Colorado Signature Drive Begins for Initiatives Targeting Transgender Youth

Facing a 2026 showdown, two Colorado ballot initiatives targeting transgender kids’ healthcare and school sports are advancing fast—but their full impact is only beginning to emerge.

As two sweeping ballot initiatives advance toward Colorado’s 2026 ballot, they’d sharply curtail the rights of transgender minors by restricting access to gender‑affirming health care and excluding them from school sports consistent with their gender identity. The measures, commonly referenced as Initiatives 109/110 and also labeled 70/71 in state filings, are currently gathering signatures. Each must submit 124,238 valid signatures from registered voters by February 20, 2026, to qualify for the November 2026 ballot, positioning the state for high‑stakes Legal challenges over Healthcare access and equal protection.

Initiative 110/71 would prohibit health‑care professionals from knowingly performing, prescribing, administering, or providing any surgery to a minor “for the purpose of altering biological sex characteristics.” It would also bar the use of state and federal funds, including Medicaid, for such procedures.

Critics emphasize that the initiative’s sweeping medical terminology risks being interpreted to reach far beyond surgeries, chilling access to puberty blockers, hormones, and related gender‑affirming care that major medical associations deem medically necessary for some youth.

Initiative 109/70 targets transgender students in education. It would require all K–12 schools and colleges to designate athletic teams as male, female, or co‑ed and restrict participation based solely on the sex “designated at birth.”

The measure would effectively exclude transgender students from teams aligned with their gender identity and direct the state commissioner of education to enforce these restrictions, likely generating inconsistent interpretations and discrimination across districts.

Protect Kids Colorado, led by Erin Lee, sponsors both measures. Hospitals and LGBTQ+ advocates note that major Colorado hospitals already don’t perform gender‑affirming surgeries on minors and warn that these initiatives, combined with federal efforts to limit Medicare and Medicaid coverage, would further erode transgender youths’ Healthcare access and invite extensive Legal challenges under state constitutional guarantees of equality, bodily autonomy, and parental decision‑making.

Profile Author / Editor / Publisher

Dora Saparow: Dora Kay Saparow came out in a conservative Nebraskan town where she faced both misunderstanding and acceptance during her transition. Seeking specialized support, she moved to a big city, where she could access the medical, legal, and social resources necessary for her journey. Now, twelve years later, Dora is fully transitioned, happily married, and well-integrated into society. Her story underscores the importance of time, resources, and community support, offering hope and encouragement to others pursuing their authentic selves.