Arizona Prop. 318 Threatens Lawsuits Over School Bathroom Use During Sports
Arizona voters will decide in November 2026 whether to pass Proposition 318, the “Protect Girls Sports in Arizona Act.” If approved, it would expose schools, athletic associations, and school employees to lawsuits for allowing transgender girls to join girls sports teams or use bathrooms, locker rooms, or showers that match their gender identity during sporting events.
Arizona already banned transgender students from girls sports teams in 2022. Prop. 318 extends that ban further, adding facility restrictions and creating a private right to sue.
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge rejected a legal challenge to remove Prop. 318 from the ballot. Judge Gregory Como ruled that the measure’s provisions, covering both sports team participation and facility access, work toward a single goal: limiting “the freedom of transgender students to participate in athletics.”
The Law Would Apply to Parents and Visitors, Not Just Students
The measure’s text forbids schools and athletic associations from allowing anyone, including spectators and family members, to use a restroom not designated for their sex. Critics say this turns bathroom access into a surveillance problem for school staff at every sporting event.
“The real risk that this measure poses is having all girls potentially scrutinized for being too tall, or too strong, or too good at whatever sport they want to play with their friends.”
Joel Edman, Strategic Initiatives Director, Progress Arizona, 2026
Edman’s concern is not abstract. Any student who looks or performs in a way that draws attention could face questioning about their sex, regardless of whether they are transgender.
Progress Arizona Called It a Bathroom Policing Bill
Progress Arizona, through a political action committee, argued in court that Prop. 318 violates Arizona’s constitutional requirement that ballot measures address only one subject. The group contended the measure improperly bundles sports team eligibility with facility access rules.
Judge Como disagreed and let it stand. The measure now heads to voters.
The pattern here follows legislation in at least 25 other states. According to the ACLU’s tracker of anti-trans legislation, more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced nationally in 2025 alone, with bathroom and sports restrictions accounting for a large share.
What You Can Do Now
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Vote No on Prop. 318 in November 2026. If you are a registered Arizona voter, confirm your registration at azsos.gov/elections/voters. Voting is the direct check on this measure.
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Contact your Arizona state legislators at (602) 926-3559 (House) or (602) 926-3559 (Senate) and tell them you oppose legislation that forces schools to police bathroom use for all students, not just transgender kids.
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Call the Arizona State Board of Education at (602) 542-5057 and ask them to go on record opposing enforcement mandates that require school staff to police the sex of students, parents, and visitors at sporting events.
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Share Joel Edman’s quote with your local school board. Ask your school board to pass a resolution opposing Prop. 318 before the November election. Find your district at azed.gov/school-districts.
Sources
Arizona Mirror: Critics Warn Prop. 318 Will Lead to Intrusive Bathroom Policing ACLU: Legislative Attacks on LGBTQ Rights Tracker 2025 Progress Arizona: Political Action Committee Challenge to Prop. 318 Arizona Secretary of State: Voter Registration Portal