Proposition 318: REQUIRES ALL SCHOOLS AND ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONS TO DESIGNATE ATHLETIC TEAMS AS MALE, FEMALE, OR COED BASED ON THE BIOLOGICAL SEX OF THE ATHLETES AS DEFINED AT BIRTH; PROHIBITS THESE ENTITIES FROM AUTHORIZING USE OF PRIVATE SPACES NOT DESIGNATED FOR A PERSON’S SEX.

As a father of five daughters, I believe girls deserve the same fair and protected opportunities in sports that generations before them enjoyed. HCR 2003 strengthens a simple and widely understood principle: in school athletics, girls’ sports should be reserved for girls. This amendment restores clarity, fairness, and safety in Arizona’s interscholastic and intramural programs by ensuring that participation is based on biological sex as recorded at birth. That standard has governed athletics for decades, and it remains the most consistent and objective way to preserve meaningful competitive categories. Girls deserve the opportunity to train, compete, and excel on a level playing field. When biological males compete in female divisions, the physical advantages of male physiology—greater muscle mass, bone density, and speed—can displace female athletes from podiums, scholarships, and roster spots. HCR 2003 protects those opportunities so that girls are not asked to overcome built-in disadvantages that no amount of effort or discipline can erase. This measure also protects privacy. Schools have a responsibility to maintain safe and appropriate boundaries in locker rooms, showers, and other facilities. Clear, statewide rules prevent confusion and reduce the likelihood of conflict at the school level. The amendment is carefully drafted. It does not create criminal penalties. It does not regulate private youth sports. It simply ensures that public schools, charter schools, community colleges, and universities follow a consistent standard. It also includes protections against retaliation and allows students and schools to seek relief if the law is not followed. Arizona has long supported fairness in women’s athletics. HCR 2003 continues that commitment by reaffirming that female athletes deserve equal opportunities, protection, and respect. This amendment strengthens the integrity of girls’ sports and ensures that future generations of athletes can compete with confidence that the rules are clear and the playing field is fair. Thomas J. Bouman, Attorney, Tucson Playing collegiate volleyball gave me the educational opportunities that set me up for success. It also provided life lessons that shape the grit, confidence, focus, and resilience that continue to anchor my daily life. All this was jeopardized when I was forced to compete against a male athlete during my recruiting process. In the years since, I have advocated for a simple truth: boys who identify a certain way should not be allowed to bypass the common-sense rules that protect women and girls. Now, as a coach, I see young girls learning a very different lesson than the one I learned through sports. Instead of seeing that 318 hard work pays off and that opportunities are earned, they are being shown that, according to certain government officials, their safety, privacy, and opportunities come second to politics. That’s why Proposition 318 is necessary. Our young girls’ ability to compete on girls’ only sports teams should not be beholden to politics. Arizonans must end this madness with a vote for the Protect Girls Sports Act. Macy Charles (Petty) Former NCAA Volleyball Player Macy Charles (Petty), Mesa Arizona voters have the opportunity to bring sanity back into American culture and right a horrible wrong that has been done to women. In 1972, with the establishment of Title IX in federal law, women achieved equal opportunity in school athletic programs. The current radical “gender-identity” agenda has set women’s rights back over 50 years by forcing girls and women to compete against biological males in sports. It is a fact that there are two human sexes, male and female, and that there are inherent physical differences between them. To allow biological males, many of whom failed to achieve success competing against other males, to claim “trans” female status, thus enabling them to compete against girls in sports requiring physical strength or contact is just wrong. It deprives girls of fairness in competition, has caused them serious physical injury, and has cost them dearly when it comes to the rewards of athletic success – team camaraderie, travel opportunities, trophies, scholarships, and more. Thank you, Representative Selina Bliss, for working tirelessly to bring this important issue before the voters. And thanks, also, to the young women who testified before the legislature about the harms they’ve suffered by males invading not only their sports teams, but their locker rooms as well. Please vote yes, Arizona, and, once again, lead the nation on a crucial issue. Sydney Hay, Scottsdale Vote YES on 318, the Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act. Every girl deserves a fair chance to play, grow, and compete on a level playing field. Yet that chance is now at risk — making fairness, safety, and equal opportunity more urgent to defend than ever. Boys and girls compete in separate categories for a clear, physical reason. After puberty, the male body develops lasting advantages in bone density, muscle mass, lung capacity, and heart size. Sports already use weight classes and age groups to ensure fair competition; separating athletes by sex does the same, allowing girls to compete against peers with comparable physical traits. Erase that line, and fairness disappears. The immediate consequences for young women are life-altering. For countless girls, athletic excellence is the only pathway to higher education through hard-earned scholarships. When young men compete in girls’ divisions, roster spots, podium finishes, and future opportunities are taken from young women. In contact and collision sports, the physical mismatch creates real safety risks no one should ignore. This isn’t about keeping anyone off the field. Protecting girls’ sports is about recognizing biological reality and common sense, and ensuring that girls have an opportunity to compete, so that the medals, records, and scholarships they earn truly belong to them. This is not a debate that can wait; it is about preserving a hard-won legacy before it is dismantled. Decades after Title IX opened the door, no woman should have to win the same fight for the right to see her achievements honored and her safety protected. Vote YES on 318 to protect girls' sports and ensure that the next generation of female athletes inherit the level playing field we promised them — and the chance to chase every dream that comes with it. Peter Gentala, President, Center for Arizona Policy, Gilbert and Leisa Brug, VP of Advocacy, Center for Arizona Policy, Chino Valley

Arizona Women of Action urges strong support for Prop 318. This measure upholds the original intent of Title IX by ensuring school and athletic teams are designated male, female, or coed based on biological sex. It closes loopholes in Arizona law and protects females in the following key ways: Preserves fair competition — Biological males’ physical advantages will no longer displace girls from scholarships, records, podiums, or team spots, keeping the playing field level for female athletes. Protects female categories — Teams and sports will be designated by biological sex, safeguarding girls’ opportunities to compete, win, and advance. Ensures privacy and safety in private spaces — Requires sex-based use of athletic locker rooms, showers, and restrooms so girls have dignity and security where it matters most. Vote YES on Prop 318 – Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act Strengthens Title IX protections — Reinforces the core purpose of Title IX by closing existing loopholes in Arizona law that have allowed unfair participation. Prop 318 strengthens fairness, privacy, and the integrity of Arizona athletics for women and girls. Vote YES on Prop 318 for our girls, families, and future. Kimberly Miller, President, Arizona Women of Action, Phoenix

Growing up in the early 80s, I didn’t initially have the option to play on a girls’ only soccer team. If I wanted to play, I had to join the boys. I played fullback — a position that demanded toughness, quick decision making, and the ability to read the field. I loved the sport, even after breaking my nose in 2nd grade and playing through long, hot summer practices. What I lacked in size, I made up for in grit, and the boys on my team knew it. Eventually, we fielded enough girls that we formed co-ed teams, and soon after, separate girls’ and boys’ sports teams. I still remember the pride I felt making the girls’ varsity soccer team as a freshman. That opportunity mattered. It gave me a place to compete, to grow, and to belong. When an injury ended my soccer career, I turned to tennis. By my senior year, I was leading my high school girls’ tennis team — and when the school board considered cutting our girls tennis program, I stood at the podium and fought to save it. We won. That victory ensured future girls would have the same opportunities I had. My experiences shaped my belief in protecting fair competition for girls. As someone who grew up playing on co ed and girls only teams, I understand how important it is for girls to have fair opportunities to compete. That is why I support the Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act. Girls deserve dedicated teams where they can train, grow, and succeed on a level playing field. Today, as a mother, grandmother, and mentor, I want every girl to feel the same pride and possibility that sports gave me. Protecting girls’ sports protects opportunity, fairness, and the future of women’s athletics. Shawnna Bolick, State Senator, Phoenix

