Voters in Colorado will decide on two ballot measures that would require interscholastic sports teams to be designated based on sex and prohibit healthcare professionals from performing surgeries on persons under the age of 18 for the purpose of treatment in response to a minor's perception of sex or gender on Nov. 3, 2026.
On March 16 and March 17, 2026, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) announced that a 5% random sample of the submitted signatures for both initiatives projected that the petition contained more than 110% of the 124,238 valid signatures required, thereby qualifying both for the ballot.
Both measures are initiated state statutes supported by Protect Kids Colorado, which describes its mission as "[protecting] kids from becoming victims of a dangerous and false ideology."
Initiative 109
The first measure that Colorado voters will decide on — Initiative 109 — would require school- and association-sponsored athletic teams to be classified in one of three categories based on sex: (1) males/men/boys, (2) females/women/girls, or (3) coeducational or mixed. Teams designated for females, women, or girls would not be open to male students or participants. Teams designated for males, men, or boys would not be open to female students or participants unless no corresponding female team is offered for that sport. The measure would not limit participation in teams designated as coeducational or mixed.
Further, the ballot initiative would define females as "person[s] whose biological reproductive system is organized around the production of ova," and males as "person[s] whose biological reproductive system is organized around the production of sperm." Each school’s governing body would be required to adopt a policy implementing the measure.
Speaking in support of Initiative 109, Colleen Enos, from the Christian Home Educators of Colorado, said, "To allow males to compete against females when they are physically advantaged in muscle mass, bone density, and muscle capacity makes a mockery out of Title IX protections for girls."
Rocky Mountain Equality, an organization in opposition to both initiatives, stated, "This initiative would prohibit transgender youth of any age from playing sports with their peers. It singles out one small group of students and keeps them from participating in the same school activities as all other students."
Initiative 110
The other measure on the General Election ballot in November — Initiative 110 — would prohibit healthcare professionals from performing surgeries on minors "for the purpose of altering biological sex characteristics," as well as prohibit state and federal funds, Medicaid reimbursements, or insurance coverage from being used to pay for such surgeries. The phrase altering biological sex characteristics would be defined as "treatment in response to a minor’s perception of sex or gender" and would exclude treatment for medically verifiable disorders of sex development or acquired physical or chemical abnormalities and male circumcision.
Focus on the Family, an organization supporting Initiative 110, stated, "Children should be safeguarded from making irreversible decisions about their reproductive future. This citizen initiative prohibits irreversible sex-change surgeries for anyone under the age of 18."
Speaking in opposition to Initiative 110, Rocky Mountain Equality said, "This initiative would limit access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth, even after extensive evaluation and with parental support."
Measures on the ballot in Colorado for 2026
With the certifications of Initiatives 109 and 110, Colorado voters are set to decide on five ballot measures as of March 18, 2026. Alongside these initiatives, voters will weigh in on the following three ballot measures:
- Initiative 85: This measure would establish higher felony classifications and mandatory penalties for the manufacturing, dispensing, sale, and possession of fentanyl.
- Initiative 95: This measure would require state and local law enforcement to notify the U.S. Department of Homeland Security when charging an individual whose immigration status is unclear with a crime of violence, as defined by law.
- Initiative 108: This measure would increase the penalties for the sexual trafficking of a minor by raising it from a Class 2 felony to a Class 1 felony. The initiative would also require a life sentence for the felony, without the possibility of parole or release.
Other ballot measures related to sex and sports eligibility and procedures for minors
Colorado is the second state — following Washington — to have a statewide measure related to biological sex requirements for eligibility in school sports to qualify for the ballot in American history.
In Washington, voters will decide on an indirect initiated state statute that would prohibit biologically male students from participating in sports designated for female students, and would require verification of their biological sex by a healthcare provider based on "reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels."
Additionally, three other states — Maine, Nebraska, and Nevada — are in the process of qualifying initiatives for the 2026 ballot that would require participation in sports to be based on sex.
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