Voters in seven states this fall will weigh more than half a dozen ballot initiatives with direct bearings on LGBTQ+ people — disproportionately on transgender youth. They come as LGBTQ+ rights issues feature heavily in campaigns for candidates on either side of the aisle in the final stretch of November’s midterm elections, which will determine party control of Congress and several key governorships.
Nearly half of LGBTQ+-related ballot initiatives this year would restrict trans student-athletes from competing in line with their gender identity, an issue championed overwhelmingly by Republicans and by a rising share of Democrats. Others would ban certain transition-related treatments for minors — another focus of conservative candidates and President Donald Trump’s second administration.
Since 2021, more than half the nation has adopted laws barring trans students from playing on school sports teams matching their gender identity, and 27 states have banned gender-affirming care for trans youth. Nationally, the number of trans students who participate in school sports is unknown, but is believed to be relatively low: The Williams Institute estimates that just over 300,000 13- to 17-year-olds in the United States are trans, and not all of them will play sports.