It’s common sense that biological males and biological females have different body types, physical characteristics and abilities. That is why female athletic teams – and the federal Title IX – exist; to ensure that girls have equal athletic opportunities on a level playing field. Most Arizonans find this reasonable. But radical transgender activists have strayed so far from reality that they have repeatedly tried to undermine opportunities for girls and women by allowing biological males who identify as female to play against them. We’ve seen the tragic results play out in headlines across the country and here in our own state. Top performing female athletes have been badly injured and lost out on trophies, titles, and scholarship opportunities because they were forced to compete against biological males. In Arizona, we have the chance to say, “enough!” and demand a return to common sense. Prop 318, also known as the “Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act” would prohibit public and private K-12 schools and athletic associations from allowing biological males to play against girls on teams designated for girls. It protects girls’ privacy in lockers, restrooms and showers and prevents them from having to share these spaces with biological boys. It would also give female athletes the power to hold schools and athletic associations accountable. Prop 318 allows them to take legal action if they are harmed or lose out on opportunities after being forced to compete against a biological male in violation of the law. As a father and a common sense Arizonan, I urge you to vote YES on Prop 318 and protect athletic opportunities for all Arizona girls! George Khalaf, Scottsdale As a father of two teenage girls, I urge a YES vote on Proposition 318 – The Protect Girls Sports Act. Common sense says that participation in girl's sports should be reserved for biological females. Unfortunately, ideologues pushing "inclusion" of biological males have distorted reality and ignored the evidence, which is clearly in favor of protecting girl's sports: 1. Males possess physical advantages over females, including after medical "transition". In general, males have: -Greater muscle mass and strength -Higher bone density -Superior cardiovascular capacity -Lower body fat 2. These innate differences affect speed, power, and endurance. In sport after sport, females facing confused males lose opportunities for medals and scholarships. Consider that Olympic, World, and U.S. champion Tori Bowie's lifetime best 100-meter time has been "beaten 15,000 times by men and boys." 3. Women forced to compete against men are subjected to physical and sexual assault: -In Massachusetts, a 6-foot tall male player injured three women during a basketball game. The same individual was previously removed from a rowing team after entering a female locker room and making inappropriate comments about a female rower's breasts. -In Washington, Kallie Keeler unknowingly competed against a male who sexually assaulted her during a wrestling match. To end the assault, she allowed him to win, forfeiting a medal. -To protect her team, former captain of Utah State University's Volleyball team Kaylie Ray led her fellow players to forfeit a game in which they were pitted against a male with who "attacked with power that was clearly unmatched by any female athlete." As a father and as President of Liberty Counsel Action, a nationwide advocacy organization representing thousands of parents who promote biological truth, I urge a YES vote on Proposition 318 – The Protect Girls Sports Act. Thank you for your support, John Stemberger John Stemberger, President, Liberty Counsel Action, Orlando

Competing in sports in high school, at college and now, playing professional volleyball internationally, has made me the person I am today. Nothing is better at building a girl’s confidence and future success than playing organized sports. But It’s not fair and not safe when bigger, stronger males compete in girls’ sports. It threatens female athletes’ dignity, opportunity and safety. Every male on a female team is stealing a girl’s dream and future. I know because I was forced to compete against male athletes. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes refuse to protect female athletes, using their positions of power to try to force male athletes onto girls’ sports teams. Proposition 318 – The Protect Girls Sports Act - protects female private spaces, including bathrooms, locker rooms and showers. It prohibits males from playing in girls’ sports, and specifically designates Arizona sports as Male, Female or Co-Ed. Everyone gets to participate! Please join me in voting YES on Proposition 318 – The Protect Girls Sports Act. Common sense. Voter enacted. It’s long past time we made girls sports in Arizona FEMALE again! Kaylie Ray Co-Chair / Protect Girls Sports in Arizona Professional Volleyball Player So it’s up to us – the voters of Arizona - to protect girls’ sports and female private spaces. Kaylie Ray, Co-Chair, Protect Girls Sports in Arizona, Gilbert As a Father, there’s nothing more important to me than protecting my daughters and providing them with every opportunity to pursue their dreams. I’ve encouraged my daughters to play sports, so they will be better prepared to compete and win in any endeavor in life. But to have a male take the place of one of my daughters on a sports team, stealing her opportunity, wouldn’t just be heartbreaking for her, but to me as well. And I would do anything to ensure no man ever enters my daughter’s bathroom, locker room or shower. I cannot understand how anyone can support allowing men on girls sports teams or in girls showers, locker rooms and bathrooms. Some things are simply wrong. Thankfully, Arizona’s Prop 318 - the Protect Girls Sports Act – will give me and every other Father and Mother the opportunity to ensure every sports girl in Arizona will have their opportunities and safety protected. It makes sports in Arizona Male – Female – Co-Ed. And it keeps men out of girls’ private spaces. For the sake and safety of my daughters and every girl in Arizona, please join me in voting YES on Proposition 318. Bryan Franks, Cave Creek

As a father and athlete, I think about the life ahead of my daughter — the chance to compete, and to chase whatever dream she sets her mind to. Protecting her opportunities and her safety is my job. That’s why it troubles me to imagine her one day losing her place on a team, her privacy in a locker room, or access to a fair competition because of a boy. No parent should have to accept that for their daughter. Arizona’s Prop 318 — the Protect Girls Sports Act — directly supports the world I want her to grow up in. It establishes clear Male, Female, and Co-Ed classifications in sports, and it keeps girls’ spaces for girls only. For my daughter, and for every girl in Arizona, I’m voting YES on Proposition 318. Adam Ray, Chandler

As a mom of 4 competitive athletes, I have seen firsthand the benefits of what sporting opportunities can do for each athlete. Lifelong lessons are gained through participation in sport. I have also seen firsthand the differences in biological reality between male and female athletes. Boys are inherently stronger, faster, bigger even at young ages. Allowing boys to compete in girls sports only takes opportunities away from female athletes. It also risks physical safety of the girls participating. The passage of Proposition 318 will allow for everyone to participate in sport and ensure that safety and fairness will be upheld. Please support COMMON SENSE and PROTECT girls sports and spaces! Vote YES on Proposition 318 – Protect Girls Sports Laurie Ray, Gilbert

It’s been an honor to serve as Chandler’s Mayor for the past seven years where I’ve had the privilege to represent the best city in Arizona. As Mayor, I’ve met with residents across our city and state, and I’ve not met one Republican, Independent, or Democrat who believes that biological boys should compete in girls’ sports. I’m running for state Representative because we need more elected officials who have commonsense and listen to Arizonans. This should be a nonpartisan issue. Please join our family in voting yes to Save Women’s Sports! Kevin Hartke, Mayor of Chandler, City of Chandler, Chandler As a Mom and athlete myself, I am deeply concerned about bigger, stronger, biological males competing in girls’ sports and entering private female spaces including girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms and showers. It puts our girls at risk and crushes their athletic dreams and opportunities. There’s never a justification for it. Some things are just wrong. As an Arizona Legislator, I could do something about it and I have! I’m proud to have been the prime sponsor of HCR2003 – The Protect Girls Sports Act – now Proposition 318. Prop 318 designates sports in Arizona as Male – Female – Co-Ed, ensuring that everyone gets to participate. And it prohibits males from entering girls bathrooms, locker rooms and showers. Could anything be more common sense? Every one of my Republican colleagues in the Legislature voted to put the Protect Girls Sports Act on the November ballot. And every Democrat voted against it, joining Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs and Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes in refusing to protect girls’ sports and private female spaces. Now, it’s our turn – the voters in Arizona. We can protect girls’ sports by voting YES on Prop 318. Every young girl’s athletic dreams need to be preserved and her physical safety protected. Selina Bliss, Prescott

