Proposition 134: Male and Female Participation in School Sports

Colorado · initiated statute · on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The ballot wording and the arguments for and against from the state’s official voter guide, in the state’s own words, each read the same way for rhetorical techniques. We don’t recommend a vote.

On the ballot

no rhetorical technique found

Shall there be a change to the Colorado Revised Statutes creating new law restricting participation in all K-12 and collegiate school sports based on the participant’s sex as determined by certain aspects of their biological reproductive system, and, in connection therewith, requiring a school, institution of higher education, or athletic association to designate each school or intramural athletic team or sport as male, female, or coeducational; only allowing participants to compete on the team or sport of their designated sex or to compete on a coeducational team; creating an exception to allow a female to participate on a male-designated team or sport if there is no female team available; prohibiting a government entity, licensing or accrediting organization, or athletic association from entertaining a complaint, opening an investigation, or taking other adverse action against a school for maintaining separate teams or sports for females; and providing the commissioner of education with the authority to enforce the proposed initiative for K-12 school districts?

From coloradosos.gov. Checked 2026-10-20. Confirm with your official ballot (sample-ballot lookup).

Argument for

By Colorado Legislative Council Staff (State Ballot Information Booklet)

Appeal to Fear

1) Females should be able to compete against other females. Allowing biological males to participate on female teams creates an unfair advantage for the males and can prevent female athletes from achieving wins, records, podium spots, and scholarship opportunities.

The measure protects the accomplishments of female athletes and creates a consistent, statewide standard for participation on female teams. Without uniform rules, female athletes across the state compete under different policies and conditions, resulting in an uneven playing field. The measure ensures that all female athletes can compete fairly no matter where they live.

2) Allowing biological males to participate on female teams or in female sports jeopardizes the safety and physical and emotional boundaries of female athletes. Regardless of one’s gender identity, genetic differences between biological males and biological females can affect physical strength, stature, lung capacity, muscle tone, and growth.

Appeal to Fear · “jeopardizes the safety and physical and emotional boundaries of female athletes” — Frames inclusion of transgender athletes as a threat to the safety and boundaries of female athletes, raising anxiety without specific evidence.

Males and females are separated in certain sports due to the physical differences between the sexes and the risk for injury. Beyond the field of play, shared locker rooms raise privacy concerns. The measure creates a reasonable policy grounded in biological sex that promotes the safety of all participants.

From content.leg.colorado.gov, the official voter guide.

Argument against

By Colorado Legislative Council Staff (State Ballot Information Booklet)

no rhetorical technique found

1) The measure does not protect fairness; it turns athletic eligibility into a body inspection and manufactures new grounds for discrimination. It could subject many athletes, not just those who are transgender, to uncomfortable physical inspections.

Mandating a statewide eligibility standard, but not a clear method for determining eligibility, will require schools and districts to create their own separate policies, which will likely lead to unfair and uneven treatment of student athletes across the state.

Some athletes may be forced to undergo invasive or expensive testing to prove their biological sex, while others may be able to simply provide a note from a doctor. Certain athletes could even be targeted for additional testing based on their physical strength, appearance, or athletic success.

2) School sports should be a space where all kids can build confidence, health, and belonging and have the opportunity to learn teamwork, leadership, and goal setting.

Targeting an at-risk group of students by preventing them from playing on teams with their peers and instead requiring them to play on teams that do not match their gender identity leads to harassment, shame, embarrassment, and feelings of isolation and exclusion.

The measure’s rigid participation standards apply to kids of all ages and abilities, affecting even young children who just want to play on teams with their friends and peers and are not competing for championships or scholarships.

From content.leg.colorado.gov, the official voter guide.

Who’s behind it

Party positions: Colorado Democratic Party: No · Colorado Republican Party: No position published · Libertarian Party of Colorado: Yes · Colorado Forward Party: No position

Committees registered to support or oppose Proposition 134, and what they reported to Colorado Secretary of State TRACER (tracer.sos.colorado.gov). Checked 2026-10-20.

Before comparing the sides: each committee’s figures come from its own latest report, so they can cover different dates. Some committees work on more than one measure or other campaigns, and their totals include all of it. A side with no registered committee can still have supporters. How much a side raised says nothing about whether the measure is a good idea.

