Girls' Sports Lost a Battle Today – Here's How We Win the War
I have an announcement to make – and a promise to go with it.
The Protect Girls' Sports ballot initiative will not be on Nevada's November ballot.
Not because Nevadans don't support it. Not because the cause isn't just.
But because our opponents did what they always do when they can't win on the merits: they ran to a courtroom and ran out the clock.
Legal challenges forced a court-ordered revision to the initiative's ballot description, eating up weeks of our signature-gathering window.
With the June 24 deadline now just days away, collecting the nearly 149,000 valid signatures required across all four congressional districts is no longer mathematically possible.
They won this round. I'll give them that.
But Here's What They Didn't Win
They didn't win the argument.
Every parent I've talked to at the doors in Assembly District 9 understands what's at stake. Every coach. Every female athlete who has trained her entire life for a fair shot at competition.
They all get it – even if the opposition hopes you won't notice what they just did.
They used the legal system to prevent you from voting on this issue.
I am a co-sponsor of this initiative. I stood with Governor Lombardo because I believe – without apology – that female athletic competition should be for female athletes.
That the playing field our daughters step onto should be fair. That the hard work they put in deserves to be honored, not dismissed.
That belief hasn't changed. It's only gotten stronger.
What Happens Next
This fight is not over. pic.twitter.com/3oECYEP565
— Joe Lombardo (@JoeLombardoNV) June 19, 2026
If the voters of Assembly District 9 send me to Carson City in November, protecting girls' sports will be one of my top priorities in the 2027 legislative session.
I will support legislation that accomplishes exactly what this initiative would have – requiring publicly funded schools, colleges, and athletic programs to categorize sports competition as male, female, or coeducational, and ensuring that female divisions remain for female athletes.
And if the Legislature kills it?
We go back to the ballot in 2028. I will again actively join that effort. Period.
I've knocked on too many doors. I've looked too many parents in the eye. I've heard too many young female athletes talk about what fairness in sports means to them.
I'm not walking away from any of them.
A Clear Choice in November
My opponent in AD9, Ryan Hampton, has been endorsed by national organizations that spent months fighting this initiative in court.
He is a self-described “super liberal” who moved into our district after losing a race in a different district in 2024.
He does not share the values of this community – on this issue or most others.
The voters of Assembly District 9 will have a clear choice in November: send someone to Carson City who will fight for your daughters, or send someone who will line up with the people who just killed this initiative on a legal technicality.
I know which one I am.
The courts gave our opponents the delay they needed this year. But they can't delay this forever.
Nevada's female athletes deserve better. And if you give me the honor of representing you in the Legislature, I will make sure they get it.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. Digital technology was used in the research, writing, and production of this article. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