The newspapers have been full of stories about girls who work really hard on their sports skills to make a team or perhaps get a college scholarship or compete for the Olympics. Then they have to compete against a biological male who has unfair advantages and they are totally devastated. This is a terrible injustice. Title IX was passed because we all believe girls should have an equal chance as boys to compete and to excel. Allowing biological boys in girls’ sports is a complete negation of title IX, of common decency, and of common sense. Tom Horne, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of Arizona, Phoenix As a High School volleyball coach, my role is to ensure sports are fair and safe. But there’s nothing fair and nothing safe about letting males in female sports. That’s why I’m voting YES on Prop HCR 2003 – the Protect Girls Sports Act, that designates Arizona sports as Male, Female or Co-Ed, and protects female private spaces. Isn’t this just common sense? Please join me in voting YES on Prop HCR 2003. Let’s keep athletic competition fair and safe in Arizona. Ryan Tolman, Aspire Volleyball Club, Gilbert It’s robbing our girls of their dreams and opportunities and risking their physical safety. Moreover, no male should ever be allowed into a young girl’s bathroom, locker room or shower. As a Father, Grandfather and former coach, I want to help ensure that sports opportunities for every Arizona student are fair and safe. But there's nothing fair and nothing safe about letting males in female sports. It's robbing our girls of their dreams and opportunities and risking their physical safety. Moreover, this Father believes no male should ever be allowed into a young girl's bathroom, locker room or shower. That's why I'm voting YES on Proposition HCR 2003-the Protect Girls Sports Act, that designates Arizona sports as Male, Female or Co-Ed and protects female private spaces by prohibiting males from ever entering the girl's bathroom, locker room or shower. Isn't this just common sense? Please join me in voting YES on Proposition HRC 2003. Let's keep athletic competition fair and safe in Arizona, and open to every child that wants to participate. Andy Moorer James Moorer, Pine

ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL BAN IS A BADLY WRITTEN MESS Fairness in sports is important, but fairness in the treatment of our fellow humans is more so. The American dream calls all people, regardless of race, gender, or background, to be themselves and realize their chosen path. To ostracize and ban young people outright from their selected teams is to endorse harassment, bullying and worse. This shameful mess of a ballot measure is an attempt to divide us, plain and simple. Prop 318 lumps kindergarteners and college athletes into the same one-size-fits-all category, forcing the same rules on toddlers and college track stars. In 2022, a Utah school spied on and secretly investigated a high school athlete's gender because she won a sports competition “by a wide margin.” That's a witch hunt. It's humiliating and absurd. Arizona must not endorse this type of intolerance. Prop 318 is careless and broad, which means unintended real-world consequences for our kids. Girls with stocky builds or short hair could be required to “prove” they are girls. Children could be needlessly examined and shamed. It’s toxic to insist that girls display specific body types or appearances just to play healthy sports. What problem is this vindictive and mean-spirited measure trying to solve? Don’t Republican lawmakers have better issues to tackle than persecuting children who just want to play with their friends? The crafty politicians who are picking our pockets seek to distract from their agenda by convincing us to pick on a tiny group of kids. This measure belongs in the Hall of Shame, along with all other attacks on our rights and freedoms. Melinda Iyer, Co-Director, Civic Engagement Beyond Voting, Phoenix and Catherine Sigmon, Co-Director, Civic Engagement Beyond Voting, Tempe

I am writing to oppose HCR 2003! Communities thrive when our young people are supported. This is because our children grow up and become active members in our communities. And the healthier the young people are, the healthier our community is. Therefore, I oppose HCR 2003 which harms young kids. I support the participation in sports by all kids who want to participate since sports involvement teaches important values like perseverance, dedication, self-assurance, and teamwork. We should want more young people to play sports, but a blanket ban on transgender kids would invite anyone to call for a "gender check" on any girl who wants to play sports if they think she is "too tall" or "too strong." Local schools and sports associations should be handling this issue, not politicians. Michel Graffeo, Tucson Proposition 318 is not about sports. At the end of the day, it's about discrimination. Trans girls are girls. Any policy must start there and work towards inclusion. There can be reasonable rules for fairness in sports without banning every transgender girl. Like other considerations in sports, reasonable policies for transgender student athletes should rely on individual assessments rather than blanket bans. In fact, language that would do that was introduced by Senator Ortiz and rejected by Republican politicians who want to score political points off trans people. Instead, this proposition chose to build from a discriminatory base and expand on it, creating new bans on how trans girls exist and participate in private associations and spaces. Voters must reflect on the practical realities of what these bans mean. They are major disruptions dropped into the middle of peoples’ lives. They rely on mob justice to enforce through lawsuits, turning anyone who wants into the gender police, allowing them to target anyone for invasive inspection - trans or not - who they deem not “woman” enough, and leaving schools and private associations liable. When a community is healthy, we all do better. Let's raise up everyone together so we all enjoy a better life! Therefore, I oppose HCR 2003 because every kid deserves the chance to learn, play, and belong. Local schools and sports associations should handle this issue, not politicians looking to divide us. We have seen how this discrimination in private spaces plays out in real time. A woman was harassed in a Walmart women’s bathroom here in Arizona by two sheriff’s deputies for looking “too masculine”. Even my own sister-in-law has been harassed by wannabe gender inspectors simply because she has a flat chest; the result of a double mastectomy from being a cancer survivor. We can see how the environment of discrimination caused by policies like this plays out. This broad ban on trans participation in sports and private spaces gives license to the same behavior. It will harm us all. We should reject this now and start from a place of fairness and inclusion. Please, vote no. Gaelle Esposito, Phoenix Argument in Opposition to HCR2003 Vote NO on HCR 2003 The League of Women Voters of Arizona believes every student deserves access to a high-quality, equitable public education. School activities, including athletics, are an important part of the educational experience and should be available to all students. HCR 2003 places detailed rules regarding student athletics, locker rooms, restrooms, and other school facilities into state law through a ballot measure. It also creates new opportunities for lawsuits against schools, athletic associations, and educators, potentially diverting time and resources away from classrooms and student services. This measure addresses a situation that affects very few students, yet it imposes statewide mandates on every public school, many private schools, colleges, universities, and athletic associations. It also creates privacy concerns by requiring schools to enforce policies based on a student's sex as recorded on an original birth certificate, potentially placing students, families, coaches, and school personnel in difficult and intrusive situations. Arizona schools already work with students, families, coaches, and governing athletic organizations to address participation issues. Decisions affecting student well-being, safety, and inclusion should be guided by educators, parents, and established athletic policies—not broad mandates written into law through a statewide ballot measure. HCR 2003 also invites costly litigation by creating new private rights of action and potential claims for damages, attorney fees, and other legal remedies. Taxpayer-funded schools should be focused on educating students, not defending lawsuits. The League believes educational opportunities should expand participation, foster inclusion, and support student success. HCR 2003 moves Arizona in the wrong direction. Protect educational opportunity. Protect student privacy. Protect local decision-making. Vote NO on HCR 2003. Pinny Sheoran, Board Officer, Secretary / State Advocacy Chair, League of Women Voters of Arizona, Scottsdale