Supporting

PROTECT KIDS COLORADO - ISSUE COMMITTEE

Ballot measure committee, sponsored by Protect Kids Colorado (from the registered committee name)

“Protect Kids Colorado is a broad coalition of parents, grandparents and concerned citizens coming together to protect kids and strengthen families in Colorado.” — its website

Raised $171,635 · spent $163,367 · as reported through Oct 14, 2026

Largest contributors as filed:

PROTECT KIDS COLORADO, 501(C)4 · $192,000
501(c)(4) nonprofit
COORS, JEFF · $25,000 · individual
own contributions since Jan 1, 2020, federal (FEC): $0 to Democratic and $347,870 to Republican candidates and party committees; Colorado state (TRACER): $0 to Democratic and $14,860 to Republican candidates and party committees; $2,500 to candidates for nonpartisan offices
PIKES PEAK CITIZENS FOR LIFE · $15,000
501(c)(4) nonprofit
TRUTH AND LIBERTY FOUNDATION · $10,000
501(c)(4) nonprofit
FAMILY POLICY ALLIANCE FOUNDATION · $10,000
501(c)(3) nonprofit

This committee is registered for more than one measure; these are its whole totals, which its filings don’t divide by measure.

PROTECT OUR CHILDREN

Ballot measure committee

Raised $0 · spent $0 · as reported through Sep 30, 2026

This committee is registered for more than one measure; these are its whole totals, which its filings don’t divide by measure.

Opposing

FAMILIES NOT POLITICS

Ballot measure committee

Raised $2,860,198 · spent $2,009,617 · as reported through Oct 14, 2026

Largest contributors as filed:

ROCKY MOUNTAIN PLANNED PARENTHOOD · $480,000
501(c)(3) nonprofit
ACLU OREGON · $300,000
501(c)(4) nonprofit
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, INC. · $299,867
501(c)(4) nonprofit
COBALT ADVOCATES · $279,000
501(c)(4) nonprofit · federal PAC contributions, 2025–26: $2,000 to Democratic and $0 to Republican candidates and party committees (FEC)
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA INC. · $250,000
501(c)(3) nonprofit

This committee is registered for more than one measure; these are its whole totals, which its filings don’t divide by measure.

NO ON 134 AND 135

Ballot measure committee

Raised $12,513 · spent $7,288 · as reported through Oct 14, 2026

Largest contributors as filed:

DENVER DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA · $5,000
Other
CABRERA, FERNANDA · $500 · individual
MOORE, LAUREN · $482 · individual
LEHNHOFF, AERAN · $408 · individual
D3 ARTS · $370
501(c)(3) nonprofit

This committee is registered for more than one measure; these are its whole totals, which its filings don’t divide by measure.

PROTECT TRANS KIDS

Ballot measure committee

Registered; no financial report filed yet.

THE PEOPLE'S NO

Ballot measure committee

“The people directly affected by public policy should always be at the center when these policies are proposed.” — its website

Raised $300,000 · spent $300,000 · as reported through Oct 14, 2026

Largest contributors as filed:

AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF COLORADO · $247,752
501(c)(4) nonprofit
COLOR ACTION FUND · $104,317
501(c)(4) nonprofit
COLORADO CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM COALITION (CCJRC) · $1,900
501(c)(3) nonprofit

This committee is registered for more than one measure; these are its whole totals, which its filings don’t divide by measure.

VOTE COMMON SENSE

Ballot measure committee

Raised $809,840 · spent $130,112 · as reported through Oct 14, 2026

Largest contributors as filed:

GREEN ADVOCACY PROJECT · $200,000
501(c)(4) nonprofit
COLORADO FUND FOR CHILDREN & PUBLIC EDUCATION · $115,000
Other · Colorado state contributions since Jan 1, 2025: $4,500 to Democratic and $0 to Republican candidates and party committees; $16,059 to candidates for nonpartisan offices (TRACER)
CHAMBERS, MERLE · $100,000 · individual
own contributions since Jan 1, 2020, federal (FEC): $4,614,737 to Democratic and $0 to Republican candidates and party committees, $24,106 to others; Colorado state (TRACER): $101,150 to Democratic and $0 to Republican candidates and party committees; $1,900 to candidates for nonpartisan offices
CONSERVATION COLORADO · $65,000
501(c)(4) nonprofit · Colorado state contributions since Jan 1, 2025: $750 to Democratic and $0 to Republican candidates and party committees (TRACER)
COBALT ADVOCATES · $65,000
501(c)(4) nonprofit · federal PAC contributions, 2025–26: $2,000 to Democratic and $0 to Republican candidates and party committees (FEC)

This committee is registered for more than one measure; these are its whole totals, which its filings don’t divide by measure.

PEOPLE FOR A FAIR COLORADO

Ballot measure committee

Registered; no financial report filed yet.

MAKE GOOD CHANGE

Ballot measure committee

“The People's Ballot is an unofficial voter guide to the 14 statewide ballot measures on Colorado's Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot.” — its website

Registered; no financial report filed yet.

A rhetorical technique is about wording, not about whether a measure is a good idea or an argument is true. Ballot wording is written under each state’s own rules, and official arguments by the people the state names. All Colorado measures →