Democrats Eye Changes to Voter-Approved Girls' Sports Laws. The Facts Say the Voters Got It Right

Ten days ago, voters in four states, including left-leaning Washington and Colorado, approved measures to keep girls' sports for girls. Now Colorado's incoming Democratic governor and legislative leaders are already discussing changes to what voters passed, while the Trump administration is pressing a Washington school district to follow the voters' lead.

For parents of daughters who play school sports, few fights matter more. Here is what is happening, and why the facts are on the side of the families who voted yes.

In Colorado, Gov.-elect Phil Weiser and statehouse Democrats began discussing changes to Proposition 134, the sports measure, and Proposition 135, which bars gender surgeries for minors, within days of the election, The Colorado Sun reported. Both are statutory measures, not constitutional amendments, so a simple majority of the legislature can tweak or even repeal them.

Weiser said lawmakers will need to take a close look at the measures and make what he called appropriate adjustments, the Sun reported. His stated objection is verification: he said it is unacceptable to require every young athlete on a girls' or boys' team to have their sex checked. He offered no specifics. Rep. Jennifer Bacon, who is seeking the House speakership, said she is working with the measure's opponents on next steps, and Senate President James Coleman said he expects the issue to come up.

Opponents, including Democratic lawmakers and LGBTQ advocacy groups, argue these measures discriminate against transgender students and could expose young athletes to invasive scrutiny, according to The National Desk. That concern deserves a fair hearing. Every student, including those who identify as transgender, deserves kindness and respect. But the remedy for a concern about how a law is carried out is careful rules, not a quiet rewrite of the voters' answer.

Look at the results. Washington's initiative won roughly 57 percent, Colorado's Proposition 134 about 52 percent, and Arizona's measure about 59 percent, while Nebraska voters approved a constitutional amendment, The National Desk reported. Those wins came even as Democrats made major gains nationwide. Many people who voted for Democratic candidates also voted to protect girls' teams.

National polling points the same way. Gallup found in 2025 that 69 percent of U.S. adults say transgender athletes should only play on teams that match their birth sex, including about nine in ten Republicans and roughly seven in ten independents. This is a mainstream view, not a fringe one.

Title IX, the 1972 law against sex discrimination in education, opened the door for generations of girls' teams. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that neither Title IX nor the Equal Protection Clause stops states from setting eligibility for girls' and women's teams by biological sex, upholding laws in Idaho and West Virginia, the Washington State Standard reported. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented in part. Twenty-seven states had laws restricting transgender athletes' participation in girls' and women's sports when the court ruled.

The science explains why. In March, the International Olympic Committee limited its female category to biological females starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Its working group concluded that male sex brings a performance advantage in sports that depend on strength, power and endurance, and that sex-based eligibility is needed for fairness and for safety, especially in contact sports. If the Olympic movement can draw that line, a high school track meet can too.

Nor does Colorado's measure shut anyone out of sports. It requires teams to be designated male, female or coed, and coed teams can give every student a place to compete.

The federal government has stepped in. On Nov. 12, the U.S. Department of Education opened a Title IX investigation into Washington's Camas School District, based on information that the district allows male students on girls' teams, KOIN reported. The probe follows complaints filed in October by parents of girls on Camas High School's cross-country team. The district said it will cooperate fully. Kimberly Richey, the department's assistant secretary for civil rights, urged the district to follow the lead of Washington's voters.

In Colorado, Protect Kids Colorado accused Weiser of trying to get around the voters, The Colorado Sun reported. In Washington, this site has reported on Seattle's school board voting to challenge the state's measure in court. The Camas probe signals that federal officials intend to hold districts to Title IX while that fight plays out.

Both Colorado measures take effect Jan. 1, and lawmakers could take them up when the new session opens that same month. Parents have until then to make their voices heard at the Capitol in Denver. The question is simple: when voters in a blue year say girls deserve their own teams, will the people they just elected listen?