Every child deserves the opportunity to participate in organized sports, whether school sponsored or privately sponsored. measure bullies our transgender youth and denies them the opportunity to learn social skills, leadership skills and how to 318 This work together as a team. Kids are kids and they just want to participate and enjoy their childhood no different than any other child and they deserve that opportunity regardless of the gender they identify as or were born as. Mr Paul Reed, Mesa and Mrs Kanasha Reed, Mesa

When the US passed Title IX, we made a promise to all women and girls that their contributions to sports were equal and would forever be treated as such. Proposition 318 would betray that promise, harming all women and girls in an effort to score political points by discriminating against trans girls. This bad proposition tells girls that they are less valued than boys. This Prop 318 would subject girls to invasive inspections and questions about their gender. This bad proposition would create new ways to start lawsuits accusing girls – any girl, not just transgender girls -- of not being feminine enough and making them prove themselves. No girl should be subjected to that, and they should be free to play sports with their friends without fear of being targeted. This proposition is done in service of a witch hunt against transgender girls. Instead of expanding and protecting access to women’s sports, it turns teachers into bathroom police and weaponizes lawsuits to pressure them. All women and girls deserve better. They should be allowed to compete without having to prove they’re woman enough. They should be free to use the restroom without submitting to invasive inspections. Their contributions to sports and ability to compete should be celebrated, not questioned. Discrimination harms us all, let’s keep our promise of Title IX to women and girls and vote NO on Prop 318. -- State Senator Mitzi Epstein Mitzi Epstein, State Senator, AZ Senate, Tempe Bennett D. Burke, June 23, 2026 Arizona’s voters need to pay attention to issues directly affecting the health and welfare of all Arizonans. HCR 2003 is blanket discrimination. HCR 2003 promotes systemic discrimination by empowering individuals to sue schools and sports leagues if they perceive a child has been allowed to participate on the "wrong" team. This legislative approach fosters an environment of exclusion and suspicion, targeting vulnerable students rather than supporting them. To enforce the law, it would give individuals the right to sue schools and recreational sports leagues if they believe a child has been allowed to participate on the wrong team. Arizonans aren't fooled. We can see when politicians are trying to play us against each other to distract from what they're really doing. Every child deserves to be treated with respect and have a fair shot at their dreams. This bill is based on discriminatory intent, motivated by white supremacy. As a member of the clergy with over three decades in ministry, it’s also clear to me that this bill violates the life, example, and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who always stands with and uplifts marginalized peoples, while calling down the wealthy and powerful who support the empire. As a concerned Arizonan, I urge legislators to vote against this execrable bill. In His Holy Name, The Most Reverend Bennett D. D. Burke Bennett Burke, The Most Reverend, Bishop, Matthew 25:34, Tucson Rev. Dr. Katie Sexton, Glendale As a lifelong athlete, I remain invested in sports at a wide range of levels. To this day, you will find me playing my favorite sport at a competitive and social level in both a women’s and co-ed league. I oppose Proposition 318 because I know the value of sports in my life and community. I come to this conclusion with diverse experiences in athletics, including coaching As a person of faith, I believe every child is created in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity, worth, and the desire to belong. I also have LGBTQ+ people in my family, and my faith calls me to see the humanity and sacred worth of every person. Our schools and community sports programs should be places where young people learn teamwork, perseverance, friendship, and respect—not places where some children are singled out and left out. This measure targets a small number of young people and sends a harmful message that some children deserve fewer opportunities than others. Rather than helping students thrive, it invites division, suspicion, and conflict into schools and recreational programs. It could also lead to intrusive questioning of young athletes and place school officials, coaches, and families in difficult and unnecessary situations. I worry that this measure tells transgender youth they are not welcome and are a problem to be managed rather than children to be supported. As people of faith, we are called to love our neighbors, protect the vulnerable, and create communities where all people can flourish. People of faith may hold different views on gender transitioning, but we can agree that every child deserves to be treated with compassion, respect, and dignity. We can support fairness in athletics without creating policies that isolate, stigmatize, or exclude vulnerable young people. Arizona's strength comes from our commitment to treating our neighbors with respect and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to learn, grow, and belong. I urge Arizonans to reject fear and exclusion and choose dignity, compassion, and belonging for all children. Let us stand together for a community where every child can learn, grow, and belong. Please vote NO on Prop 318 to protect dignity, compassion, and belonging for all children. in the NCAA, playing and coaching various youth leagues across the country, and currently playing alongside national team players across the gender spectrum. This proposition is a gross overreach of government power to force discrimination and policing of bodies. Everyone deserves a chance to play, but policies like Proposition 318 make everyone vulnerable. Mandating schools and athletic clubs monitor and inspect gender forces these institutions to discriminate. This will harm anyone a stranger deems not “woman enough”. I play a sport where the rules adjust every year for increased safety. I know I’m safer when rules focus on the individual as it pertains to the game, not broad bans on types of people and certainly not invasive inspections. Proposition 318 violates the freedoms of everyone building community through sport. Sports gave me leadership skills, discipline, a community, and friendships that endure. Playing sports meant belonging. Trans girls deserve the same opportunity as me to play. I want nothing more than to compete and make memories with my friends, and trans girls deserve that experience just as much as anyone else. Proposition 318 is an outright ban, leveraging discrimination to gain political points rather than tackling the larger issues that are impacting working Arizonans. Let’s make sports a place where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, let’s start by rejecting Proposition 318. Catherine Beaudoin, Phoenix THE LEGISLATURE ADJOURNED, BUT THE TRAUMA REMAINS Long and complicated ballot got you down? Here is the fix: Just “swipe left” by VOTING NO ON EVERY MEASURE REFERRED BY THE LEGISLATURE. That is all TEN propositions which passed as a House or Senate Concurrent Resolution. Seven of the ten would amend the Arizona constitution to enshrine culture war talking points. The Republican majority in each chamber has again reaffirmed that running for the legislature is now the last resort of the unemployable. In summary, their “legislative achievements” were as follows: • Collecting per diem while in recess, • Partisan posing on social media, • Extreme gasbaggery, • Manipulating the legislative process, and • Filing useless lawsuits for which YOU are paying. Consequently, they had NO TIME to seriously address Water, Health Care, Housing, Education, Privacy, Consumer Protection and all the other real issues - much less pass a serious budget. They have the attention span of Minute Rice and just don’t care much about Arizona’s troubles or your problems. They are simply incapable of acting in the public interest so thank them for the obnoxiously long ballot by SWIPING LEFT on their electoral junkfest. Eric Gorsegner Phoenix Eric Gorsegner, Phoenix Kids thrive when they are loved, and accepted for who they are. Family, school, and extracurricular activities are like three supportive legs of a chair. For some trans kids who don’t have support or stability at home or school, extracurriculars can give them at least one supportive, stable leg to balance on. I know firsthand how critical that extra support can be. I’m a former athlete on the University of Arizona’s swimming and diving team, and have coached numerous high school diving teams in Arizona. I have witnessed, and experienced countless physical, social and mental benefits of playing sports and being a part of a team. My family moved right before I started high school, and I had a hard time figuring out where I fit in with other kids at school. It was through sports that I finally found a sense of connection, made friends, and could fully be myself. When I moved to Tucson for college, my coaches and teammates were an immediate and welcoming surrogate family. Many of my former teammates are still my closest friends. As a coach, I saw kids of all ability levels, state champions and novice divers, simply having fun together during practice, figuring out where they fit in, and finding extra support through sports, just like I did. When we think about the three legs of that chair – home, school, and extracurricular activities – the hard reality is that not all kids have the support they need, especially trans kids. So how can we, in good conscience, take away what might be their only supportive, stable leg? I can’t imagine losing the opportunity to play sports with my friends. This bill takes that opportunity away from an entire group of kids. It’s discrimination and it’s wrong. Vote no on Proposition 318. Hazel Heinzer, Tucson I’m a retired school teacher and a community organizer whose current focus is on saving democracy. It was only recently that I have come to understand the extent to which attacks on transgender rights are also attacks on democracy. Some politicians target trans rights, because trans rights have been identified as a successful wedge issue with some voters, especially sports bans. Ultimately, attacks on trans rights are a page out of the authoritarian playbook. Speaking up for trans rights is one way to fight back, and to stand up for democracy. At first I was unsure about writing this argument, but then I learned about what was actually in Proposition 318. It would allow individuals to sue schools and recreational leagues if they suspect a transgender student was permitted to play on a specific team or use a specific bathroom. Who will pay for these lawsuits? What would stop anyone from filing a lawsuit anytime they see an athlete excelling, even if the athlete isn’t transgender? Sports should be fun and bring people together, not stoke fear of being surveilled in the bathroom. If lawmakers really cared about competition and fairness, they would have adopted Analise Ortiz’s amendment that allows sports associations to create rules of inclusion for sports based on characteristics that impact athletic performance, rather than a blanket ban on all trans girls. That lawmakers were not willing to adopt this amendment, proves they do not actually care about fairness in sports, they just want to discriminate. Tell them that’s unacceptable, vote NO on Proposition 318. Amy Gosla, Oro Valley I don’t need to fully understand someone to know that they deserve the same dignity as other people. As a high school English teacher in a large urban school district for 27 years, I work with trans students every day who go through the same ups and downs as other teenagers and who make my classrooms brighter. Prop 318 is supposed to be about fairness in sports, but all it really does is shut out trans kids, regardless of who they are as individuals. Nothing about that seems fair for these young people whose identities have so much influence over such a pivotal time in their lives. Prop 318 contains a provision that school employees, like me, have to enforce a ban on trans kids using the bathroom that aligns with their gender, as long as that bathroom is “integral to athletic engagement.” Some of the trans students I work with are kids who are open about being trans, but some aren’t. How am I supposed to pick and choose which boys can use the boys bathroom and which girls can use the girls bathroom? How am I supposed to know which bathrooms are “integral?” Prop 318 does not provide a clear way for me to know how to enforce this bathroom ban. We should not enact laws like this that Federal courts have agreed are likely unconstitutionally vague. Prop 318 would require schools to determine eligibility based on sex as recorded on a student’s original birth certificate, information we may not have access to, creating confusion and placing educators in the role of arbitrarily policing students’ bodies. This not only undermines trust but also increases the risk of discrimination and unequal treatment. Arizona’s students deserve policies that promote inclusion, respect, and safety. By rejecting Prop 318 we can ensure that all young people, regardless of identity, belong and thrive. Carrie Deahl, Phoenix

