Prop 318: What It Actually Does
This proposition is officially designated the “Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act.” Below is the plain-language analysis prepared by the Arizona Legislative Council, exactly as it will appear in the Secretary of State’s official voter publicity pamphlet.
Proposition 318 would prohibit males from playing in female interscholastic and intramural sports based on the biological sex of the participating athletes as recorded at birth on the athletes’ original birth certificates. This proposition would amend Arizona law to require public and private schools and athletic associations that sponsor an interscholastic or intramural athletic team or sport to expressly designate such teams and sports as “males”, “men”, “boys”, “females”, “women”, “girls”, “coeducational” or “mixed”.
Proposition 318 would also:
- Prohibit public schools, private schools, higher education institutions and athletic associations that provide and maintain private spaces, including restrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms, that are integral to athletic engagement from authorizing any individual to use a private space that is not designated for that individual’s biological sex as recorded at birth on the individual’s original birth certificate.
- Expand who may sue and be sued for alleged violations of the law.
- Provide that this proposition would not restrict any athlete’s eligibility to participate on a team or in a sport that is aligned with the athlete’s sex or that is designated as “coeducational” or “mixed”.
- Define the term “athlete” to include students and individuals who participate in any athletic team or sport.
- Designate this proposition as the “Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act.”
Source: Arizona Legislative Council, adopted analysis of HCR 2003 (2026), prepared for the official publicity pamphlet.
Full Legal Text of the Act
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1.
Section 15-120.02, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-120.02. Interscholastic and intramural athletics; designation of teams; biological sex; designation of facilities; cause of action; definitions
A. Beginning on January 1, 2027, each school that sponsors an interscholastic or intramural athletic team or sport that is sponsored by a public school or a private school whose students or teams compete against a public schooland each athletic association that sponsors an interscholastic or intramural sport shall be expressly designateddesignate the athletic team or sport as one of the following, based on the biological sex of the studentsathletes who participate on the athletic team or in the sport:
1. “Males”, “men” or “boys”.
2. “Females”, “women” or “girls”.
3. “Coed”“Coeducational” or “mixed”.
B. A school or athletic association may not open any interscholastic or intramural athletic teamsteam or sportssport that is designated for “females“, “women“ or “girls” may not be open to studentsathletes of the male sex.
C. This section does not restrict the eligibility of any studentathlete to participate in any interscholastic or intramural athletic team or sport that is aligned with the athlete’s sex or that is designated as being for “males”, “men” or “boys” or designated as “coed”“coeducational” or “mixed”.
D. Beginning on January 1, 2027, if a school or athletic association provides and maintains restrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms or other private spaces that are integral to athletic engagement, the school or athletic association, including employees of the school or athletic association, may not authorize any individual to use a restroom, locker room, shower room or other private space that is not designated for that individual’s sex.
E. A government entity, any licensing ororganization, accrediting organization or any athletic association or organization may not entertain a complaint, open an investigation or take any other adverse action against a school or athletic association for maintaining separate interscholastic or intramural athletic teams or sports for studentsathletes of the female sex.
F. Any studentathlete who is deprived of an athletic opportunity or suffers any direct or indirect harm as a result of a school or an athletic association knowingly violating this section has a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages and any other relief available under law against the school or athletic association.
G. Any studentathlete who is subject to retaliation or another adverse action by a school or an athletic association or organization as a result of reporting a violation of this section to an employee or representative of the school or the athletic association or organization, or to any state or federal agency with oversight of schools in this state, has a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages and any other relief available under law against the school or the athletic association or organization.
H. Any school that suffers any direct or indirect harm as a result of a violation of this section has a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages and any other relief available under law against the government entity, the licensing or organization, accrediting organization or the athletic association or organization.
I. All civil actions must be initiated within two years after the alleged violation of this section occurred. A personAn individual or organization that prevails on a claim brought pursuant to this section is entitled to monetary damages, including damages for any psychological, emotional or physical harm suffered, reasonable attorney fees and costs and any other appropriate relief.
J. For the purposes of this section: ,
1. “Athlete” means an individual, including a student, who participates in any interscholastic or intramural athletic team or sport.
2. “Athletic association” means a league, corporation, association or organization that has a primary purpose of sponsoring or administering extracurricular athletic contests or competitions.
3. “School” means either:
(a) A public or private school that provides instruction in any combination of kindergarten programs or grades one through twelve.
(b) An institution of higher education.
4. “Sex” means an individual’s biological status as male or female as recorded at birth on the individual’s original birth certificate.
Sec. 2.
Severability
If a provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the act that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this act are severable.
Sec. 3.
Short title
This act may be cited as the “Protect Girls’ Sports in Arizona Act”.
2. The Secretary of State shall submit this proposition to the voters at the next general election as provided by article IV, part 1, section 1, Constitution of Arizona.