By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice
Ballot deadlines are closing in, and organizers with Protect Kids Colorado have begun pushing harder on fundraising and volunteer outreach connected to three citizen-led ballot initiatives slated for the 2026 election.
The proposals deal with medical interventions for minors, girls’ sports and sex-based spaces, and penalties for child sex trafficking — areas campaign leaders say have evolved over time through legislation, court decisions, and regulatory guidance rather than direct statewide votes.
The three proposals are being circulated separately — so voters would weigh in on each one individually if they make the ballot. Organizers have acknowledged that legal and political challenges are likely, particularly around how medical regulation and civil rights law are applied.
That challenge is compounded by the state’s initiative process itself.
Colorado law requires tens of thousands of verified signatures before a measure can move forward, and campaign leaders say the size of that task — and the time it takes — is why the push is happening now.
Why the Campaign Says Time and Funding Matter Now
Dr. Travis Morrell, a spokesperson for the effort, said early donations are used to hire professional signature gatherers who physically canvass communities across the state — work that can take weeks.
“The donations go to PKC. Then PKC pays professional signature gatherers,” Morrell said. “It takes them time to actually physically go out and get people to sign. That’s why we have to get the donations earlier.”
Morrell said the campaign is aiming to raise $250,000 by December 19 so paid circulators can be deployed with enough time to gather and submit signatures before verification deadlines.
Donations that arrive later can still help, he added, because signature collection and validation continue into January.
“We need $250,000 this week,” Morrell said. “But if we get most of it now and some comes in later, that still helps.”
Even as volunteer participation continues to grow, Morrell said the campaign’s near-term focus is on gathering enough verified signatures to qualify at least one measure, while continuing work on the remaining proposals.
In a video posted on X, Erin Lee, the organization’s executive director and a co-founder of Protect Kids Colorado, said timing has become decisive. Missing the current fundraising window, she said, would mean the campaign would not make the ballot. Without the resources needed now, Lee said, none of the initiatives would qualify for voters to consider.
Medical Interventions for Minors
One initiative would prohibit certain irreversible medical procedures for minors.
Campaign leaders say the proposal responds to how Colorado currently regulates medical practice — largely through professional boards and institutional policy rather than statute — leaving age limits and consent standards to providers rather than lawmakers or voters.
During a Wayne’s Word podcast interview, Lee said the absence of statutory guardrails was something she did not understand until her own family encountered the system.
“Parents assume there are guardrails in place,” Lee said. “What we learned is that in Colorado, those guardrails are policy-based, not written into statute.”
Lee also questioned whether children are developmentally capable of making decisions with permanent consequences.
“Children are being medicalized before they ever reach the developmental stage where they could make an adult decision,” she said. “Once puberty is blocked, it’s blocked. That’s an incredibly important stage of human development that they never get back.”
Morrell raised similar concerns during a Free State Colorado interview, saying, “There’s no age limit in Colorado. These surgeries are advertised at 15 and 16.”
Campaign leaders say the initiative would move age-related restrictions into statute, shifting those decisions from professional guidance and administrative policy to voter-approved law.
Girls’ Sports and Sex-Based Spaces
A second initiative would preserve girls’ sports and certain single-sex spaces based on biological sex. Morrell framed the issue as one of opportunity and fairness.
“We want to let girls have their leadership and athletic opportunities,” he said.
Lee said a lack of clear statutory direction has left schools and athletic programs navigating the issue inconsistently. Speaking on Wayne’s Word, she described the current situation facing districts across the state.
“There is no clear direction being given to school districts or athletic programs,” Lee said. “What we’re seeing is inconsistency across the state, and that puts schools and kids in impossible positions.”
She added that, in practice, young athletes are often left to manage situations adults should be addressing.
“Girls are being asked to navigate situations that adults should be handling,” Lee said.
Organizers say rules around girls’ sports and sex-based spaces have been set mostly through policy changes and court rulings, not by voters. The proposed initiative would put those definitions into state law, giving the public a direct say, particularly as questions continue to arise under Title IX.
If the measure passes, those definitions would be written into statute rather than handled through agency guidance or court interpretation.
Ballot Measure on Child Sex Trafficking Sentencing
One of the three initiatives, now circulating, statewide centers on how Colorado law handles sentencing in cases involving child sex trafficking.
In Colorado, trafficking a minor is considered a class 3 felony under state law and comes with mandatory prison time. What happens afterward depends on the specifics of the case — including how charges are filed, whether a plea deal is reached, and whether prosecutors pursue more serious penalties.
Dr. Travis Morrell has described the trafficking proposal as the least disputed of the three initiatives. “Everybody seems to agree with that one,” he said during an interview with Free State Colorado.
From Personal Experience to Public Advocacy
Public attention surrounding the campaign has also grown through Antoinette De La Cruz — a spokesperson for Protect Kids Colorado who has spoken publicly about her experience transitioning and later detransitioning.
In an emotional video shared online, De La Cruz reflected on that period of her life. She described fractured family relationships, lasting physical effects, and the mental strain that remained years later.
“That didn’t fix anything for me,” De La Cruz said. “It took so much from me.”
In a separate video, she said neither she nor her family understood the long-term consequences at the time. “We didn’t know the dangers of this. We didn’t know the seriousness of this. We didn’t know the damage it would cause to me — mentally, emotionally, physically,” she said.
In another post tied directly to the ballot effort, De La Cruz urged adults to consider the burden placed on children. “It was a lot for me to handle,” she said. “A kid cannot deal with this. So, let’s continue to fight. Let’s make this right.”
How to Get Involved
Petition events are listed on Protect Kids Colorado’s online calendar, with opportunities available in communities across the state.
Those interested in volunteering can sign up through the campaign’s volunteer interest form or email [email protected].
Donations to support signature collection costs are being accepted through the campaign’s GiveSendGo page.
If the initiatives qualify, each would appear separately on the 2026 general election ballot. Organizers say the next few weeks will likely decide whether the measures reach voters at all, or fall short earlier because of the cost and logistical demands of Colorado’s initiative process.
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