the measure and 52.3 percent in support at the time of the call. Ninety-three percent of ballots had been counted at the time the projection was made.Proposition 134 will require trans students in state-funded schools, from kindergarten to college, to join teams based on their sex assigned at birth. So, trans girls will have to participate in men’s or co-ed teams, and vice versa.The measure defines the gender of students by their reproductive organs and requires all students to verify their sex via a doctor's note or possibly an inspection or medical test. It also forbids a male student from joining a girls' team. Additionally, a female student cannot join a boys' team unless “no corresponding female team is offered for that sport,” the proposition stated. Previously in Colorado, transgender students could apply to play on teams that correspond with their gender identity through a review process with the Colorado High School Activities Association, which may require an evaluation and letters from the student and parents.The state is one of the most trans-friendly in the U.S.; applying to change one's gender on a birth certificate is comparatively easy and does not require surgery. A 2023 law protects the right to obtain gender-affirming care, even for minors.Protect Kids Colorado, the group behind Proposition 134, framed it as an issue of fairness and safety for cisgender girls.“We don’t want to take away any opportunities for females,” said Erin Lee, the organization's cofounder. Lee was motivated to campaign on the issue after her child joined a progressive art club and identified as transgender for one year.“I care just as much about the males who are in this situation, but it’s a really hard situation for al