Freedom for All Coloradans, a coalition of more than 100 advocacy groups, religious and business leaders and philanthropies, thils week celebrated the failure of 30 anti-trans ballot measures that failed to gather enough signatures to qualify for the 2024 Colorado General Election ballot in November.
The measures in question would have required school officials to “out” any student questioning their gender identity (measure No. 142) and would have stopped transgender youth from participating in sports (No. 160).
“These measures are out of step with the values of Coloradans,” said Rocky Mountain Equality Executive Director Mardi Moore. “They were put forward by right-wing extremists and would have threatened our collective freedom. The fact that they could not get enough signatures to be placed on the ballot shows they lack support from everyday Coloradans.”
Nadine Bridges, executive director of One Colorado, said, “We are under no illusions that extremists will stop their assaults on the transgender community. While today is a significant win, our work continues. We are committed to upholding Colorado values to ensure our communities are protected and will thrive. We have established the Freedom for All Coloradans coalition and are ready and united to defend against any threat.”
And Susy Bates, campaign director for Freedom for All Coloradans, said, “While we have successfully prevented these measures from moving forward, there is still work to be done to fully protect LGBTQ people in our state. This November, Coloradans will have the opportunity to vote to remove the ban on marriage for same-sex couples from our state constitution. We urge all Coloradans who value equality and inclusion to vote ‘yes’ on this important measure.”
Freedom for All Coloradans is led by LGBTQ leaders and allies in Colorado including One Colorado, Rocky Mountain Equality, Rose Community Foundation and “a robust coalition of organizations, faith leaders, businesses and elected leaders throughout Colorado,” according to a FFAC press release. The coalition will “continue to monitor and actively combat any future attempts to undermine LGBTQ equality in the state,” the press release said.