OP-Ed Denver Post March 31,2026

Op-Ed | Liz Welch, Executive Director of Mama Dragons

I grew up in Denver. My grandfather served this city with honor as a Denver police officer. My Grandmother was a nurse at a local hospital. I was raised with a deep respect for community, for fairness, and for looking out for one another. Those values shaped me and they are the same values I carry with me today as a mother and as the Executive Director of Mama Dragons.

That’s why the ballot measures targeting transgender youth in Colorado feel so personal.

Proposals to ban transgender athletes from sports and restrict access to gender-affirming care are being framed as policy decisions. But for families like the ones we serve, more than 25,000 across the country, they are something else entirely. They are decisions that shape whether our children feel safe, whether they feel like they belong, and whether they can grow into healthy, whole adults.

When access to gender-affirming care is restricted, it doesn’t just limit medical options. It creates fear and instability for families trying to do what is best for their child. This care is supported by every major medical and mental health association because it improves outcomes and saves lives. Taking it away doesn’t protect children - it puts them at risk.

And when transgender youth are banned from participating in sports, it doesn’t just affect competition. It sends a message: that who they are disqualifies them from belonging. Sports are where kids build friendships, confidence, and resilience. Exclusion takes that away and replaces it with isolation.

We see the impact every day.

According to The Trevor Project, 39% of LGBTQ+ young people have seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including nearly half of transgender and nonbinary youth. These outcomes are not because of who these young people are, they are the result of environments where they feel rejected, excluded, or unseen. When families and communities send messages, intentionally or not, that a child must change or hide who they are to belong, the harm is real and measurable.

When children feel rejected, their mental health suffers. When children struggle, families carry that weight, trying to hold their child together in a world that is sending them harmful messages. And when families are under that kind of strain, communities feel it too.

This is not just about individual children. It is about the kind of community we choose to be.

Inclusion is not political. It is a family value.

It’s what many of us were taught growing up here: that you treat people with dignity, that you make room for others, that you don’t turn your back on your neighbors. It’s what strong communities are built on.

Ballot measures like these ask voters to draw lines around who gets to participate, who is excluded, who is seen as worthy. But those lines don’t stay on paper. They show up in schools, on teams, in families, and in the everyday lives of children who are just trying to figure out who they are.

As a parent, I am not asking for special treatment for my child or for any child. I am asking for what every parent wants: for our children to be safe, to have access to appropriate care, and to be included in the communities they call home.

Colorado has always been a place where people value both independence and community . It’s where we believe in fairness and in showing up for one another.

Now is a moment to live those values.

Because when we support children, we strengthen families.And when we choose inclusion, we build communities that are worthy of all of us.