Arizona LGBTQ+ advocates denounce passage of anti-trans measure amid Democrat wins

Election night brought forth historic wins nationwide, but also a difficult loss for Arizona. 

As liberals and progressives across the country celebrated Democratic wins in their city, county and state races, Arizona transgender youth and their allies rejected the disappointing results for Proposition 318. 

“We denounce the transphobic law that is Proposition 318,” Carmen, a member and volunteer of Trans Queer Pueblo, declared before the crowd of protesters gathered at the Arizona Capitol Complex on Wednesday evening. Not long after the news broke about the measure’s passing, organizers put together the emergency protest.

The ballot measure — that would not only expand on existing limitations on trans youth and athletes with additional restrictions on bathrooms and locker rooms, but also explicitly define a person’s sex by what is listed on their original birth certificate — passed with a nearly 60% approval from Arizona voters in a devastating blow to the Arizona trans and non-binary community.

“What happened yesterday across the nation was absolutely mind-boggling. We can’t deny that, but I can’t fully celebrate with this having passed here either,” Jill Lassen, a board member with the Arizona Trans Youth & Parent Organization (AZTYPO) and the parent of a 14-year-old trans daughter, said. “The Democrats, the left, the people who are ‘Oh, I support! I’m so happy about this blue wave! Isn’t it great? Isn’t it wonderful?’ And then turn around and vote for this piece of sh-t bill. Every one of them needs to learn that we rise together, we fall together and, if we aren’t protecting the most marginalized among us, we’re gonna get picked off one-by-one.” 

Organized in partnership with local Arizona advocacy groups Arizona Democracy Resource Center, Trans Queer Pueblo and Poder in Action. Several speakers expressed their frustration with Arizonans’ decision to discriminate against trans youth despite voting mostly progressive amid an anti-Trump, anti-Republican civic movement — as reflected in the GOP’s devastating loss of majority seats in Congress and the state Legislature to Democrats. 

“It’s a reminder that when we have leaps in social justice, when we take big steps forward, it often comes at the expense of others, where we take steps that are wrenchingly backward. Last night the voters of Arizona, while they gave us a trifecta, they gave us this terrible bill which is the definition of discrimination,” Arizona State Senator Lauren Kuby (D-8 Tempe), who retained her seat in the midterm election, said. “It is my great hope that this bill is challenged in the courts because I believe it is blatantly unconstitutional. It singles out a community — a small community, but a vital community — in our state and in the nation.”  

Arizona is one of four states where a majority of people voted in favor of anti-trans legislation. 

• In Nebraska, voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution that would require schools to designate sports teams as male, female and co-ed to prevent trans girls from competing on girls’ sports teams.

• In Washington, voters passed an initiative that requires anyone who wants to participate in girls’ sports teams to have their assigned sex at birth ‘verified’ by a health care provider.

• In Colorado, two provisions on track to be approved by voters would ban trans girls from playing on girls’ sports teams and would prohibit minors from accessing gender-affirming surgeries.  

“Trans people are such a small portion of the population. It’s kind of crazy they’re putting so much focus on that and trans kids just want to be able to play sports with their friends,” Dorian, a Chandler resident who attended the protest, told CALÓ News.

She came prepared, draped in a large trans flag, sporting trans flag-patterned tennis shoes and holding a large sign that read “Hands Off Our Rights.” 

“I’m trans myself. I didn’t transition until after school, but I did play sports in middle school and high school. And if I had the opportunity to transition back then, I would have much preferred to use the locker room I felt more comfortable in,” Dorian said.

Phoenix, a teacher from Tempe, had been following Prop. 318 very closely while also speaking out and lobbying by sharing their own personal experience as a trans teacher working in the Arizona public school system. 

“I’ve been going and speaking, and trying to go and share my perspective as somebody who would be directly affected by this because something I’m trying to get people to realize is that this [proposition] specifically is absolutely less about protecting women’s sports and more about removing trans people’s ability to exist in public spaces,” Phoenix said. “My district governing board is very supportive, as much as they can. Most governing boards in Arizona are not and I’m sure that they’re going to jump on this and be like, ‘There it is. There is our opportunity to put it in writing that not only do we not have to, but we’re not supposed to affirm trans kids’ existence in schools.’” 

They added that it’s not just trans athletes who are fearful of this measure, but others who also fear being policed for simply wanting to exist. “When we start policing who is able to enter the women’s restroom, everybody has a target on their back.” 

The proposition’s passage falls in line with documented anti-trans rhetoric that has led to hate crimes and human rights violations against not only trans and non-binary people, but cisgender people too who present as “too masculine” or “too feminine” to some.

In 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded 547 hate crime incidents involving bias against trans or gender non-conforming individuals, 25% of gender identity offenses being assaults. 

In February, 2025, Kalaya Morton, a Black cisgender woman from Phoenix, was harassed by two male sheriff’s deputies at a Walmart in Tucson after an employee called the police on her for looking too masculine as a “stud lesbian” to be using the women’s restroom. Deputies continued to harass Morton about her appearance and questioned her gender identity despite being the only men in the women’s restroom. 

“How are they going to possibly enforce this? Can you imagine if a ‘man-ish’ woman walks into the bathroom and someone says, ‘I challenge you.’ Are you supposed to drop your pants?… Are we gonna have police there? Are we gonna have officials there, like, ‘Yes, please, we need your birth certificate before you can take a pee?’” Sen. Kuby said. “How ridiculous is this? It’s demeaning. It’s dehumanizing. It shouldn’t be acceptable in our society!” 

While chants for equal rights echoed through the Capitol complex, where Democrats are poised to hold the majority come January, Kuby spoke with constituents about what can be done now that the proposition has passed. 

She explained that while the Voter Protection Act prevents Arizona state legislators from modifying or repealing the voter-backed ballot measure, it could be amended if Arizona Senate and House Democrats can garner enough votes to reach the required three-fourths of each house of the Legislature. Recently elected Arizona officials have a chance to do so if they’re willing and able to listen to outspoken constituents directly affected by this bill, she said.

As the trans community awaits next steps in their fight against the discriminatory bill, advocacy groups and allies alike encouraged people to turn that sorrow into anger and fuel action and reminded those most impacted that they are not alone.

“We have a responsibility to continue to hold these folks accountable to what our values are,” Maria Teresa Mabry, co-executive director of the Arizona Democracy Resource Center, said. “We know that [the government] is not here to save us. We are the ones who are gonna save us. We are the ones who need to show up for one another. We are the ones who are gonna protect each other. We are the ones who are gonna keep us safe.”

Analisa Valdez (she/her) is a freelance journalist based in Phoenix. Her reporting includes community & culture, social justice, arts, business, and politics.