Vote NO on Prop 318. Arizona already has a law governing participation in school sports. In 2022, state lawmakers passed legislation addressing this issue. Prop 318 is not about creating a new policy—it expands an existing law that is still being challenged in court. Arizona voters should ask a simple question: If state law already addresses this issue, why is another measure needed? At a time when Arizona schools face teacher shortages, student mental health challenges, and ongoing academic needs, Prop 318 does nothing to improve educational outcomes. It will not hire teachers, improve reading scores, reduce class sizes, or increase resources for students. Instead, Prop 318 expands government regulation and creates new opportunities for costly litigation involving schools, students, athletic organizations, and taxpayers. Similar laws across the country have generated years of legal disputes, diverting time and resources away from education. The measure also extends beyond athletic competition and into issues involving locker rooms, restrooms, and other school facilities, raising concerns about privacy, enforcement, and the practical impact on students and schools. Its broad language may create unintended consequences and legal uncertainty beyond what many voters expect. Arizona's children deserve policies that focus on academic achievement, student well-being, and educational opportunity. We should be investing in solutions that strengthen schools and support students, not expanding government mandates while existing litigation remains unresolved. Arizona already has a law on the books. We do not need another ballot measure that increases legal uncertainty, taxpayer expense, and division in our communities. Vote NO on Prop 318. Submitted by ONE Community Angela Hughey, President, ONE Community, Phoenix

Prop 318 (HCR 2003) would single out a small group of trans girls in Arizona, banning them from youth sports and restricting their access to school bathrooms and changing facilities that align with their gender identity. In practice, these changes can increase harassment and intimidation of girls and gender-nonconforming students—especially those who don’t fit rigid expectations of what a “girl” should look like. That means some girls could face humiliation, verbal abuse, or physical attacks as others try to “police” their appearance. The measure also risks creating an environment where invasive “verification” becomes a tool to shame and target students. Basing participation and access on outdated stereotypes about gender hurts more than just athletes. It undermines a safe, respectful school environment for all girls and ultimately, for all students. Vote NO on Prop 318. Gayle Shanks and Bob Sommer Changing Hands Bookstore Co-Founders Gayle Shanks, Co-Founder, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe and Clive Sommer, Co-Founder, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe

My name is Abbi Brady. I’m 15 years old and am writing this with my mom, Kristen Brady, because we both care about treating every person with dignity and respect, and we both know that discrimination is wrong. So, in November, we want everyone to please vote no on Prop. 318. Prop 318 makes me worry about what school will be like for me and my friends next year. When we play sports or go to the bathroom, are we going to be watched for looking girly enough? I am a cis girl, but what if I cut my hair short and wear baggy clothes? Is someone going to stop me from going to the restroom? What will my trans classmates do? How are they supposed to feel included when they are banned from the restroom? I have so many questions, and Prop 318 doesn’t answer any of them. This is Kristen. As Abbi’s mom, I’m concerned about the values our politicians are imposing on our kids at school. Prop 318 directs school employees to enforce a ban on trans kids using the bathroom that aligns with their gender if that bathroom is “integral to athletic engagement.” It’s bad enough that voters are being asked to require discrimination against kids in sports — but Prop 318 also directs Abbi’s teachers and coaches to check her sex before she’s allowed to use the restroom. All of our kids deserve better than Prop 318, so I urge everyone to vote no on Prop 318 this November. Kristen Brady, Scottsdale and Abbi Brady, Scottsdale

