Dear beloved siblings in Christ,
We see you. We love you. And we stand with you.
In the days following the 2026 midterm elections, our hearts are with transgender and nonbinary people, their families, and all those who love and support them.
Across our country, voters have approved measures that restrict the lives of transgender people, particularly young people. These decisions affect more than policies or laws. They affect real people, real families, and real communities. They affect a young person’s opportunity to participate alongside their classmates, a family’s ability to make decisions about medical care, and the simple human desire to move through the world with dignity and safety.
We recognize that for many of you, these past days have brought grief, fear, exhaustion, anger, and uncertainty. For others, they may have deepened wounds that have been carried for years.
You should not have to continually defend your humanity, explain your existence, or fight to be treated with dignity and respect.
To our transgender children and youth: You are a gift to this world. Your lives, your dreams, your joy, and your future matter. You deserve to grow up surrounded by communities that celebrate who you are, protect your dignity, and help you flourish.
To transgender adults and elders: We honor the courage, wisdom, and love you have shared with generations before and after you. We recognize the exhaustion of continuing to face barriers to the dignity and belonging that should never have been in question.
To families and loved ones: Your care, affirmation, and presence matter deeply. You are not alone in accompanying those you love.
ReconcilingWorks remains committed to walking alongside you.
We will continue equipping congregations and faith communities to be places of genuine welcome, inclusion, celebration, advocacy, and belonging. We will continue speaking about the dignity and sacred worth of transgender and nonbinary people. We will continue supporting communities of faith as they put their commitments into meaningful action.
And we will continue advocating with and for transgender people, recognizing that this work must be shaped by transgender voices, leadership, and lived experiences.
Our faith calls us to more than words of welcome. It calls us to love our neighbors through our actions, to accompany those who are hurting, and to work toward a world where everyone can live safely, authentically, and fully.
To our transgender and nonbinary siblings: You belong. You are loved. Your life is sacred. Your future matters. And you do not walk alone.
Learn more about the anti-transgender ballot measures in the 2026 midterm elections
The nationwide review identified six major statewide ballot measures directly concerning transgender students’ participation in sports or access to gender-related medical care. Four have been reported as approved, one was defeated, and one remains uncalled despite supporters holding a lead.
Measures approved by voters:
| State | Measure | What voters approved |
| Arizona | Proposition 318 | Restricts school restroom, locker-room, and other private-space access according to sex recorded on an original birth certificate. Also expands sex-based school sports restrictions. |
| Colorado | Proposition 134 | Requires school and college athletic participation to follow sex-based classifications rather than gender identity, subject to specified exceptions. |
| Nebraska | Initiative 442 | Adds a constitutional restriction on participation by students classified as male in girls’ and women’s school and college sports. |
| Washington | Initiative 638 | Restricts transgender girls’ participation in girls’ school sports and requires medical documentation verifying sex for students seeking to participate in female sports. |
Measures not yet confirmed or defeated:
| State | Measure | Status as of November 6 |
| Colorado | Proposition 135 | Leading, but not yet officially called. Would prohibit certain gender-related surgeries for minors and restrict insurance coverage and public funding for those procedures. Opponents have conceded. |
| Missouri | Amendment 3 | Defeated. Would have added restrictions on gender-transition care for minors to the state constitution alongside abortion restrictions. |
These results are supported by Ballotpedia, Associated Press reporting, and local election coverage.
Our transgender siblings should never have to wonder whether the church will stand beside them. ReconcilingWorks will continue working to make that commitment visible through our words, our relationships, and our actions.