In blue state Colorado, the Church is uniting behind these ballot initiatives
Americans should not turn a blind eye to what is happening in blue states. What unfolds in Colorado rarely stays in Colorado.
Increasingly, our state serves as a testing ground for policies later exported nationwide, a litmus test for the United States much like Europe is a preview of emerging social trends for the rest of the world. Just two decades ago, Colorado was considered a reliably conservative state. That changed through a coordinated, well-funded political strategy that its architects openly described as a “blueprint,” while warning that states like Texas would be next.
As I write this, it is the first day of Colorado’s 2026 legislative session. Already, Democrats have introduced a bill titled “Legal Protections for the Dignity of Minors” (SB 26-018) that would make legal name-change records for minors confidential and strip custody and decision-making rights from parents who do not affirm their child’s claimed gender identity.
In blue states, Democrat supermajorities increasingly dominate state government. In Colorado, where I live, there are no conservatives holding executive office, and the legislature is controlled by a far-left majority. As a result, not only are we unable to pass sound, commonsense legislation, we are often powerless to stop laws that are unconstitutional, harmful, and untethered from reality.
The 2025 legislative session was yet another marathon of ideologically driven policymaking centered on gender identity. Colorado enacted laws that forces all private insurance companies to pay for all wrong-sex cosmetic procedures for trans-identified people (HB 25-1309,) protects the doctors who chemically and surgically mutilate children from investigation or lawsuit (SB 25-129,) makes “misgendering” and “deadnaming” illegal (HB 25-1312, think Jack the cake baker,) eliminates any data on children being given wrong-sex hormone prescriptions (also HB 25-1309,) and criminalizes recording accurate sex on death certificates (Yes, you read that correctly. HB 25-1109.)
Yet even amid this sobering reality, there is reason for hope. In response to the rapid advance of radical ideology, a broad and growing coalition of Coloradans has emerged — people of faith and conviction who are paying attention, setting aside differences, and utilizing citizen-led ballot initiatives to push back.
Article V, Section 1 of the Colorado Constitution states that “the people reserve to themselves the power to propose laws and amendments to the constitution.” That is precisely what is happening. With more than 1,500 volunteers active in all 64 counties, Protect Kids Colorado is advancing three ballot initiatives: stronger penalties for child sex traffickers (#108), protections for girls’ sports (#109), and a prohibition on irreversible gender-transition procedures for minors (#110).
The deadline to submit 125,000 valid signatures from registered Colorado voters is mid-February. Because the signature-gathering process is heavily regulated and often prohibitively expensive, most efforts rely on millions of dollars in paid signature collection. Protect Kids Colorado, a Spirit-led, all-volunteer organization, is seeking to defy that model by mobilizing the Church and everyday citizens to carry this effort across the finish line.
With the support of Catholic Vote, the Colorado Catholic Conference, Truth & Liberty, Focus on the Family, hundreds of Evangelical partners, including Calvary Chapels and Assemblies of God congregations, and large churches such as Flatirons and Brave, along with thousands of concerned Coloradans, these initiatives are now within striking distance of success.
If the Church, the hands and feet of Jesus, continues to step forward with courage, unity, and conviction, these measures will qualify for the ballot. And if they do, Colorado can make history — becoming the first non-conservative state to join 27 red states in passing real protections for children and sparking a ripple effect across the country.
These grassroots battles in America’s blue-state strongholds matter to the entire nation. This is not merely a political struggle; it is a spiritual one, for the hearts, minds, and futures of our children. We were born for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). If the Church continues to stand, God will continue to move, and the next generation will not be surrendered to darkness.
Erin Lee is the executive director for Protect Kids Colorado.
