Three proposed ballot initiatives affecting transgender students are now in the signature-gathering stage in California. The group Protect Kids California said it is planning to combine them, to try to get one big measure on the ballot next fall.

One proposal would prevent transgender girls from competing on girls' sports teams in school.

Jonathan Zachreson, co-founder of Protect Kids California, said it is an issue of competitive fairness.

"It's not fair, where biological boys are able to enter into girls' sports, based off of the gender that they identify as," Zachreson contended. "Girls are losing scholarships; they're losing opportunities to play. And in some cases, they're being injured."

The proposal would also require schools to limit boys' restrooms to students born male; and girls' restrooms to students born female. LGBTQ+ groups have argued forcing a transgender child into a different restroom puts the student at risk of harassment or violence.

Another initiative would require schools to notify parents if a student presents as a different gender or requests a new name or pronoun. Earlier this year, the school board in Chino tried to pass a similar policy, but a judge declared it unconstitutional and blocked it.

Tony Hoang, executive director of Equality California, is concerned about the bill's repercussions.

"In an ideal world, all LGBTQ+ students would live in an affirming and supportive home," Hoang noted. "But unfortunately, we know that not all do, and in some circumstances, forcibly outing students can cause significant harm and potentially, violence."

A third proposal would ban medical providers from offering gender-affirming care to minors, including puberty-blocking medication, cross-sex hormonal treatment, mastectomies or genital surgery.

Amanda Goad, Audrey Irmas director of the LGBTQ Gender and Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California, noted such therapies are approved by the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"The proponents of these measures sometimes make them out to be efforts to protect kids," Goad pointed out. "That really offends me, given that care reduces trans youths' risks of suicide, and benefits their ability to live their lives and figure out who they are."

Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a measure that removes gender identity protections for LGBTQ+ people from Iowa's civil rights code. Opponents call it "mean spirited."

Senate File 418 makes Iowa the first state in the country to remove civil rights protections for a group of people who have been protected by law, taking the words "gender identity" out of its code.

Anne Discher, executive director of the group Common Good Iowa, said the measure belies Iowa's open-minded reputation and sends the wrong message to the rest of the nation.

"Basically, it is saying that it's OK to discriminate against trans people in the workplace, in housing, in school and in their financial lives," Discher explained.

Supporters of the measure, which was the first bill Reynolds signed in 2025, said including gender identity in Iowa's civil rights code threatens "common sense" laws banning transgender participation in sports and clarify who can use which public restrooms. Iowa passed its Civil Rights Act in 1965.

Hundreds of protesters rallied against the bill at the Statehouse in Des Moines before Reynolds signed it. Discher argued Iowa lawmakers are not representing their constituents.

"I really firmly believe this bill does not reflect the true beliefs of most Iowans," Discher stressed. "I think it's
incredibly more extreme than Iowans truly are in their hearts."

If it is not challenged in court, the measure is scheduled to take effect July 1.


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A coalition of New Mexico groups is supporting a bill this session to require "Comprehensive Human Sexuality Education" for public school students.

New Mexico is among 40 states to require sex-education instruction but according to Planned Parenthood, there is no guarantee the instruction is high quality or covers topics young people need to stay healthy, including information about HIV.

Nathan Saavedra, program manager for Equality New Mexico, said Senate Bill 258 would require sex education curricula is medically accurate.

"Our hope mostly is to save lives," Saavedra emphasized. "We know that sex education does save lives and it improves the health of all youth. It decreases bullying and harassment. Sex education is harm reduction, from our perspective."

In addition to Equality New Mexico, the state's ACLU organization and the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs support the more comprehensive approach. By contrast, last fall the Florida Department of Education ordered local school districts teaching sex education to promote abstinence and exclude discussion of contraception.

Saavedra noted many students, including those who are LGBTQ+, do not know what they should be doing to protect themselves and would benefit from discussions covering sexual orientation and gender identity.

"We're trying to get the point across and the law in place so those students no longer have to feel less than, or know less than, their peers," Saavedra stressed.

New Mexico's current standards for sex education surpass many other states but access is often dependent on where a student lives. As written, the bill would provide resources to rural and smaller districts to launch comprehensive programs. The proposed legislation still would allow parents to exempt their children from the sex-ed portion of required health courses.

Montana lawmakers are considering three bills on gender. They are all versions of previous bills, which either failed or were struck down in court, but some new drafts have higher stakes.

Two bills would determine if or how transgender people can use certain bathrooms and changing rooms and participate in school sports. A third seeks to prohibit access to gender-affirming health care and to criminalize doctors and parents who, according to the bill, "knowingly procure or provide" such care.

Zuri Moreno, state legislative director for the advocacy group Forward Montana, said some lawmakers have described transgender people as "out of compliance."

"It's an overreach of our government to try to force people across our communities to comply with what they think is correct gender presentation," Moreno argued.

Proponents said the bills would "prevent harassment" and protect the "welfare of children." Moreno countered the proposition that lawmakers should have a say in families' private medical decisions or they understand athletes' needs more than teachers and coaches, is a dangerous one.

The bills parallel a January executive order from President Donald Trump defining "sex" and directs federal agencies to rescind materials discussing "gender ideology." Moreno pointed out organizers across Montana have been preparing for the state bills.

"The governor, in his State of the State, did direct the legislature to get these types of bills to his desk," Moreno noted. "But I think it's important for everyone to remember that our legislature doesn't work for the governor. They work for their constituents."

Legislators have referred all three bills to committee after hearings last week. Moreno stressed regardless of the fate of the bills, debates on them are harmful. Among LGBTQ+ youth, 90% said their well-being has been negatively affected by recent politics, according to a 2024 survey from The Trevor Project.