Gov. Joe Lombardo announced Wednesday he's leading a petition to amend the Nevada Constitution to keep transgender athletes out of girls' and women's sports, even though there are already bans in place at the state and national level.
The state's Equal Rights Amendment, which was passed by voters in 2022, guarantees equal rights regardless "of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin."
The Protect Girls' Sports In Nevada PAC told The Nevada Independent on Wednesday that the proposed ballot initiative would require the state and other entities that receive public funds such as schools, college or local athletic programs, or entities that govern them to categorize each sport or competition as male, female, or coeducational/mixed sex.
"We are taking thoughtful steps to ensure girls' sports are fair and athletes are safe," Lombardo said in a Wednesday press release.
It's not clear how many transgender student athletes, if any, there are in Nevada. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA), which oversees athletics at more than 120 high schools in Nevada, has previously said it can't provide this information under federal student privacy policies.
This isn't the first time that the Republican governor — who is up for re-election in 2026 — has put his fiscal and political will behind a ballot question. Lombardo previously threw his weight behind a voter ID ballot initiative that passed overwhelmingly in 2024 and will appear on this year's ballot.
The PAC's leaders include Lombardo, who will serve as its honorary chair, Assm. Heidi Kasama (R-Las Vegas), attorney Adriana Guzmán Fralick, who's running in the Republican primary for Nevada attorney general, and Erica Neely, who is running in a Republican primary for the Assembly seat currently held by Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas).
Yeager is not running for re-election.
During a Wednesday interview, Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill, who is running as a Democrat gubernatorial candidate, called the petition "hateful," and stated she supports transgender athletes playing for the team that best aligns with their gender identity.
"I think that this is all about politics to drive Republican turnout and it's unacceptable and really a nonissue in Nevada," she said.
Her primary opponent, Attorney General Aaron Ford, said in a Wednesday statement that though he doesn't personally support transgender athletes playing in sports that don't match their sex assigned at birth, the initiative was a "political ploy" to drum up support for Lombardo's campaign. He said he was concerned about it increasing discrimination against transgender Nevadans.
"My faith teaches me that every person is a child of God and deserves to be treated with humanity, dignity, and respect," he said in the statement. "And as Attorney General, I will continue defending the constitutional rights of every Nevadan."
The PAC filed the ballot initiative language Wednesday afternoon. In order to qualify for the ballot, they need to gather at least 148,788 valid signatures across the state — equivalent to 10 percent of the votes cast in the last election. Of those signatures, at least 37,197 need to come from each of Nevada's four congressional districts.
The last day for petitioners to submit signatures is June 24.
The ballot measure must be passed by voters in two successive general elections before it can be added to the Nevada Constitution.
Lombardo has been less vocal than other Republicans in opposing transgender athlete participation in women's sports, though in 2024, he supported UNR women's volleyball players boycotting a match against San Jose State University's team over concerns against a trans player. In 2023, Lombardo joined other governors in a letter to the NCAA requesting a ban on transgender athletes in women's sports.
In 2023, he signed a bill requiring health insurers cover gender-affirming care for transgender minors and adults, but two years later vetoed measures creating a shield law for health care providers who offer gender-affirming care and ensuring protections for transgender people incarcerated at local jails.
Last year, Republican Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony created a task force to promote legislation and other policies to ban trans athletes from girls' and women's sports.
Nevada is among 21 states, five territories and Washington, D.C., that doesn't have a state law prohibiting transgender athletes from playing on teams at the K-12 and collegiate level that align with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank. Bills attempting to raise this issue have been blocked by the Democrat-controlled Legislature.
Last April, the NIAA repealed a policy that previously allowed transgender high school students to play for teams that align with their gender identity.
It followed an executive order from President Donald Trump last February seeking to ban transgender athletes in women's sports, and threats to cut funding from programs that did not comply.
Last year, the NCAA's board voted to follow Trump's executive order and bar transgender athletes from women's collegiate sports even though its Executive Director Charlie Baker has stated less than a dozen known transgender athletes are competing in college sports nationwide.
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This story was originally published by The Nevada Independent and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