Proposition 318 pretends to be about fairness in sports, when in reality, this is just another way to target and exclude transgender students. It contains a provision that states, “employees of the school” may not authorize any individual to use a restroom that is not designated for that individual’s sex, as long as that restroom is “integral to athletic engagement”. As an English teacher, I have so many questions about this… 1. What makes a bathroom integral to athletic engagement? 2. If I have a soccer player in my class, does that make the bathroom across from my classroom integral to athletic engagement? 3. When students need to use the restroom, should I ask if they are an athlete? 4. Am I supposed to ask students for identification before allowing them to go? 5. Should I escort them to the bathroom to ensure they use the “correct” bathroom? I could go on, but I don’t want to end on 6 or 7 (please excuse my teacher joke). I am an English teacher at a large public high school in Phoenix. My students are kind, brilliant, thoughtful, unique humans. Each one of my students has a space in my classroom and each student belongs. Prop 318 seeks to negate all of these qualities and attributes. Its goal is to exclude students because of who they are. It also forces me to add one more job to my many responsibilities – to become the bathroom police. As a 22-year veteran Public School Educator, I have seen many proposition statements in ballot guides that have (or would have had) a large impact on my students. I have seen my students used as pawns in political games. Enough is enough. For them, vote NO on Prop 318. Erin Henderson, Public School Teacher, Phoenix I’m voting no on Prop 318. As a dad of two young boys, I hope they grow up loving sports as much as I did. I was a high school coach and a Division I athlete, so I’ve seen firsthand how sports teach character. Prop 318 is completely unnecessary and openly discriminatory. It targets vulnerable kids just to stir up division. As a coach, I can’t imagine how this could even be enforced. Would someone demand invasive checks on kids? No coach, no school, should ever be put in that position. This is bullying through legislation. As an athlete, I know that youth sports aren’t about who’s “going pro.” They’re about growth, competition, and belonging. We never cared who was across the net—we just played. Let’s not let politicians openly discriminate against innocent kids. Vote no on Prop 318. Let kids play. Eric Chalmers, Former Division 1 Athlete and Former High School Sports Coach, Phoenix Prop 318 (the Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act) is clearly a “NO” vote. The Arizona Constitution prohibits discrimination in schools. Children of all ages will be singled out for discrimination and bullying if this proposition becomes law. Every child is unique in their physical development. Schools are places where children learn about the world and grow to be responsible adults in a safe environment. Creating schools that openly attack one group is plain wrong. Transgender girls in school represent less than 1% of the student population yet this proposition affects all school age children. Parents and students would be encouraged to sue schools and recreational sports leagues if a transgender student has been allowed to participate on the “wrong” team. Will students be required to undergo doctor exams to determine gender? What happens when a child looks different but is not transgender? Will the student be put to some sort of test and be shamed at school? Prop 318 was written to divide and distract voters from serious issues facing Arizonans. The Arizona Constitution in Article 2, Section 36(A), reads, “The state shall not grant preferential treatment to or discriminate against any individual or groups on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education or public contracting.” Vote “NO” Deborah Gaines, Oracle

Don’t be fooled. This is not about sports. The number of transgender athletes this initiative will affect is tiny. It is already illegal for transgender kids to participate in high school sports. This expands that ban to colleges and private organizations, but without high school sports experience, transgender students can rarely qualify for college-level sports. This is a Trojan Horse restroom ban for schools, colleges, and universities. Paragraph D of the initiative, after superfluous language is removed, reads: “If a school … provides … locker rooms … that are integral to athletic engagement, the school … may not authorize any individual to use a restroom … that is not designated for that individual's sex.” Since ASU has locker rooms in Sun Devil Stadium, they must police restroom use based on sex in every building across all of their campuses at all times. Same for UofA, NAU, all community and private colleges, and high schools. It defines “sex” as sex on a birth certificate, which nobody carries with them. Schools are left little choice but to enforce it by outwardly visible features, and it will be safer for them to err on the side of keeping people out than on letting people in. In reality there are far, far more masculine-looking cisgender women than there are transgender women at all. It is tall women, muscular women, heavy-framed women, deep-voiced women, and ruggedly facially featured women, etc. who will most frequently be impacted. This is about policing women's bodies and culturally-defined femininity standards. Further, the language, “… that is not designated for that individual's sex,” eliminates gender neutral, single user, and family style restrooms, which do not designate a sex. This would include any single-user bathroom on any campus, even a nurse's office or dorm room. Don’t fall for it. Vote NO. Erica Keppler, Phoenix The ACLU of Arizona is a non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to protecting the rights and liberties of all Arizonans. The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Proposition 318 because it would force Arizona schools and athletic associations to adopt a blanket rule that does not consider age, level of competition, and sport, and opens schools to a flurry of lawsuits. Arizona already has a law banning trans athletes from competing in public school sports. This proposition seeks to expand that blanket ban, inserting politicians and lawyers into our school hallways, locker rooms, and coaches’ offices. It invites ‘gender checks’ on any girl who wants to play sports, handing frivolous lawsuits to anyone with a grudge against a school, a teacher, or a child. We all want sports to be fair and student athletes to be safe. That’s why sports associations make appropriate rules about who can participate in different sports at different levels, not politicians. Proposition 318 treats kindergarteners the same as college athletes, and treats bowling the same as football. It allows anyone to play ‘gender police’ and sue schools, teachers, and coaches whenever they think a girl is “too tall” or “too strong”. Our students deserve rules that promote sports fairness and that take age and sports type into consideration, not blanket bans like Prop 318. Arizonans are tough and fair-minded. We believe in playing by the rules and we believe the rules should be fair to everyone. Proposition 318 doesn’t make sports fair. It puts all our girls at risk of invasive questioning and scrutiny. It tells some kids, before they’ve even had a chance to try, that they don’t belong. That’s not the Arizona way. The ACLU of Arizona urges a NO vote on Proposition 318. Darrell Hill, Director of Policy, ACLU of Arizona, Phoenix

Ballot Measure Argument HCR 2003 Submitted June 24, 2026 As a faith leader, someone who is deeply committed to the well-being of our youth, and someone who feels compelled to speak about the moral issues of our times, I feel ethically compelled to speak out against Arizona HCR 2003. While the perceived intent of this ballot measure is to protect children, the actuality of it is entirely the opposite of that. Instead of creating safety, equity, and inclusion with our children, this bill would create a terrifying invasion of children’s privacy, especially targeting our girls, who are already targeted in society if they are different in any way. Can you imagine having parents, teachers, administrators calling for any child to be “gender-checked” just because they want to play sports and have fun? They could be checked for any reason–their hair is too short, their voice is too low, they run too fast, or because someone just has a bone to pick. This is the opposite of fair–it is exclusionary, divisive and scary. Submitted by Reverend Christine Dance Senior Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix We know that this bill on trans kids is mean to separate and divide us. Instead, can we please focus on what is important– providing quality education for our kids and creating spaces where they can thrive and feel included. Every child, no matter who they are deserves to feel safe and valued at school. Christine Dance, Reverend, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Phoenix, Paradise Valley My name is Maegan Hoffman, I currently live in Phoenix and I am a former women's college softball player. During my college softball career, I won two NCAA national championships. In my experience, throughout all levels of play, transgender girls and women have absolutely never had any negative impact or posed any threat to myself or women's sports. Sports have played an incredibly important role in my life and have helped shape who I am today. No child should be denied this opportunity, especially not based on their gender identity, race, class, or sexuality. Throughout my life, sports have always revolved around being accessible and building community. Outside of the gameplay itself, sports were always a safe and reliable space where I could connect and form strong bonds with my teammates and coaches. Being a multi-sport athlete taught me how to form long term goals, work hard at improving my weaknesses, and how to play a role in something bigger than myself. I still rely on these skills every day in my adult life. Trans girls deserve the opportunity to grow and learn the way I got to and I firmly believe that transgender women and girls should be allowed to participate in women's sports. Prop 318 will do nothing to protect girls and women in sports and would in fact cause significant harm to teams and athletes across the state. Vote NO on Prop 318. Maegan J. Hoffman, Phoenix

Mi Familia Vota Recommends Voting No on HCR 2003. We can see when politicians are trying to play us against each other to distract from what they're really doing. This poorly written and divisive proposal uses Arizona children as political pawns, bullying kids and forcing "gender checks" on all girls. By mandating a blanket ban on transgender girls participating in sports teams, it denies children the chance to learn teamwork, perseverance, and self-assurance. The far-reaching harms of HCR 2003 include: - Targeting All Girls: Because it gives individuals the right to sue schools and recreational leagues, it invites anyone to demand an intrusive "gender check" on any girl they think is "too tall" or "too strong". - Flawed Scope: It treats kindergarteners exactly the same as college athletes, and applies the same rigid rules to non-contact sports like golf as it does to football. - Community Division: It empowers outside interests to politicize children's lives, divide our communities, and deny transgender people the right to live safely and openly. Every child in Arizona deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and a fair shot at their dreams. This initiative is a cruel distraction pushed by politicians to divide neighbors and divert attention away from school funding cuts. We must stand together against the bullying of our kids. Vote no on HCR 2003. Monica Sandschafer, Arizona State Director, Mi Familia Vota, Phoenix

