For Democrats, this week’s midterm elections went nearly as well as they could have hoped. The party has gained at least seven seats in the Senate and 29 in the House of Representatives, securing full Congressional control for Democrats. Some conservative strongholds even flipped blue, including Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina.
The election also marked a number of groundbreaking firsts for the country, including the first Black woman to serve as governor, the first openly gay man elected to the Senate, and the first Muslim elected to the Senate.
But the so-called “blue tsunami” doesn’t mean liberal policies won out everywhere, even in places where Democrats gained or maintained control. Four states passed or are close to passing ballot initiatives to restrict the rights of transgender children, including three that voted blue in this election.
So far, two ballot initiatives restricting the rights of trans student athletes have already passed. That includes Nebraska’s Initiative 442, which amends the state’s constitution to require that schools designate sports teams as male, female, or coeducational based on “biological sex,” also banning “students of the male sex” from playing on girls’ teams. The measure passed with 68% approval.
Also already passed is Arizona’s Proposition 318, which similarly requires schools to designate teams by gender and prohibit any students assigned male at birth from playing on girls’ teams. Unlike Nebraska, Arizona was solidly blue in this election, with Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs winning reelection.
The other states with initiatives about trans athletes on their ballots include Colorado and Washington, both of which have Democratic governors and two Democratic senators.
Source link







