Prop 134 and 135 Backers Say They’re Protecting Kids, but Trans Youth Say No One Asked Them

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This story was produced in partnership with Inside Out Youth Services, which builds access, equity, and power with LGBTQIA2+ young people in the Tava-Kaavi (Pikes Peak) region of Colorado.

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Protect Kids Colorado is advancing Propositions 134 and 135 under the banner of protecting children. But the people most affected by the ballot measures — transgender young people — say they’ve been left out entirely from the conversation. I should know, because I’m one of those young people. 

I’m transgender, I live in Colorado Springs, and next week’s vote will shape my life in two ways: Proposition 134 would push me away from ever competing in college athletics for fear of being ostracized. And if Proposition 135 passes, I fear what restrictions could come next and how much of my bodily autonomy could be taken from me. Will I lose my hormone replacement therapy, or my access to safe, affirming doctors?

But that’s my perspective. So, I wanted to know what other young people thought, and I spoke with them about what the two measures could mean for their lives and their futures.

Coverage of Propositions 134 and 135 has rarely included transgender youth themselves, and there are reasons for that. A quote published online can stay accessible for years and expose a young person to unwanted attention or harm. Some newsrooms also require parental consent to interview minors, which makes quoting youth on gender or sexuality harder to include.

The students in this story agreed to be quoted. One is identified by first name only for privacy and safety. Another is not named because that student fears parental rejection.

Of all youth in America, trans youth make up 3.3% — fewer than 1 million people across the entire U.S., according to a 2025 study done by The Williams Institute of UCLA. In Colorado, the study estimated 13,100 trans and nonbinary youth live openly in the state, putting it at a rate similar to the national average. 

Still, Propositions 134 and 135 have meant that the full weight of the government — and private interests — have made the civil rights of this relatively small population into a yes-or-no question.

As a transgender young person myself, I began these conversations wanting to understand how my peers viewed these proposals. What I heard were concerns about being excluded from the decisions that could directly affect their lives and their autonomy.

Proposition 134 would “require all K-12 and collegiate school sports teams to be separated based on biological sex, unless the team is co-ed.” Transgender students of any age would have to play on teams that match their sex assigned at birth rather than the gender they live as.

Proposition 135 would “prohibit healthcare professionals from providing surgeries to persons under age 18 for the purpose of ‘treatment in response to a minor’s perception of sex or gender.’”

To be clear: no Colorado hospitals offer this surgery to youth, according to recent reporting from The Denver Post. What data is available has shown that cisgender boys are most likely to get any kind of gender confirmation surgery, typically chest reduction.

‘Where am I supposed to go?’

Many Colorado students reject these propositions, and there is clear evidence that the people trying to protect youth aren’t listening to them.

Jupiter, who prefers that we only use his first name for their privacy and safety, is a 17-year-old student attending Pikes Peak Online, and used to participate in swimming and track at Timberview Middle School.

Proposition 134 would have directly affected him if it was passed: “It would have been very dysphoria-inducing because I’m not strictly male or female aligned, so then it’s like, ‘Where am I supposed to go?’” he said. “I’m forced to align with something that doesn’t match me.”

“There needs to be more listening going on, instead of just deciding to do things without taking other people’s opinions into consideration."
— Jupiter, trans Colorado youth

Jupiter said the proposal does not account for the experiences of transgender students who may want to participate in school sports.

“There needs to be more listening going on, instead of just deciding to do things without taking other people’s opinions into consideration,” he said.

His concern extends beyond athletics. Jupiter also worries about Proposition 135 and the effect restrictions on surgery could have on other transgender minors who are still considering their options.

“I have known I was trans for a while, and while I’m still deciding on surgery, not having a choice or being able to decide myself would have been frustrating and really upsetting,” he said. “I want more people to be aware that gender-affirming care does save lives, and I feel like this could result in a lot of youth feeling out of control of a choice that should be up to them and not lawmakers.”

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‘It’s not fair to take that away’

Another student, 15, who asked to not be named due to fear of parental rejection, raised concerns about the potential effects of Proposition 134 on both transgender and cisgender students:

“Sports are a major passion for a lot of people, whether they’re cis or trans, and it’s not fair to take that away from anyone over a potential minor advantage that is not present in every trans athlete,” they said.

But research has not settled the question. A small study published last year in the European Journal of Sport Science found that hormone therapy slowed nine transgender women runners by about 15% and one swimmer by about 5%. After adjusting for age and training, however, the runners were about as competitive among women as they had been among men, and the authors said the exact effect of hormone therapy could not be determined.

A broader review published this year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pooled 52 studies and nearly 6,500 participants, and found that transgender women on one to three years of hormone therapy had upper- and lower-body strength and aerobic fitness comparable to cisgender women, even with more lean mass. The review’s authors concluded the evidence does not support claims of an inherent athletic advantage.

The student also questioned the need for Proposition 135, arguing that the measure would restrict care after families and medical professionals have already been involved in decisions about treatment.

Colorado voters will decide whether to approve these measures. For the transgender youth who could live with their consequences, the stakes are not theoretical.

“On the incredibly rare occasion a trans minor does get surgery,” the student said, “it comes after significant psychological evaluation, a long time living as their affirmed gender, and a lot of medical consultation. The surgery is done to help with intense and prolonged dysphoria that may cause depression, anxiety, and general distress. I want the public to know that this policy will not do any good and will further harm people who are already struggling in the United States.”

As a transgender young person myself, I began these conversations wanting to understand how my peers viewed these proposals. What I heard were concerns about being excluded from the decisions that could directly affect their lives and their autonomy.

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Protect Kids Colorado is advancing these measures under the banner of protecting children. But the students I spoke with say that protection cannot be separated from listening to the young people whose lives would be shaped by these policies.

Colorado voters will decide whether to approve these measures. For the transgender youth who could live with their consequences, the stakes are not theoretical. They concern access to sports, medical care and a say in decisions about their own futures.

The students with whom I spoke want lawmakers and voters to consider their experiences before deciding what protections they need. Their message is that young people should have a voice in policies designed to govern their lives.