If voters approve Proposition 135 on the November ballot, Colorado would join 27 other states passing laws to ban or restrict gender-related surgeries for transgender youth.

The American Medical Association supports evidence-based gender-affirming care, and surgery for young people is extremely rare.

Jax Gonzalez, political director for the LGBTQ+ advocacy group One Colorado, said Proposition 135 would not just affect trans kids and noted medical providers have expressed concern over the types of care that could be banned.

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"Because the measure is so broadly written, types of care like a C-section for a minor who can't have a typical birth, for example, might be banned. And treatment for reproductive cancers, for example, might be banned," Gonzalez outlined.

Proponents of Proposition 135 are concerned children are permanently changing their bodies without fully understanding the consequences. They point to individuals who at one time identified as transgender, got surgery and then later regretted their decision.

The measure is backed by the same groups that put Proposition 134 on the ballot, which would ban trans kids from participating in school sports that do not align with their biological sex.

Gonzalez argued despite the campaign’s claims, there have been zero gender-related surgeries on young people in Colorado since 2025 and when surgeries are recommended, it is best practice to wait until they become adults. They added no one wants kids to make such decisions on their own, and a team including parents, a primary care physician, an endocrinologist and a clinical psychologist is there at every step to help guide patients through their options.

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When surgeries are performed on minors, they said it is considered to be a lifesaving last resort.

"If a provider believes that this is the best choice to keep the child alive, because they are so uncomfortable in their body that they don't think they can get them to 18, we shouldn't remove that option," Gonzalez contended.

Gonzalez believes proponents of Propositions 134 and 135 are using trans kids as pawns to draw more people to the polls because they cannot deliver on affordability and economic stability.

They warned if voters approve Proposition 135, families could lose the ability to make health decisions for their children.

"What's at stake is keeping the government out of private decisions that belong with families and individuals, not with politicians," Gonzalez emphasized.