Proposition 318 extends an existing Arizona ban on trans girls in school sports to private athletic organizations such as Little League, and adds new restrictions on bathrooms, locker rooms and showers. Republicans referred the question to voters to avoid a veto from Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has consistently vetoed legislation that attacks LGBTQ Arizonans, the Arizona Mirror reports.
Supporters framed the proposal as a "common-sense" measure intended to protect cisgender women, and have billed it as a way to prevent girls from facing sexual harassment, though research has found no link between trans-inclusive policies and the harassment of cisgender women. Rep. Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, who sponsored the initiative's underlying legislation, said at a January news conference that "this is common-sense legislation that, in this political environment, sadly must go to the ballot for the voters to decide." She said voters would decide whether to give schools and athletic associations "the opportunity for transparency and to set all children up for success."
Opponents argued the measure would force schools and athletic associations to police the gender of their students and members, and warned the language is broad enough to include people who visit schools during sporting events. Joel Edman, a spokesman for Progress Arizona, said the negative impacts would include trying to “bully and shame transgender people of all ages back into closets, into the shadows” and to “enforce a stereotype of what girls are supposed to look and dress and act like.” He said the real risk was having all girls potentially scrutinized for being “too tall, or too strong, or too good at whatever sport they want to play with their friends.”
Critics said the focus on trans people was out of proportion to their numbers. A 2022 Williams Institute study found that 3% of Arizona youth aged 13 through 17 identified as transgender. Between 2017 and 2022, the Arizona Interscholastic Association, which oversees more than 170,000 student athletes, approved just 16 applications from transgender students to play on teams matching their gender identity, half of them from trans girls.
The measure makes schools and athletic associations vulnerable to lawsuits if another student feels uncomfortable sharing a space with a trans student, but includes no explanation for how officials are expected to implement the prohibition. Opponents also said the measure could expose cisgender girls to uncomfortable questions and discrimination based on how others perceive their gender.