8 JUNE 18-24, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | the self-defense classes and Queer Bash. “The climate right now is one of fear and trepidation. ... We want [students] to have a better ability to move through the world, to feel safe regardless of who they’re with or where they go.” Annual reports of anti-transgender hate crimes in the U.S. more than quintupled from 2015 to 2025, according to FBI data. Trans people are over four times more likely to be victims of violent crime compared to straight cisgender people, according to a 2025 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA. During Queer Bash, that fear is drowned out. Fighters trade punches and share hugs interchangeably. When blood is drawn, it’s out of respect, rather than hate. After seven matches and 23 rounds, Vane was crowned the winner of Queer Bash on May 31. Fellow fi ghters adorned her with a sash reading “toughest tranny in Denver” and lifted her into the air on their shoulders. She draped a trans fl ag around her battered, bleeding arms. It was a “dream come true,” Vane says. “I had to fi ght just to create this space where I could compete,” she adds. “I’ve fought every frickin’ day to make this happen. When I get in the ring, that’s the easy part.” We keep us safe Chopin grew up as the only Latino kid in a small, conservative town in Louisiana. Her mom didn’t teach her Spanish, worried Chopin would be targeted if she spoke it in public, she recalls. It didn’t stop the bullying. At seven, Chopin turned to karate. Then taekwondo. Then kung fu. “I wanted to be sure that I could keep myself safe and my sister safe,” she explains. That same desire to protect others inspired Chopin to form 36th Chamber in 2021. “My whole life, I knew what it felt like to feel unsafe because of who you are. How isolating that can be. I never want anyone to feel like that,” Chopin says. “My initial idea was an escort service for vulnerable people. ... But I realized I don’t have to go out and act as a bodyguard for people. If I can teach them how to protect themselves, then I can be everywhere at once.” The initiative began with Chopin teach- ing a few people in a friend’s basement. Today, eight certifi ed instructors take turns leading weekly self-defense courses across various martial arts disciplines, including jiu- jitsu, kung fu, boxing, wrestling, judo, muay Thai and more. Some of the instructors are trans themselves. All of them work for free, donating their time to ensure students can access the class at no cost. “They want to make sure they reach the people that need them,” Chopin says. “It’s totally free, and it always will be. It is paramount to me that we keep the classes as open and accessible as possible.” Seventeen students attended the class on June 7, a jiu-jitsu course led by Vane. The diverse group included individuals of various ages, gender identities and skill levels. For two hours, Vane walked them all through paired exercises and round-robin drills. Vane joined 36th Fight for Their Lives continued from page 7 Alejandra Chopin (left) and Sybil Vane (right) lead a 36th Chamber self-defense class; Vane joined 36th Chamber as a jiu-jitsu instructor in 2024. Queer Bash began in April 2025. The third tournament was held in May. HANNAH METZGER EVAN SEMÓN The Battle at the Ballot Box The future of Colorado’s transgender youth will be in the hands of voters this November. A citizen’s initiative to prohibit transgender students from playing on K-12 and college sports teams that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth qualifi ed for the statewide ballot on March 16. Proponents submitted over 168,000 signatures in support of the measure, exceeding the required 124,238 signatures, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Offi ce. The proposal comes from anti-transgen- der activists Erin Lee of Wellington and Mi- chele Austin of Englewood — and it’s not the pair’s only ballot bid. They’re pushing another initiative that would restrict gender- affi rming medical care for minors, prohibiting “any surgery” to alter “biological sex charac- teristics.” Petition signatures for that initiative were submitted on February 20. “The fi ght is ON — and we’re just getting started,” Lee shared in an online statement. “The legislature won’t protect our daughters. DC isn’t stepping up. So the PEOPLE of Colorado are taking charge.” This comes as Colorado was recently targeted by the federal government over its handling of transgender student athletes. On March 13, the U.S. Department of Educa- tion ordered Jefferson County Public Schools to reverse policies allowing transgender stu- dents to access sports teams, bathrooms, locker rooms and other accommodations. But the Jeffco school district revealed that the 61 boys that the federal government claimed were on girls’ sports teams are actually male managers, trainers and mascots — not athletes, according to a letter to the community on June 11. The local attacks have inspired outrage among Colorado LGBTQ+ groups. “We will work tirelessly between now and November to make sure voters understand exactly what this effort is about. It’s about bullying little kids and taking opportunities away from a handful of people,” says Mardi Moore, CEO of Rocky Mountain Equal- ity. “This is an attack on Colorado families modeled after national extremist efforts. Coloradans believe in fairness, freedom, and the right of every person to live their lives.” The Colorado initiatives contribute to a national trend of anti-transgender poli- cies this year. Ballot proposals involving trans athlete bans, gender-affi rming care restrictions and name changes have also been proposed in Arizona, Maine, Missouri, Nevada and Washington, according to the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center. “These politically motivated attacks endan- ger transgender youth and their families while wasting tax dollars and undermining commu- nity well-being,” says Andrea Hong Marra, CEO for Advocates for Trans Equality. “Transgender voters are our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family members, and like everyone else, we deserve safety, dignity and equality.” The U.S. Supreme Court is cur- rently weighing whether to uphold state bans on transgender athletes participating in girls’ sports teams. Its decision is expected by early July. The fi nal deadline to fi le a Colorado initia- tive petition for the 2026 election is Aug. 3. Election Day is Tues., Nov. 3. – Hannah Metzger continued on page 10
