The constitutional amendment would direct public high school and college athletics to categorize sports as male, female, or co-ed. It would prohibit athletes who were assigned male at birth from playing female sports.
The governor will also serve as honorary chair of a steering committee to be announced soon.
“We are taking thoughtful steps to ensure girls’ sports are fair and athletes are safe. It’s important that female athletes have the opportunity to succeed in their athletic field. By bringing together a diverse coalition now, we can establish clear and fair standards that protect generations of female athletes to come,” Lombardo said in a written statement.
However, Silver State Equality said the effort undermines the state constitution’s Equal Rights Amendment, approved by Nevada voters in 2022, which broadly protects against discrimination. In a written statement, state director André Wade said such bans open the door to question who looks feminine enough.
“Sports help kids build teamwork, discipline, confidence, and a sense of belonging — skills that last a lifetime. We should want more young people to play sports, not put up barriers for girls across the state that subject them to invasive interrogation or make them risk public ridicule to join a sports team,” Wade said.
For the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week about whether transgender girls and women can compete in girls' and women's sports.
Last year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association voted to ban transgender players, despite the president acknowledging there were fewer than 10 transgender college athletes, following the White House’s executive order.
The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association also reversed a decade-old policy that allowed transgender students to play high school sports.
The petition will need nearly 149,000 signatures in the state by June 24 to get on the November ballot.
