Blue State Surprise: Voters Could Ban Trans Athletes From Girls’ Sports

We have discussed, in these virtual pages, the scandalously unfair practice of allowing "transgender" women — in other words, men — from competing in women's sports. No matter how these people identify, there remain serious physical advantages in having an X and a Y chromosome, including greater strength, speed and endurance. This is, happily, an issue that has been slowly dying down, in no small part because some brave female athletes, girls and women both, are simply walking off the field when faced with a male opponent. Parents, too, are getting involved.

Now, in two blue states, Colorado and Washington, there are ballot initiatives to ban this practice.

Colorado and Washington are reliably Democratic states where elected officials have rejected moves to ban transgender women and girls from female sports competitions. Now activists have gone around lawmakers to put proposed bans on both states’ ballots.

At a time when some Democratic leaders nationwide are recalibrating their approach to transgender issues, particularly sports, and polls show Americans generally back the bans, supporters are optimistic they will pass and open the door to similar efforts in other places where lawmakers have blocked bans.

Polling on these individual initiatives is generally lacking, but Americans in general are against this by a three-to-one margin, according to most general polling done on this topic. That's an unusually strong majority for this kind of issue in this day and age, but it shouldn't be surprising in this case. People in general have known that there are significant differences between men and women, well, since there have been men and women. It's a safe bet most people, men and women, have been involved in sports, have sons and daughters who have been involved in sports, and well understand the reason sports are segregated by sex.

Too many of those parents have felt the outrage of seeing a male athlete far outstrip their daughters and granddaughters in sporting events, and a lot of these people have just plain had enough. Furthermore, they've had enough of irresponsible blue-state legislatures doing nothing about it. So — on to the ballot.

Though the issue has been debated in many legislatures, this is the first time it’s going to voters.

“What is happening in 2026 is a testing ground for the future,” said Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which supports LGBTQ+ rights.

Yes, it is a testing ground for the future, but it has nothing to do with LGBTQ+ rights. It has to do with fundamental fairness. It has to do with biology. It has to do with objective reality. 20 states have already banned this practice, but now, to regain fairness in women's sports, the remainder of these states may well have to go to any ballot initiative process they have to get this done.

Colorado and Washington may lead the way, if these initiatives pass. Given that 75 percent of Americans oppose letting "transgender" men and boys in women's and girls' sports, they very well might.

Look, nobody much cares how any of these people "identify." As the late, great Robert Heinlein noted, at least 80 percent of human wisdom can be summed up as minding one's own business. But having men and boys compete on women's and girls' sports leagues is the opposite of that; it's a hideously unfair practice, one that punishes the girls and women, denying them awards, trophies, titles and scholarships which they may otherwise have won. It's good that concerned people are getting bans on this practice on the ballot, even in these two blue states. What's more, these initiatives may even bring more conservative-minded people to the polls. 

Two birds, one stone. If you're in one of these two states — vote! If you're in any other state — vote!

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