US voters have backed bans on transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports across Republican and Democratic-led states, extending restrictions beyond conservative strongholds.
Measures passed in Arizona, Colorado, Washington and Nebraska during Tuesday’s elections, which marked the first statewide ballot votes on such restrictions. The bans were upheld by the majority even in Democratic-led states where lawmakers had resisted adopting them for years.
Arizona voters expanded existing restrictions, requiring school and athletic association teams to be designated male, female or mixed based on biological sex. The measure also restricts access to bathrooms, showers and changing rooms.
Nebraska enshrined its school-sports ban in the state constitution. Washington approved restrictions on biological males joining female school teams and will now require medical verification of eligibility. Colorado’s measure requires schools, colleges, and athletic associations to designate teams by sex or as mixed.
The votes follow years of controversy over biological males entering female competitions, winning titles and taking places previously reserved for women. US swimmer Lia Thomas’s collegiate victories became one of the most prominent flashpoints, while New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics further intensified debate over eligibility.
Democrats have long defended transgender participation and opposed bans, however, Tuesday’s results appear to have shown that the trans agenda is now being rejected even by their own constituents. Polls cited by the Times indicate that more than half of Democrats oppose biological males competing on female teams.
The new restrictions come as President Donald Trump continues to roll back Biden-era gender policies. After returning to office, Trump signed several executive orders recognizing two sexes, threatening federal funding for schools allowing biological males to compete in female sports, and reversing education policies expanding protections based on gender identity.
The US Supreme Court ruled in June that state restrictions on transgender participation in female sports do not violate the US Constitution and its provisions against sex-based discrimination.
The International Olympic Committee has also banned biological males from women’s events starting with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, warning that in some sports “it would simply not be safe” to allow them to compete.