As Colorado voters prepare to decide whether to restrict transgender students’ participation in school sports, State Rep. Brianna Titone says an email from a measure backer illustrates the hostility surrounding the debate. Titone, the state’s first openly transgender legislator, received the message on October 7 from Rich Guggenheim, who helped put Proposition 134 on the November ballot, according to Titone and an email reviewed by a Denver news outlet.
What the Email Said
According to Westword, the message begins with Titone’s deadname, then asks, “Whats up tr*nny? OR do you prefer tr*on?” It accuses her of misogyny and homophobia for opposing the measure, which would bar transgender students from competing on K-12 and college sports teams that do not match their sex assigned at birth.
Titone told the outlet the email showed “the animus toward the trans community behind these initiatives.” She said she can passionately disagree with opponents without resorting to slurs.
Guggenheim's Role in the Ballot Fight
Guggenheim was one of two designated representatives for the original proposal, Initiative 70, and a lead proponent of what became Proposition 134. Westword reports that Erin Lee replaced him as a representative after the measure was amended and reintroduced as Initiative 109 to make technical corrections.
In a 956-word statement to Westword, Guggenheim said he could not confirm or deny the authenticity, existence or content of private correspondence allegedly shared or screenshotted by third parties. He criticized the outlet as a “far-left rag” and argued that policing language about transgender people while using “cis” as a slur—a term for someone whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth—showed a double standard.
Westword also reported that Guggenheim sent one of its reporters six graphically explicit images of people’s genitals, along with photos of people who had undergone gender-affirming surgeries.
A Prior Legal Fight at the Capitol
Westword reports that Guggenheim intentionally and repeatedly misgendered a transgender woman during a legislative committee hearing. He sued state legislators in 2024, alleging they interrupted his testimony; a district court and a U.S. appeals court dismissed the lawsuit. The outlet reports that he petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to appeal in July.
What's on the November Ballot
Colorado voters will decide the fate of Proposition 134 alongside Proposition 135 on November 3, under titles the Colorado Secretary of State lists as “Male and Female Participation in School Sports” and “Prohibit Certain Surgeries for Minors,” respectively. Both qualified as citizen-initiated statutory measures after the Secretary of State's office certified them for the 2026 general election ballot.
Which Schools the Measure Would Cover
Proposition 134 would bar transgender students from competing on K-12 and college sports teams that do not match their sex assigned at birth. The Colorado Secretary of State’s filed text defines covered schools to include public, charter, private and denominational elementary or secondary schools, as well as postsecondary educational institutions.
Proposition 135 would prohibit any surgery to alter biological sex characteristics as a treatment responding to a minor's perception of sex or gender, according to the Colorado Legislative Council's Blue Book, with certain exceptions outlined in the broader legislative text. The 19th reports that voters will also decide whether state or federal funds, Medicaid reimbursements, or insurance coverage can be used to help pay for transition-related surgeries for minors. The outlet notes the sports measure qualified for the ballot after Protect Kids Colorado, the organization behind it, collected more than 168,000 signatures statewide — a sponsor also identified by The 74 as the group behind both initiatives.
Part of a Broader National Push
Westword's reporting places Colorado's measures within a national trend of anti-transgender policies in 2026, noting that similar ballot proposals involving athlete bans, gender-affirming care restrictions, and name changes have also been proposed in Arizona, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, and Washington, according to the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. The 19th reports that voters in seven states will weigh more than half a dozen LGBTQ+-related ballot initiatives this fall, with nearly half targeting transgender student-athletes' ability to compete in line with their gender identity.
The 74 reports that more than 100 laws restricting transgender rights have been enacted nationwide since 2020, even as roughly 91% of proposed bills have failed, and that 27 states have already enacted laws banning transgender students from sports consistent with their gender identity. The outlet also reports that if Colorado's measures pass, they would mark the first time nationwide that new statewide anti-trans restrictions were enacted directly by voters rather than by government officials or agencies.
Comparable fights are playing out elsewhere this cycle. The 74 reports that Missouri voters will consider a constitutional amendment banning gender-related health care for minors, while The 19th reports that Washington voters will decide whether to bar transgender student-athletes from girls' school sports teams through sex-at-birth verification requirements. Arizona and Nebraska voters face similar questions over transgender participation in girls' athletics, according to The 74.