I’m a faith leader and a parent and I hold the value of each human in our communities as inherently worthy–deserving of our respect, care and belonging in our community. We are facing a moment in our country, and in this state, where we are faced with making decisions that will either expand or limit human flourishing. Prop 318 creates artificial limits for some members of our community–but ultimately those limits are limits for all of us. Because when we let someone else decide for us whether we can belong or have access to community experiences based on whether we meet their criteria for gender, sexual orientation, religious practices and beliefs, racial identity–we are putting our whole community at risk. In addition, targeting and limiting trans kids' access to sports and the spaces where athletes partake in sports, is a distraction meant to keep us from speaking out about other issues that impact all of us–like access to health care, housing, voting rights, educational opportunity, living wages. The issues of how we best include all kids are solvable–trans kids aren’t a danger to anyone, but we are a danger to our kids when we allow this kind of rhetoric to frame our civic life. The practices that will follow this kind of policy will endanger all kids by restricting their access to needed, everyday spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms. Policies like these are also needlessly and even abusively intrusive–asking children to submit to “tests” of their gender and policing of their gender presentation. This will lead to a hostile environment for all kids participating in sports. We should say no to these kinds of policies and instead make sure sports are accessible to all kids. Vote no on Prop 318." Sarah Oglesby-Dunegan, Senior Minister, Valley Unitarian Universalist, Phoenix

I play roller derby on a women’s rec team in Arizona, and I am a trans woman. Just like most women, I didn’t play a full contact sport when I was younger. I only joined a sports league as an adult, after I came out, as a way to make friends. I don’t know who I would be now without sports. My teammates didn’t just teach me how to skate, they’ve shown me how to get up after a fall, how to work at a skill until I perfect it, and how to be a team player. They’ve taught me what a resilient, empathetic, and collaborative community really looks like. Prop 318 will rob all young girls the opportunity to be part of a community like that. It will turn youth sports into a political battleground where any girl will be scared to join, because she could be subject to a “gender check” if she’s a just a little too good at her sport. Excluding a hand full of trans girls from sports won’t make anyone any safer, it will just make more girls scared to play. Prop 318 will tell young girls that boys are inherently better at sports than them, and that they could never be as successful. I ask any of you who think trans girls shouldn’t play sports to go watch a derby bout. You’ll see all different women on the track, and I guarantee you that the transgender ones won’t be the fastest, strongest, or the tallest. We’re just like everybody else, we just want to play sports with our friends. Please vote no on Prop 318. Every kid deserves the chance to learn, play, and belong -- no matter their race, gender, or where they come from. But the same politicians invading students' privacy with unnecessary gender checks, bullying transgender kids off sports teams, and separating immigrant children from their families are also cutting money from our schools to give breaks to their wealthy friends. Arizonans won’t be fooled. We can see when politicians are trying to play us against each other to distract from what they're really doing. Every child -- native or newcomer, transgender or not -- deserves to be treated with respect and have a fair shot at their dreams. The politicians ignoring the daily fight of our neighbors to put food on the table, make rent, and keep their health care to line the pockets of the ultra wealthy, are the same politicians spending millions to ignite unfounded fears about trans people in an attempt to divide us and weaken everyone’s freedoms. These attacks are coming from the same politicians who have banned abortion, gutted voting rights, and targeted immigrant communities. Ellie Renteria, Tucson

These laws do nothing to support kids; they only foster paranoia and division where we need unity and equality. *Casey Clowes is a Salt River Project (SRP) Board member. The views expressed are solely her individual views and opinions, and are not made on behalf of the SRP Board of Directors or Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District. Casey Clowes, Board Member, At-Large, SRP, Tempe As a retired school superintendent and head of an independent college preparatory school, I opposed Proposition 318 for the following reasons: The bill is exclusive, not inclusive. Efforts should be made to accommodate differences, not discriminate. The ultimate responsibility of schools is to make every effort to see that no student is emotionally or physically hurt. Due to the bill's discriminatory nature, it is harmful to ALL students. Schools try to establish a supportive learning atmosphere where students appreciate, listen to, and trust each other. The bill permits a “private cause of action” or lawsuit against a school that can have the unintended consequence of students spying on students. Such a consequence would significantly undermine what schools are trying to educationally achieve. It should be up to each private school and private athletic association to determine its own policies related to trans students, not the State. Bottom line, accommodate differences, not a total ban, vote NO. Phineas Anderson, Tucson Prop 318 imposes a one-size-fits-all approach to youth sports that treats kindergarteners the same as college athletes and recreational activities the same as highly competitive sports. Instead of allowing schools, athletic organizations, and communities to create age-appropriate policies, this amendment mandates blanket exclusion and discrimination. This measure risks creating unnecessary conflict in our schools. To enforce its restrictions, schools could face pressure to verify students’ gender, opening the door to invasive questioning, scrutiny, and investigations of children who simply want to participate in sports with their peers. No child should have to prove who they are to play. Similar laws in other states have led to athletes being singled out, harassed, and publicly accused of being transgender based solely on their appearance or athletic ability. Parents and students have reported incidents where girls who excelled in competition became targets of suspicion and bullying. Prop 318 would make it easier for that kind of behavior to happen here in Arizona. Our kids’ accomplishments in athletics and academics deserve to be celebrated, not questioned or investigated. This measure creates an environment where success can invite scrutiny rather than encouragement, undermining young athletes' confidence and distracting them from the real purpose of youth sports: teamwork, personal growth, healthy competition, and inclusion. Sports policies should be thoughtful, fair, and tailored to the age, level, and nature of competition involved. Prop 318 does none of that. Instead, it imposes broad restrictions that single out a small group of young people and turn schools into battlegrounds for political debates. These athletes are our neighbors, classmates, and friends. Legalizing discrimination and opening the door to bullying is not the answer. Rules that generalize and target one group are not fair; they are discriminatory. Joel Edman, Will of the People, Phoenix

HCR 2003 - Anti-Trans constitutional amendment. Our MAGA legislature just cannot leave well enough alone. They passed laws in 2022 that said the same thing, now they want to add the restriction of bathroom use. They haven’t tried this restriction for many years for good reason. It is a solution looking for a problem and for our legislators the solution was to push us onto a two-page, four-sided ballot. Vote No on Proposition HCR 2003. Timothy Everhard, Director, Arizonans for Freedom, Peoria 25 years ago, I didn’t know what transgender meant. I’d never heard the word or heard of anyone who identified that way. Obliviousness didn’t stop me from being who I am, though. I didn’t have words for it, but I felt there was something wrong or broken about me, and I was utterly alienated. This isolation and sense of brokenness, along with other factors, were so crushing that I felt I couldn’t go on anymore. I attempted suicide at age 14. Thankfully, I was found and taken to a hospital which saved my life. I never participated in school sports, partly because I felt I didn’t belong in the girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. If I had known about transgender people when I was young, I could have transitioned and participated in boys sports, which could have saved me a lot of suffering and a suicide attempt. Playing sports helps students to learn discipline, confidence, and build ties with their classmates. Every kid deserves to play sports at school. Every kid also deserves to grow up and grow old. Being a part of a team helps kids stay connected and supported through difficult times. Evidence shows that something as simple as respecting a child’s chosen name and supporting their journey can literally save lives. As an adult, I have many supportive friends who make my life joyful. Transgender people play an important role in every community we live in. I have volunteered with many nonprofits, led the safety committee at my workplace, organized large community events, and I help friends and strangers when they need help moving. Every transgender kid deserves love and support so they can grow up and contribute like this too. Please vote against this bill which discriminates against trans kids and would cause them unnecessary suffering. Austin Davidson, “Fen”, Tucson Kathy Hoffman, Former Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction (2019-2023), Phoenix

