There are always some silver linings, aren't there? The 2026 midterm elections were difficult for Republicans, but in four states, things may be looking up for girls and women in sports. Reality has been acknowledged; Arizona and Nebraska voters have reportedly passed measures banning "transgender women" (dudes) from women's sports, and Washington and Colorado may be poised to follow suit.
Way to go, Arizona and Nebraska.
Voters in Arizona — a state with a Democratic governor and senators — approved a ballot initiative further restricting transgender students from participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
The measure expands the state’s existing ban on trans athletes participating on women’s school sports teams, adds restrictions on locker-room use and defines a person’s sex based on their original birth certificate.
Similar measures in Colorado and Washington state are leading in early results, though votes are still being counted. In Nebraska, voters also added a ban to their state constitution.
The issue has found a champion in President Donald Trump, who has pushed a suite of anti-trans federal policies since returning to the White House.
Washington's measure looks secure, although as of this writing it hasn't yet been called. I will, however, take issue with the New York Times' wording:
Prohibits students who were assigned male at birth from competing with or against female student athletes in sports for female students only. Requires students who choose to participate in such activities to provide a statement from a health care provider verifying their sex.
Oh, for the luvva Pete, can we finally cease and desist with the "...assigned male at birth" horse squeeze, as though that's something the attending physician can decide when the baby pops out? Sex is determined genetically at conception. This is a fact.
Colorado's initiative looks to be passing as well, although, again, it hasn't yet been called.
So, what's interesting about this? Well, this is an issue that won't work to Democrats' advantage, unless the majority of that party does a 180 on the topic. Democrats have been almost lockstep in favor of allowing boys and men who claim to be "transgender," to compete on girls' and women's sports teams. And yet this is a position that's wildly unpopular with the American public in general, and as evidence I offer that these four measures appear to be passing in mostly Democrat-controlled states.
The facts, the science, remain the same; men and boys have significant advantages over girls and women, and those advantages are present from conception. Boys and men, compared to girls and women, have greater speed, strength, especially upper body strength, and endurance. They have more muscle mass per body weight. They have more fast-twitch muscle fibers, which provide explosive performance in things like jumping, sprinting and lifting weights. They have greater cardiovascular capacity. They have longer, stronger, heavier bones. Boys and men are advantaged in almost every measurable physical particular; these are facts.
Now we see the Democrats begin their overreach. Now we see parents and grandparents, as well as the women athletes that have been affected by this practice, having their say. Facts are stubborn things, it turns out, even in Democrat-controlled states.
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.