(The Center Square) – A parental rights organization and other groups celebrated the victories from the 2026 midterm elections for protection of girls’ sports and private spaces in Arizona, Nebraska, Colorado and Washington. The groups said that protecting girls is not a partisan issue.
Executive Director of parental rights group American Parents Coalition Alleigh Marré told The Center Square that “voters across very different states are saying the same thing, girls deserve fairness, safety, and opportunities of their own.
“These states may vote very differently on candidates and plenty of other issues, which makes this message even clearer,” Marré said. “Protecting girls is not a Republican or Democrat issue.
“Parents across the political spectrum understand that biological differences matter, and fairness, safety and privacy for our daughters should never depend on party politics,” Marré said.
Indeed, Arizona voters passed Proposition 318, which requires student athletics to be based on “biological sex” and also prohibits males from using female private spaces – such as restrooms – and vice versa.
Nebraska similarly approved itsInitiative Measure 442which bars transgender-identifying individuals from participating in sports their biological sex does not align with. Notably, the initiative received a favorable vote from nearly 70% of the state’s voters.
Washington voters approvedInitiative 638, which bans biological males from playing in female sports and requires submission of documentation from a doctor that one is indeed a female in order to play in a girls’ sport.
Colorado’sProposition 134requires school sports through college be based on biological sex and was also approved by voters.
“The evidence is clear that following biology rather than gender ideology transcends political platforms,” Marré said.
Senior director of strategic initiatives at education advocacy group Defending Education Paul Runko told The Center Square that the victory for girls’ sports “belongs entirely to the coalition of parents, grandparents, and grassroots advocates who stepped up when politicians, bureaucrats, and teachers' union leaders looked the other way.”
“Young women deserve fair, equal, and safe competition in every state in the Union, and ending 2026 with these four referendums should give everyone hope,” Runko said.
In Colorado, parents groups Protect Kids Colorado and Colorado Parent Advocacy Network helped to push through approval of the state’s Proposition 134.
Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Colorado Parent Advocacy Network Lori Gimelshteyn told The Center Square that "Coloradans didn't just win a ballot initiative.
“Through the extraordinary grassroots efforts ofProtect Kids Colorado, we demonstrated that an engaged citizenry can still shape the future of this country,” Gimelshteyn said.
“Every state should be watching Colorado, not simply because of what voters decided, but because of how ordinary citizens organized to make their voices heard,” Gimelshteyn said.
Like Marré, Gimelshteyn stated that “the issue of fairness in female sports was never about right versus left. It has always been about right versus wrong.”
At time of publishing, the ACLU has not yet responded to The Center Square’s request for comment.
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