I’m a 19 year old student athlete on the University of Arizona’s women’s club volleyball team, and I believe all student athletes should be able to play sports with their friends. Proposition 318 is discriminatory. Being an athlete has made me a physically, mentally, and socially stronger person. Sports have been an important solution for my emotional challenges. I would be a much more pessimistic, fragile, and lonely person if it weren’t for my sport. Vote NO on Prop 318. We should not be discriminating against kids. As Arizona’s former Superintendent of Public Instruction, a former teacher, and a mom, I believe every student deserves to feel safe, supported, and, above all, not targeted or harassed at school. Prop 318 is an unnecessary and discriminatory measure that targets vulnerable children to score political points. It creates a blanket ban on transgender girls participating in girls’ sports, regardless of age, grade level, sport, or circumstance. Prop 318 is also terrifying to me with all the questions as to how it could be enforced, potentially subjecting students to lifelong trauma. This proposal does nothing to improve academics, support teachers, address student mental health, or strengthen school safety. Instead, it invites more bullying, more division, and more government intrusion into the lives of children and families who already have too many hurdles as it is. Sports should help students build confidence, teamwork, discipline, and belonging. We should want more young people participating in school activities, not fewer. We should not pass careless, cruel policies like this. Arizona schools already face serious challenges. Our leaders should be focused on recruiting teachers, supporting students, and helping every child succeed. Vote NO on Prop 318. I have played in sports programs that include trans players, so I understand how cruel it is when programs are forced to exclude a whole group of athletes just because of who they are. A trans friend of mine used to participate in sports until the discrimination they faced pushed them away from playing. My friend has the same right as me to play sports. Bullying pushed my friend away from sports, now lawmakers are trying to push even more kids away from playing sports with this awful ballot proposition. We all deserve to be able to play sports with our friends. Vote no on Proposition 318. Don’t let lawmakers take the opportunity to play sports away from even more kids just because they are trans. Mia Rushford, Sahuarita A vote for Prop 318 is not a vote for fairness, but a vote for active discrimination. As the leadership of the Arizona LGBTQ Legislative Caucus, we ran for office to make sure that Arizonans can thrive as individuals and in their communities. When we joined the legislature, a ban on trans girls in sports had already become state law. Discriminatory laws like this diminish the individual in favor of broad generalizations and tear down communities by casting a pall of suspicion. Prop 318, an expansion of our existing law, is being presented as something that advances the cause of fairness. But our current law hasn’t delivered on fairness. All it’s done is sideline trans kids and subject girls who are allowed to play to unfair scrutiny of their genders and bodies. During the legislative process, our colleagues in the LGBTQ Caucus saw Prop 318 as an opportunity to right that wrong, and to deliver true fairness to sports. We proposed an amendment that would require schools, leagues, and athletic associations to set standards for inclusion based on measures of athletic performance relevant to the sport. Proponents of the original ban base their argument on concepts like bone density, muscle mass, and lung capacity. This is exactly what our amendment would have directed schools, leagues, and athletic associations to consider in their policies. But those same proponents rejected our amendment, choosing a blanket ban on trans kids over common sense policy solutions. A vote for Prop 318 is not a vote for fairness, but a vote for discrimination. Join us in voting NO on Prop 318. Hon. Brian Garcia, House of Representatives Legislative District 8, Tempe; Hon. Anna Abeytia, House of Representatives Legislative District 24, Phoenix; and Hon. Patricia “Patty” Contreras, House of Representatives Legislative District 12, PHOENIX

These days, there are tons of things in politics - from both sides - that make me mad. That is why I am an Independent. Even with all the other things our politicians have done, nothing has made me more angry lately than when I heard about Prop. 318. As the mother of two kids - including a daughter who competes in danceline at her school here in Marana - I was disgusted to learn that Prop. 318 would actually allow my kids’ school to physically inspect my daughter to ensure she’s really a girl. That is absolutely unacceptable and inappropriate, but there is nothing in Prop. 318 to prevent that nightmare scenario. I read it twice just to make sure I wasn’t missing something. I’ve heard supporters of Prop. 318 say that it is just about fairness in girls’ sports, but unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. My kids’ schools already require students to have a physical to participate in sports. The requirements imposed by Prop. 318 would open our kids up to the worst kind of abuses. As the mother of a daughter involved in school sports, I urge you to vote no on this dangerous attack. Sarah Moss, Tucson

As a parent of two (soon to be three) children in public school in Green Valley, I understand the important role athletics play in a student's development. My son participates in football, basketball, soccer, and baseball, while my daughter competes in track. I believe boys' and girls' sports should remain separate to ensure fair competition and equal opportunities for student athletes. However, supporting sex-based athletic divisions does not mean supporting every proposal that claims to protect them. While I understand the intent behind Prop 318, I have significant concerns about how portions of the measure would be implemented in practice. The process for determining a student's eligibility is something I am not comfortable with. The proposition does not clearly define who would be responsible for making these determinations, and that lack of clarity is troubling. Schools should not be put in the position of making what are essentially medical decisions. Any evaluations related to a student's biological sex should only be conducted by licensed medical professionals in an appropriate medical setting. Our schools exist to educate students, not to conduct or oversee medical evaluations. Asking administrators, teachers, or other school staff to take on that role is inappropriate and creates unnecessary concerns for students and families. School athletics provide far more than competition. They promote physical health, teach discipline and teamwork, and help young people develop confidence, resilience, and character. If the goal is to preserve fairness in sports, there are more appropriate ways to do so than placing schools in the middle of sensitive medical matters. Any policy affecting student athletes should be clearly defined, respectful of student privacy, and implemented by qualified professionals. For these reasons, I believe Prop 318 is the wrong approach, and I encourage voters to vote no on Prop 318 Callie Vega, Green Valley

Participating in sports teaches perseverance, dedication, confidence, and teamwork. We should want more young people to play sports, not fewer. A blanket ban on transgender kids would invite anyone to question whether a girl is "really" a girl simply because she is taller, stronger, or looks different from someone else's expectations. Local schools and sports associations should be handling these situations—not politicians. This kind of ban would encourage harassment and bullying of girls who don't fit narrow stereotypes. No female athlete should have her gender questioned because of her height, athletic build, hairstyle, clothing, or ability. And no child should have to endure invasive examinations just to play a sport. As a dad of three sons, I watched my kids learn resilience, teamwork, and determination through years of playing soccer. They already faced enough pressure—to perform, make the team, fit in, and measure up. I remember the disappointment of losing games or not making the team they hoped for. Youth sports should be about helping kids grow, build confidence, and belong—not making them fear that strangers might question whether they deserve to be there. Let's call this what it is: bullying. Arizona's children deserve encouragement, not suspicion. They deserve the chance to be part of a team without fear of being singled out, humiliated, or targeted by adults Paul Schneider, Tempe

Every child should have the opportunity to play t-ball, soccer, or volleyball with classmates and friends in a safe, welcoming environment.