Voters in Nebraska and Arizona just outlawed transgender women from competing in women’s school sports, a decision that arrived months after the Supreme Court told states they’re free to do exactly that.
Story Snapshot
- Nebraska and Arizona voters approved ballot measures in November 2026 banning transgender athletes from women’s school sports.
- Nebraska already enforces a similar law, the Stand With Women Act, signed in 2025.
- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2026 that states can legally separate school sports by sex.
- Scientists still disagree on how much physical advantage, if any, remains after hormone therapy.
Two States Make Their Vote Official
Voters in Nebraska and Arizona passed ballot measures this November barring transgender women and girls from competing on female school sports teams. The vote caps years of fighting over who can play on girls’ and women’s squads. Supporters say the measures protect fair competition. Opponents call them discriminatory and warn they will harm transgender students’ health and sense of belonging.
Nebraska didn’t wait for the ballot measure to act. Governor Jim Pillen signed Legislative Bill 89, called the Stand With Women Act, on June 4, 2025. It took effect September 3, 2025. The law tells schools, including colleges, to sort sports teams by biological sex, with exceptions for coed sports or sports that have no female equivalent offered.
Nebraska’s Rulebook Goes Further
A separate Nebraska measure, Legislative Bill 605, orders every school board to adopt its own written policy on transgender student participation in extracurricular activities. That law treats the issue as something every district must formally address, rather than leaving decisions to individual coaches, principals, or athletic associations handling requests one at a time.
Arizona passed a similar restriction back in 2022, but a federal appeals court blocked it in 2024. That ruling left the law stuck in legal limbo for two years. Voters settled the question directly at the ballot box this fall, giving the state a fresh legal foundation built on a public vote inst
