A ballot measure that would restrict transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports appeared headed to approval Tuesday night.
As of 11 p.m., 57% of voters had approved Proposition 318, while 43% voted against it. About 1.7 million ballots had been counted, according to unofficial results from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.
The question, which was put on the ballot by lawmakers, would prohibit transgender students from participating in girls’ sports based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Arizona schools and athletic organizations would also be required to designate sports and teams as being for boys, girls or coed.
Schools would also have to limit access to private spaces, such as restrooms and locker rooms, based on a student’s assigned sex at birth.
At least four other states voted Tuesday on ballot measures related to transgender athletes and their rights to participate in school sports, according to media reports.
Twenty-nine states currently ban transgender athletes, either in state law or policy, from participating in school sports in a way that aligns with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a Colorado think tank that focuses on LGBTQ issues.
Supporters of Prop. 318 said it would make sports more fair, especially for female athletes who are at a biological disadvantage competing against an athlete who was assigned male at birth.
Opponents said the proposal discriminates against transgender youth and could result in children being needlessly shamed and examined to prove their gender.
Source: azcapitoltimes.com
