Male and Female Participation in School Sports (Initiative #109)
On the ballot
Colorado · November 2026 general election · Citizen initiative · Election day November 3, 2026
Topics: Civil rights, Education, Sports and athletics
In plain language
This initiated statute would require every K-12 and collegiate athletic team or sport sponsored by a school, higher education institution, or athletic association in Colorado to be designated male, female, or coeducational, based on the participant's sex as determined by certain aspects of the biological reproductive system. Teams designated female could not be open to male participants. A female could join a male-designated team only where no female team is offered. Schools could not face investigations or adverse action for maintaining separate female teams, and the commissioner of education would enforce the rules for K-12 districts. It would take effect January 1, 2027.
Fiscal impact
Legislative Council Staff's initial fiscal impact statement (September 2, 2025) projects no change in state revenue, state expenditures, transferred funds, TABOR refunds, or state FTE in FY 2026-27 or FY 2027-28. It identifies minimal state workload and impacts on school districts, which would need to adopt and enforce team-designation policies. Legislative Council Staff notes it may revise this estimate for the ballot information booklet (Blue Book).
Summarized from the official fiscal analysis listed in the sources below. Figures are the state's, not this site's.
What supporters and opponents say
These are summaries of arguments made by the named organizations, drawn from the sources listed below. They are their claims, not this site's, and this site takes no position on the measure.
What supporters say
- Protect Kids Colorado, the campaign behind the initiative, says the measure "ensures girls' sports are protected, requiring sports leagues and teams be specifically designated male, female, or co-ed."
- Colleen Enos of Christian Home Educators of Colorado argues that allowing 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."
- The Colorado Catholic Conference says policies allowing biological men to participate in women's sports "promote the unfair treatment of women" and raise concerns about shared facilities.
What opponents say
- Rocky Mountain Equality says the initiative "would prohibit transgender youth of any age from playing sports with their peers" and singles out a small group of students.
- Nadine Bridges, executive director of One Colorado, calls the measure "vague, poorly written" and says it leaves unanswered who decides which students get questioned or inspected.
- Families Not Politics is leading the opposition campaign against this initiative and Initiative #110.
Reproduced verbatim from the state's certified ballot text.
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?
Sources
Everything on this page traces to these sources. Follow them to read the original documents.
- Colorado Secretary of State — Proposed Initiative #109 Qualifies for General Election Ballot (March 16, 2026)
- Colorado Secretary of State — Ballot Title Setting Board results for Proposed Initiative #109
- Colorado Legislative Council Staff — Initiative 109 Fiscal Impact Statement
- Ballotpedia — Colorado Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Initiative (2026)
Last updated . How this page is sourced and corrected is described in the correction policy.